Food and drink · Metro area · Washington
Restaurants and cafes in the Bellingham, WA metro area
The restaurants and cafes in the Bellingham, WA metro area, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other metro areas.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 54 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #163 of 387 scored metro areas
#6 of 11 scored metro areas based in Washington
- Listings
- 988
- 268 chain locations (27%)
- Official establishments
- 446
- +4.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $378.3M
- On food away from home · $4,024 a household
- Spending per listing
- $383K
- 3% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 105.1
- 4% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 236,392
- +3.9% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in the Bellingham metro area
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 the Bellingham metro area. 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
Household spending on food away from home in the Bellingham metro area comes to about $378.3M a year: $4,024 per household, in line with the U.S. average. Spread across 988 restaurants and cafes, that is $383K per restaurant, 3% above the U.S. figure of $371K.
There are 988 restaurants and cafes on map listings in the Bellingham metro area as of September 2026. 268 of them (27%) are chain locations, against 34% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 105.1, 4% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.
In 2023, official counts showed 446 businesses with payroll in the Bellingham metro area classed as restaurants and other eating places, up 4.0% from 2019. That is one for every 211 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Official counts also show 42 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 19 SBA-backed loans worth $4.1M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in the Bellingham metro area.
Population estimates put the population change in the Bellingham metro area from 2020 to 2025 at +3.9%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes in the Bellingham metro area is 54 (upper middle), #163 of 387 scored metro areas and #6 of 11 scored metro areas based in Washington.
How the Bellingham metro area compares
The same measures for Washington 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 | Bellingham metro area | Washington | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 105.1 | 107.4 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $383K | $419K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 211 | 204 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +4.0% | +4.8% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +3.9% | +3.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $4,024 | $4,501 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $81,784 | $98,141 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 54 | 70 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 446+4.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 7,090
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $185.5M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 42Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 988268 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 1,020The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 19
- Amount
- $4.1M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in the Bellingham metro area, 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 the Bellingham metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 236,392+3.9% since 2020
- Households
- 94,021
- Median age
- 39.9
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 64%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 2,108 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 109
- Median household income
- $81,784+29.9% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $109,611
- Median home value
- $585,800
- Jobs located here
- 90,570
- Daytime population
- 221,278Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Bellingham metro area?
These figures cover the whole metro area. 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 the Bellingham metro area. 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 Washington
Every Washington market ranked →The highest-scoring metro areas in Washington for restaurants and cafes, numbered among those based in Washington (a market based in another state is listed without a number), with the Bellingham metro area marked.
Top metro areas in Washington
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA | 78 | 1,051 | 88.4 | $484K | +2.8% | #23 of 387 |
| 2Longview-Kelso, WA | 73 | 369 | 84.0 | $450K | +3.5% | #41 of 387 |
| 3Bremerton-Silverdale-Port Orchard, WA | 71 | 1,036 | 95.5 | $478K | +2.7% | #51 of 387 |
| 4Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | 66 | 18,327 | 113.9 | $433K | +3.3% | #85 of 387 |
| 5Spokane-Spokane Valley, WA | 65 | 2,166 | 91.1 | $426K | +3.5% | #92 of 387 |
| Lewiston, ID-WA | 63 | 231 | 86.3 | $427K | +1.5% | #104 of 387 |
| 6Bellingham, WA | 54 | 988 | 105.1 | $383K | +3.9% | #163 of 387 |
| 7Kennewick-Richland, WA | 53 | 1,234 | 114.3 | $365K | +6.5% | #174 of 387 |
| 8Mount Vernon-Anacortes, WA | 41 | 608 | 116.2 | $358K | +2.4% | #253 of 387 |
| Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA | 38 | 13,193 | 130.6 | $341K | +1.0% | #277 of 387 |
Other business types in the Bellingham metro area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes54
- Sit-down restaurants56
- Fast food and sandwich shops83
- Pizza79
- Coffee shops and cafes32
- Bakeries and dessert shops60
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 the Bellingham, WA metro area?
As of September 2026, map listings count 988 restaurants and cafes in the Bellingham metro area. 268 of them (27%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 446 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 4.0% from 2019. Another 42 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in the Bellingham, WA metro area spend on food away from home?
About $378.3M a year, or $4,024 per household. That is in line with the U.S. average (an index of 99, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 988 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $383K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 94,021 households in the Bellingham metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Bellingham, WA metro area compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
The Bellingham metro area has 105.1 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 4% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $383K, 3% above the U.S. figure of $371K. At the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, the Bellingham metro area would have about 1,020, against 988 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 211 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 4.0% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is the Bellingham, WA metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Bellingham metro area at 236,392 people in 2025, up 3.9% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 94,021 households. Median household income in the Bellingham metro area is $81,784, in line with the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 29.9%, 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. The Bellingham metro area scores 54 for restaurants and cafes (upper middle), #163 of 387 scored metro areas.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Bellingham metro area. 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 the Bellingham metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Bellingham metro area?
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 the Bellingham metro area. 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.