Food and drink · Small-town market · Washington
Restaurants and cafes in the Ellensburg, WA area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for restaurants and cafes in the Ellensburg, WA area, set against other small-town markets and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 40 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #380 of 538 scored small-town markets
#10 of 10 scored small-town markets based in Washington
- Listings
- 287
- 78 chain locations (27%)
- Official establishments
- 134
- +19.6% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $78M
- On food away from home · $3,900 a household
- Spending per listing
- $272K
- 27% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 143.6
- 31% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 48,803
- +4.2% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in the Ellensburg 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 Ellensburg 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
Households in the Ellensburg area spend about $78M a year on food away from home, or $3,900 per household, 4% below the U.S. average. That is about $272K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 27% below the U.S. figure of $371K.
The Ellensburg area has 287 restaurants and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. Of those, 78 are chain locations, or 27%, against 34% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 143.6, 31% above the U.S. rate of 109.8.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in the Ellensburg area was 134 in 2023, up 19.6% from 2019. That is one for every 149 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Another 10 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 5 SBA-backed loans worth $1.9M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in the Ellensburg area.
Population estimates show the Ellensburg area grew 4.2% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Ellensburg area scores 40 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes, ranking #380 of 538 scored small-town markets and #10 of 10 scored small-town markets based in Washington.
How the Ellensburg 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 | Ellensburg area | Washington | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 143.6 | 107.4 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $272K | $419K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 149 | 204 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +19.6% | +4.8% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +4.2% | +3.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,900 | $4,501 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $73,804 | $98,141 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 40 | 70 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 134+19.6% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,857
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $57.1M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 10Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 28778 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 210The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 5
- Amount
- $1.9M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in the Ellensburg 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 Ellensburg area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 48,803+4.2% since 2020
- Households
- 19,993
- Median age
- 38.5
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 61%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.2
- Land area
- 2,297 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 21
- Median household income
- $73,804+31.8% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $102,663
- Median home value
- $497,400
- Jobs located here
- 18,312
- Daytime population
- 44,464Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Ellensburg area?
These figures cover the whole small-town market. 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 Ellensburg 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 small-town markets in Washington for restaurants and cafes, numbered among those based in Washington, with the Ellensburg area marked.
Top small-town markets in Washington
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Shelton, WA | 91 | 191 | 73.4 | $545K | +7.8% | #3 of 538 |
| 2Oak Harbor, WA | 73 | 291 | 80.9 | $518K | −1.5% | #58 of 538 |
| 3Port Angeles, WA | 61 | 305 | 87.0 | $423K | +1.1% | #158 of 538 |
| 4Centralia, WA | 61 | 323 | 98.1 | $380K | +6.7% | #161 of 538 |
| 5Port Townsend, WA | 61 | 177 | 108.3 | $356K | +2.7% | #162 of 538 |
| 6Pullman, WA | 56 | 177 | 94.5 | $365K | +1.5% | #203 of 538 |
| 7Moses Lake, WA | 48 | 407 | 115.0 | $317K | +6.3% | #283 of 538 |
| 8Aberdeen, WA | 44 | 318 | 103.8 | $334K | +3.0% | #337 of 538 |
| 9Othello, WA | 41 | 74 | 117.7 | $300K | +4.3% | #370 of 538 |
| 10Ellensburg, WA | 40 | 287 | 143.6 | $272K | +4.2% | #380 of 538 |
Other business types in the Ellensburg area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes40
- Sit-down restaurants47
- Fast food and sandwich shops58
- Pizza68
- Coffee shops and cafes37
- 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 Ellensburg, WA area?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 287 restaurants and cafes in the Ellensburg area. 78 of them (27%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 134 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 19.6% from 2019. Official counts list 10 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Ellensburg, WA area spend on food away from home?
About $78M a year, or $3,900 per household. That is 4% below the U.S. average (an index of 96, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 287 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $272K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 19,993 households in the Ellensburg area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Ellensburg, WA area compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
The Ellensburg area has 143.6 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 31% above the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $272K, 27% below the U.S. figure of $371K. At the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, the Ellensburg area would have about 210, against 287 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 149 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 19.6% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is the Ellensburg, WA area growing?
Population estimates put the Ellensburg area at 48,803 people in 2025, up 4.2% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 19,993 households. Median household income in the Ellensburg area is $73,804, 9% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 31.8%, 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. A small-town market is a town of 10,000 to 50,000 people and the county or counties tied to it by commuting. 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 Ellensburg area scores 40 for restaurants and cafes (lower middle), #380 of 538 scored small-town markets.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Ellensburg 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 Ellensburg area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Ellensburg 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 Ellensburg 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.