Groundwork

Food and drink · County · Washington

Restaurants and cafes in Snohomish County, WA

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

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 69 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #425 of 2,405 scored counties
#9 of 35 scored counties in Washington

Listings
2,970
955 chain locations (32%)
Official establishments
1,528
+4.1% since 2019
Household spending a year
$1.5B
On food away from home · $4,807 a household
Spending per listing
$512K
38% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
93.9
14% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
870,656
+4.9% since 2020

See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Snohomish 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 Snohomish 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

Map listings as of September 2026 show 2,970 restaurants and cafes in Snohomish County. 955 of them (32%) are chain locations, against 34% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 93.9, 14% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.

At $4,807 per household (18% above the U.S. average), households in Snohomish County spend about $1.5B a year on food away from home. That works out to $512K per restaurant, 38% above the U.S. figure of $371K.

In 2023, official counts showed 1,528 businesses with payroll in Snohomish County classed as restaurants and other eating places, up 4.1% from 2019. That is one for every 207 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Official counts list 234 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 88 SBA-backed loans worth $42.8M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Snohomish County.

Population estimates show Snohomish County grew 4.9% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes in Snohomish County is 69 (upper middle), #425 of 2,405 scored counties and #9 of 35 scored counties in Washington. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.

How Snohomish 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 Snohomish County, WA compared with Washington and the U.S.
MeasureSnohomish CountyWashingtonU.S.
Listings per 10k households93.9107.4109.8
Spending per listing$512K$419K$371K
Households per official establishment207204209
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+4.1%+4.8%+6.0%
Population growth, 2020–2025+4.9%+3.6%+3.1%
Spending per household on food away from home$4,807$4,501$4,070
Median household income$111,246$98,141$80,734
Groundwork market score6970

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
1,468 → 1,528+4.1% over the period
Employees, 2023
23,054
Annual payroll, 2023
$683.5M
One-person businesses, 2023
234Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
2,970955 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
4,099The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
88
Amount
$42.8M

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

Population, 2025 estimate
870,656+4.9% since 2020
Households
316,212
Median age
39.7
Homes lived in by their owners
68%
Vehicles per household
2.0
Land area
2,087 sq. mi.
People per square mile
405
Median household income
$111,246+28.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$142,831
Median home value
$696,000
Jobs located here
295,384
Daytime population
731,489Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Snohomish 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 Snohomish 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 Snohomish 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 Snohomish County

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

Questions

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

There are 2,970 restaurants and cafes on map listings in Snohomish County as of September 2026. 955 of them (32%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 1,528 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 4.1% from 2019. Official counts also show 234 one-person businesses without payroll.

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

About $1.5B a year, or $4,807 per household. That is 18% above the U.S. average (an index of 118, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 2,970 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $512K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 316,212 households in Snohomish County and national spending patterns by income.

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

Snohomish County has 93.9 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 14% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $512K, 38% above the U.S. figure of $371K. At the national ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Snohomish County would have about 4,099, against 2,970 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 207 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 4.1% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.

How fast is Snohomish County, WA growing?

Population estimates put Snohomish County at 870,656 people in 2025, up 4.9% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 316,212 households. The median household income in Snohomish County is $111,246 a year, 38% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 28.3% from the 2015–2019 survey, 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. Snohomish County scores 69 for restaurants and cafes (upper middle), #425 of 2,405 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

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

Screening a site or an acquisition in Snohomish 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 Snohomish 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.