Groundwork

Food and drink · County · Washington

Restaurants and cafes in Clark County, WA

The restaurants and cafes in Clark County, WA, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 77 out of 100: High

Ranked #205 of 2,405 scored counties
#6 of 35 scored counties in Washington

Listings
1,669
596 chain locations (36%)
Official establishments
752
+7.7% since 2019
Household spending a year
$864.7M
On food away from home · $4,411 a household
Spending per listing
$518K
40% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
85.1
22% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
532,119
+5.3% since 2020

See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Clark 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 Clark 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

Clark County scores 77 (high) on the Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes, ranking #205 of 2,405 scored counties and #6 of 35 scored counties in Washington. That puts it in the top 10% of counties for restaurants and cafes.

Households in Clark County spend about $864.7M a year on food away from home, or $4,411 per household, 8% above the U.S. average. Spread across 1,669 restaurants and cafes, that is $518K per restaurant, 40% above the U.S. figure of $371K.

There are 1,669 restaurants and cafes on map listings in Clark County as of September 2026. 596 of them (36%) are chain locations, against 34% across the U.S. That is 85.1 per 10,000 households, 22% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.

In 2023, official counts showed 752 businesses with payroll in Clark County classed as restaurants and other eating places, up 7.7% from 2019. That is one for every 261 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 37 SBA-backed loans worth $25.5M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Clark County. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Clark County grew 5.3%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%).

How Clark County 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.

Restaurants and cafes in Clark County, WA compared with Washington and the U.S.
MeasureClark CountyWashingtonU.S.
Listings per 10k households85.1107.4109.8
Spending per listing$518K$419K$371K
Households per official establishment261204209
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+7.7%+4.8%+6.0%
Population growth, 2020–2025+5.3%+3.6%+3.1%
Spending per household on food away from home$4,411$4,501$4,070
Median household income$97,536$98,141$80,734
Groundwork market score7770

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
698 → 752+7.7% over the period
Employees, 2023
13,991
Annual payroll, 2023
$377.6M
One-person businesses, 2023
125Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
1,669596 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
2,332The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
37
Amount
$25.5M

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

Population, 2025 estimate
532,119+5.3% since 2020
Households
196,017
Median age
39.7
Homes lived in by their owners
66%
Vehicles per household
2.0
Land area
629 sq. mi.
People per square mile
823
Median household income
$97,536+29.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$125,385
Median home value
$522,900
Jobs located here
180,756
Daytime population
458,006Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

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

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Restaurants and cafes across Washington

Every Washington market ranked →

The highest-scoring counties in Washington for restaurants and cafes, numbered among those based in Washington, with Clark County marked.

Top counties in Washington

Counties in Washington ranked for restaurants and cafes by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Lincoln County, WA823368.5$533K+9.7%#111 of 2,405
2Pend Oreille County, WA813965.6$551K+7.1%#122 of 2,405
3Douglas County, WA8113081.6$498K+8.0%#126 of 2,405
4Stevens County, WA8012765.6$553K+6.6%#139 of 2,405
5Mason County, WA8019173.4$545K+7.8%#140 of 2,405
6Clark County, WA771,66985.1$518K+5.3%#205 of 2,405
7Skamania County, WA7753105.6$402K+5.2%#210 of 2,405
8Pierce County, WA693,05587.0$512K+2.5%#424 of 2,405
9Snohomish County, WA692,97093.9$512K+4.9%#425 of 2,405
10Asotin County, WA686972.7$516K+1.0%#447 of 2,405

Other business types in Clark County

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

Questions

How many restaurants and cafes are in Clark County, WA?

As of September 2026, map listings count 1,669 restaurants and cafes in Clark County. 596 of them (36%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 752 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 7.7% from 2019. Official counts list 125 one-person businesses without payroll.

How much do households in Clark County, WA spend on food away from home?

About $864.7M a year, or $4,411 per household. That is 8% above the U.S. average (an index of 108, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 1,669 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $518K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 196,017 households in Clark County and national spending patterns by income.

How does Clark County, WA compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?

Clark County has 85.1 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 22% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $518K, 40% above the U.S. figure of $371K. At the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Clark County would have about 2,332, against 1,669 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 261 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 7.7% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.

How fast is Clark County, WA growing?

Population estimates put Clark County at 532,119 people in 2025, up 5.3% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 196,017 households. Median household income in Clark County is $97,536, 21% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 29.6%, 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. Clark County scores 77 for restaurants and cafes (high), #205 of 2,405 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

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

Screening a site or an acquisition in Clark 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 Clark 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.