Groundwork

Food and drink · County · Washington

Restaurants and cafes in San Juan County, WA

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

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 36 out of 100: Lower middle

Ranked #1,805 of 2,405 scored counties
#29 of 35 scored counties in Washington

Listings
151
4 chain locations (3%)
Official establishments
56
−12.5% since 2019
Household spending a year
$37.7M
On food away from home · $4,182 a household
Spending per listing
$250K
33% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
167.5
53% above the U.S.
Population, 2025
18,577
+4.2% since 2020

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

Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

Survey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure

What this means

San Juan County scores 36 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes, ranking #1,805 of 2,405 scored counties and #29 of 35 scored counties in Washington. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.

Household spending on food away from home in San Juan County comes to about $37.7M a year: $4,182 per household, 3% above the U.S. average. That is about $250K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 33% below the U.S. figure of $371K.

There are 151 restaurants and cafes on map listings in San Juan County as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 3% of them, against 34% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 167.5, 53% above the U.S. rate of 109.8.

Official counts show 56 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in San Juan County in 2023, down 12.5% from 2019. That is one for every 161 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $40K has gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in San Juan County. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of San Juan County grew 4.2%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%).

How San Juan 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 San Juan County, WA compared with Washington and the U.S.
MeasureSan Juan CountyWashingtonU.S.
Listings per 10k households167.5107.4109.8
Spending per listing$250K$419K$371K
Households per official establishment161204209
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023−12.5%+4.8%+6.0%
Population growth, 2020–2025+4.2%+3.6%+3.1%
Spending per household on food away from home$4,182$4,501$4,070
Median household income$84,800$98,141$80,734
Groundwork market score3670

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
64 → 56−12.5% over the period
Employees, 2023
405
Annual payroll, 2023
$14.7M
One-person businesses, 2023
11Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
1514 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
102The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
1
Amount
$40K

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

Population, 2025 estimate
18,577+4.2% since 2020
Households
9,015
Median age
56.2
Homes lived in by their owners
78%
Vehicles per household
2.1
Land area
174 sq. mi.
People per square mile
106
Median household income
$84,800+33.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$131,031
Median home value
$799,200
Jobs located here
5,552
Daytime population
16,562Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

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

Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

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 San Juan 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
29San Juan County, WA36151167.5$250K+4.2%#1,805 of 2,405

Other business types in San Juan County

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

Questions

How many restaurants and cafes are in San Juan County, WA?

As of September 2026, map listings count 151 restaurants and cafes in San Juan County. 4 of them (3%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 56 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, down 12.5% from 2019. Official counts list 11 one-person businesses without payroll.

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

About $37.7M a year, or $4,182 per household. That is 3% above the U.S. average (an index of 103, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 151 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $250K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 9,015 households in San Juan County and national spending patterns by income.

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

San Juan County has 167.5 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 53% above the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $250K, 33% below the U.S. figure of $371K. At the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, San Juan County would have about 102, against 151 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 161 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count fell 12.5% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.

How fast is San Juan County, WA growing?

Population estimates put San Juan County at 18,577 people in 2025, up 4.2% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 9,015 households. Median household income in San Juan County is $84,800, 5% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 33.3%, 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. San Juan County scores 36 for restaurants and cafes (lower middle), #1,805 of 2,405 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in San Juan 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 San Juan County

Screening a site or an acquisition in San Juan 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 San Juan 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.