Food and drink · County · Virginia
Restaurants and cafes in Virginia Beach city, VA
How Virginia Beach city, VA compares with other counties and the U.S. for restaurants and cafes: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 36 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,774 of 2,405 scored counties
#88 of 115 scored counties in Virginia
- Listings
- 2,168
- 835 chain locations (39%)
- Official establishments
- 1,154
- +2.1% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $770.2M
- On food away from home · $4,283 a household
- Spending per listing
- $355K
- 4% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 120.5
- 10% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 453,737
- −1.3% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Virginia Beach city
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 Virginia Beach city. 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
As of September 2026, map listings count 2,168 restaurants and cafes in Virginia Beach city. 835 of them (39%) are chain locations, against 34% across the U.S. That comes to 120.5 for every 10,000 households, 10% above the U.S. rate of 109.8.
At $4,283 per household (5% above the U.S. average), households in Virginia Beach city spend about $770.2M a year on food away from home. That is about $355K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 4% below the U.S. figure of $371K.
In 2023, official counts showed 1,154 businesses with payroll in Virginia Beach city classed as restaurants and other eating places, up 2.1% from 2019. That is one for every 156 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Official counts also show 163 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 35 SBA-backed loans worth $21.5M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Virginia Beach city.
Population estimates put the population change in Virginia Beach city from 2020 to 2025 at −1.3%, against +3.1% for the U.S. For restaurants and cafes, Virginia Beach city has a Groundwork market score of 36 (lower middle): #1,774 of 2,405 scored counties and #88 of 115 scored counties in Virginia.
How Virginia Beach city 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 | Virginia Beach city | Virginia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 120.5 | 97.9 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $355K | $447K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 156 | 211 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +2.1% | +4.2% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −1.3% | +2.8% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $4,283 | $4,372 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $92,968 | $93,170 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 36 | 71 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 1,130 → 1,154+2.1% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 22,256
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $510M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 163Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 2,168835 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 2,077The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 35
- Amount
- $21.5M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Virginia Beach city, 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 Virginia Beach city
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 453,737−1.3% since 2020
- Households
- 179,851
- Median age
- 39.4
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 65%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 245 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 1,865
- Median household income
- $92,968+21.4% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $120,769
- Median home value
- $382,500
- Jobs located here
- 180,420
- Daytime population
- 440,196Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Virginia Beach city?
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 Virginia Beach city. 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 Virginia Beach city 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 |
| 88Virginia Beach city, VA | 36 | 2,168 | 120.5 | $355K | −1.3% | #1,774 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Virginia Beach city
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes36
- Sit-down restaurants31
- Fast food and sandwich shops45
- Pizza46
- Coffee shops and cafes49
- Bakeries and dessert shops41
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 Virginia Beach city, VA?
Virginia Beach city has 2,168 restaurants and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. 835 of them (39%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 1,154 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 2.1% from 2019. Another 163 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Virginia Beach city, VA spend on food away from home?
About $770.2M a year, or $4,283 per household. That is 5% above the U.S. average (an index of 105, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 2,168 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $355K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 179,851 households in Virginia Beach city and national spending patterns by income.
How does Virginia Beach city, VA compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Virginia Beach city has 120.5 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 10% above the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $355K, 4% below the U.S. figure of $371K. At the national ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Virginia Beach city would have about 2,077, against 2,168 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 156 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 2.1% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Virginia Beach city, VA growing?
Population estimates put Virginia Beach city at 453,737 people in 2025, down 1.3% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 179,851 households. The median household income in Virginia Beach city is $92,968 a year, 15% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 21.4% 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. Virginia Beach city scores 36 for restaurants and cafes (lower middle), #1,774 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Virginia Beach city. 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 Virginia Beach city
Screening a site or an acquisition in Virginia Beach city?
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 Virginia Beach city. 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.