Food and drink · County · Washington
Restaurants and cafes in Kittitas County, WA
How Kittitas County, WA 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 34 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,889 of 2,405 scored counties
#31 of 35 scored counties 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 Kittitas 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 Kittitas County. 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
Kittitas County scores 34 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes, ranking #1,889 of 2,405 scored counties and #31 of 35 scored counties in Washington. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
Household spending on food away from home in Kittitas County comes to about $78M a year: $3,900 per household, 4% below the U.S. average. That works out to $272K per restaurant, 27% below the U.S. figure of $371K.
There are 287 restaurants and cafes on map listings in Kittitas County as of September 2026. 78 of them (27%) are chain locations, against 34% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 143.6, 31% above the U.S. rate of 109.8.
Official counts show 134 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in Kittitas County in 2023, up 19.6% from 2019. That is one for every 149 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 5 SBA-backed loans worth $1.9M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Kittitas County. Population estimates put the population change in Kittitas County from 2020 to 2025 at +4.2%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Kittitas 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.
| Measure | Kittitas County | 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 | 34 | 70 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 112 → 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 Kittitas 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 Kittitas County
- 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 Kittitas 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 Kittitas County. 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 counties in Washington for restaurants and cafes, numbered among those based in Washington, with Kittitas County marked.
Top counties in Washington
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Lincoln County, WA | 82 | 33 | 68.5 | $533K | +9.7% | #111 of 2,405 |
| 2Pend Oreille County, WA | 81 | 39 | 65.6 | $551K | +7.1% | #122 of 2,405 |
| 3Douglas County, WA | 81 | 130 | 81.6 | $498K | +8.0% | #126 of 2,405 |
| 4Stevens County, WA | 80 | 127 | 65.6 | $553K | +6.6% | #139 of 2,405 |
| 5Mason County, WA | 80 | 191 | 73.4 | $545K | +7.8% | #140 of 2,405 |
| 6Clark County, WA | 77 | 1,669 | 85.1 | $518K | +5.3% | #205 of 2,405 |
| 7Skamania County, WA | 77 | 53 | 105.6 | $402K | +5.2% | #210 of 2,405 |
| 8Pierce County, WA | 69 | 3,055 | 87.0 | $512K | +2.5% | #424 of 2,405 |
| 9Snohomish County, WA | 69 | 2,970 | 93.9 | $512K | +4.9% | #425 of 2,405 |
| 10Asotin County, WA | 68 | 69 | 72.7 | $516K | +1.0% | #447 of 2,405 |
| 31Kittitas County, WA | 34 | 287 | 143.6 | $272K | +4.2% | #1,889 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Kittitas County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes34
- Sit-down restaurants40
- Fast food and sandwich shops49
- Pizza61
- Coffee shops and cafes31
- Bakeries and dessert shops54
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 Kittitas County, WA?
As of September 2026, map listings count 287 restaurants and cafes in Kittitas County. 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 also show 10 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Kittitas County, WA 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 Kittitas County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Kittitas County, WA compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Kittitas County 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, Kittitas County 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 Kittitas County, WA growing?
Population estimates put Kittitas County 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 Kittitas County 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. 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. Kittitas County scores 34 for restaurants and cafes (lower middle), #1,889 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Kittitas 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 Kittitas County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Kittitas 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 Kittitas 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.