Food and drink · County · Virginia
Restaurants and cafes in Stafford County, VA
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for restaurants and cafes in Stafford County, VA, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 89 out of 100: High
Ranked #29 of 2,405 scored counties
#9 of 115 scored counties in Virginia
- Listings
- 369
- 175 chain locations (47%)
- Official establishments
- 180
- +5.3% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $279.7M
- On food away from home · $5,345 a household
- Spending per listing
- $758K
- Twice the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 70.5
- 36% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 170,803
- +8.3% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Stafford County
The site report maps the restaurants and cafes on map listings near the address, by name and distance, and sizes the households and spending around it. Or open the report at the center of Stafford County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardSurvey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure
What this means
The Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes in Stafford County is 89 (high), #29 of 2,405 scored counties and #9 of 115 scored counties in Virginia. That puts it in the top 10% of counties for restaurants and cafes.
Map listings as of September 2026 show 369 restaurants and cafes in Stafford County. 175 of them (47%) are chain locations, against 34% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 70.5, 36% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.
Household spending on food away from home in Stafford County comes to about $279.7M a year: $5,345 per household, 31% above the U.S. average. That works out to $758K per restaurant, twice the U.S. figure of $371K.
Official counts show 180 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in Stafford County in 2023, up 5.3% from 2019. That is one for every 291 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 9 SBA-backed loans worth $5.1M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Stafford County. Population estimates show Stafford County grew 8.3% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Stafford County compares
The same measures for Virginia and the whole U.S. Spending per listing divides a year of household spending on all food away from home by the restaurants and cafes counted, so it measures the demand for each competitor, not any business’s revenue. Households per establishment does the same with the official count.
| Measure | Stafford County | Virginia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 70.5 | 97.9 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $758K | $447K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 291 | 211 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +5.3% | +4.2% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +8.3% | +2.8% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $5,345 | $4,372 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $137,807 | $93,170 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 89 | 71 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 171 → 180+5.3% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 3,307
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $65.7M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 58Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 369175 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 754The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 9
- Amount
- $5.1M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Stafford County, through June 2026, placed by the borrower’s ZIP code. Official establishments are businesses with payroll; the official counts leave out places with fewer than 3.
Population and households in Stafford County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 170,803+8.3% since 2020
- Households
- 52,326
- Median age
- 37.3
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 81%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.3
- Land area
- 269 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 609
- Median household income
- $137,807+24.0% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $160,926
- Median home value
- $485,100
- Jobs located here
- 42,246
- Daytime population
- 142,029Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Stafford County?
These figures cover the whole county. A site report draws rings around one address and counts what’s inside them: households, spending, jobs, and the restaurants and cafes on map listings by name and distance.
Or open the report at the center of Stafford County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardRestaurants and cafes across Virginia
Every Virginia market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Virginia for restaurants and cafes, numbered among those based in Virginia, with Stafford County marked.
Top counties in Virginia
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Goochland County, VA | 96 | 56 | 54.1 | $930K | +17.4% | #3 of 2,405 |
| 2Fluvanna County, VA | 94 | 36 | 34.9 | $1.2M | +6.2% | #4 of 2,405 |
| 3Caroline County, VA | 93 | 63 | 52.6 | $773K | +11.3% | #9 of 2,405 |
| 4Powhatan County, VA | 92 | 59 | 52.1 | $895K | +7.0% | #11 of 2,405 |
| 5New Kent County, VA | 92 | 57 | 61.5 | $783K | +21.2% | #12 of 2,405 |
| 6Louisa County, VA | 92 | 85 | 54.6 | $745K | +13.6% | #14 of 2,405 |
| 7King George County, VA | 91 | 66 | 65.1 | $731K | +10.5% | #18 of 2,405 |
| 8Frederick County, VA | 90 | 245 | 69.2 | $636K | +8.8% | #28 of 2,405 |
| 9Stafford County, VA | 89 | 369 | 70.5 | $758K | +8.3% | #29 of 2,405 |
| 10Dinwiddie County, VA | 87 | 39 | 36.6 | $1M | +3.6% | #38 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Stafford County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes89
- Sit-down restaurants91
- Fast food and sandwich shops80
- Pizza81
- Coffee shops and cafes95
- Bakeries and dessert shops94
Groceries and convenience
Auto
Beauty and personal care
Fitness and classes
Health care
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many restaurants and cafes are in Stafford County, VA?
There are 369 restaurants and cafes on map listings in Stafford County as of September 2026. 175 of them (47%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 180 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 5.3% from 2019. Official counts list 58 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Stafford County, VA spend on food away from home?
About $279.7M a year, or $5,345 per household. That is 31% above the U.S. average (an index of 131, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 369 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $758K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 52,326 households in Stafford County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Stafford County, VA compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Stafford County has 70.5 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 36% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $758K, twice the U.S. figure of $371K. At the national ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Stafford County would have about 754, against 369 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 291 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 5.3% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Stafford County, VA growing?
Population estimates put Stafford County at 170,803 people in 2025, up 8.3% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 52,326 households. The median household income in Stafford County is $137,807 a year, 71% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 24.0% from the 2015–2019 survey, before inflation.
What is the Groundwork market score?
The Groundwork market score runs from 0 to 100 and compares a market with others of its kind for one business type: states with states, metro areas with metro areas, small-town markets and counties with their own. It weighs household spending per competitor (35%), households per business with payroll (25%), population growth (20%) and spending power (20%), each ranked against those peers. A higher score means that, taken together, the market has more household spending and more households for each business already there, faster population growth and more spending per household than similar markets. It describes a market, not any one site or deal. Stafford County scores 89 for restaurants and cafes (high), #29 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Stafford County. It maps the restaurants and cafes on map listings near the site and sizes the households and spending within the distance you choose. New accounts get 10 actions over 3 days, no card.
How the score works · Top markets for restaurants and cafes · All 56 business types in Stafford County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Stafford County?
A site report maps the competitors on map listings near an address and sizes the households and spending around it.
The button opens the report at the center of Stafford County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.
Figures are estimates for research only. Not investment or real estate advice.