Groundwork

Food and drink · County · Virginia

Restaurants and cafes in York County, VA

Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for restaurants and cafes in York County, VA, set against other counties and the U.S.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 65 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #535 of 2,405 scored counties
#51 of 115 scored counties in Virginia

Listings
216
87 chain locations (40%)
Official establishments
137
+6.2% since 2019
Household spending a year
$127M
On food away from home · $4,709 a household
Spending per listing
$588K
59% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
80.1
27% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
71,374
+1.6% since 2020

See the restaurants and cafes around any address in York 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 York County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Survey 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 216 restaurants and cafes in York County. 87 of them (40%) are chain locations, against 34% across the U.S. That comes to 80.1 for every 10,000 households, 27% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.

Households in York County spend about $127M a year on food away from home, or $4,709 per household, 16% above the U.S. average. That works out to $588K per restaurant, 59% above the U.S. figure of $371K.

Official counts show 137 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in York County in 2023, up 6.2% from 2019. That is one for every 197 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Another 14 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 3 SBA-backed loans worth $2.2M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in York County.

Population estimates put the population change in York County from 2020 to 2025 at +1.6%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). York County scores 65 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes, ranking #535 of 2,405 scored counties and #51 of 115 scored counties in Virginia. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.

How York 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.

Restaurants and cafes in York County, VA compared with Virginia and the U.S.
MeasureYork CountyVirginiaU.S.
Listings per 10k households80.197.9109.8
Spending per listing$588K$447K$371K
Households per official establishment197211209
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+6.2%+4.2%+6.0%
Population growth, 2020–2025+1.6%+2.8%+3.1%
Spending per household on food away from home$4,709$4,372$4,070
Median household income$109,956$93,170$80,734
Groundwork market score6571

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
129 → 137+6.2% over the period
Employees, 2023
2,711
Annual payroll, 2023
$62.7M
One-person businesses, 2023
14Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
21687 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
343The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
3
Amount
$2.2M

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in York 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 York County

Population, 2025 estimate
71,374+1.6% since 2020
Households
26,968
Median age
42.0
Homes lived in by their owners
72%
Vehicles per household
2.0
Land area
105 sq. mi.
People per square mile
678
Median household income
$109,956+19.4% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$135,038
Median home value
$433,200
Jobs located here
19,993
Daytime population
64,167Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in York 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 York County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Restaurants 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 York County marked.

Top counties in Virginia

Counties in Virginia ranked for restaurants and cafes by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Goochland County, VA965654.1$930K+17.4%#3 of 2,405
2Fluvanna County, VA943634.9$1.2M+6.2%#4 of 2,405
3Caroline County, VA936352.6$773K+11.3%#9 of 2,405
4Powhatan County, VA925952.1$895K+7.0%#11 of 2,405
5New Kent County, VA925761.5$783K+21.2%#12 of 2,405
6Louisa County, VA928554.6$745K+13.6%#14 of 2,405
7King George County, VA916665.1$731K+10.5%#18 of 2,405
8Frederick County, VA9024569.2$636K+8.8%#28 of 2,405
9Stafford County, VA8936970.5$758K+8.3%#29 of 2,405
10Dinwiddie County, VA873936.6$1M+3.6%#38 of 2,405
51York County, VA6521680.1$588K+1.6%#535 of 2,405

Other business types in York County

Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.

Questions

How many restaurants and cafes are in York County, VA?

York County has 216 restaurants and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. 87 of them (40%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 137 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 6.2% from 2019. Official counts list 14 one-person businesses without payroll.

How much do households in York County, VA spend on food away from home?

About $127M a year, or $4,709 per household. That is 16% above the U.S. average (an index of 116, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 216 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $588K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 26,968 households in York County and national spending patterns by income.

How does York County, VA compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?

York County has 80.1 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 27% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $588K, 59% above the U.S. figure of $371K. At the national ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, York County would have about 343, against 216 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 197 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 6.2% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.

How fast is York County, VA growing?

Population estimates put York County at 71,374 people in 2025, up 1.6% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 26,968 households. The median household income in York County is $109,956 a year, 36% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 19.4% 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. York County scores 65 for restaurants and cafes (upper middle), #535 of 2,405 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in York 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 York County

Screening a site or an acquisition in York 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 York 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.