Food and drink · Metro area · Washington
Restaurants and cafes in the Walla Walla, WA metro area
How the Walla Walla, WA metro area compares with other metro areas and the U.S. for restaurants and cafes: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 22 out of 100: Low
Ranked #366 of 387 scored metro areas
#11 of 11 scored metro areas based in Washington
- Listings
- 421
- 71 chain locations (17%)
- Official establishments
- 111
- +6.7% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $88.4M
- On food away from home · $3,771 a household
- Spending per listing
- $210K
- 43% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 179.6
- 64% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 62,361
- −0.4% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in the Walla Walla metro 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 Walla Walla metro 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
The Walla Walla metro area scores 22 (low) on the Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes, ranking #366 of 387 scored metro areas and #11 of 11 scored metro areas based in Washington. That puts it in the bottom quarter of metro areas.
Household spending on food away from home in the Walla Walla metro area comes to about $88.4M a year: $3,771 per household, 7% below the U.S. average. That is about $210K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 43% below the U.S. figure of $371K.
There are 421 restaurants and cafes on map listings in the Walla Walla metro area as of September 2026. Of those, 71 are chain locations, or 17%, against 34% across the U.S. That is 179.6 per 10,000 households, 64% above the U.S. rate of 109.8.
In 2023, official counts showed 111 businesses with payroll in the Walla Walla metro area classed as restaurants and other eating places, up 6.7% from 2019. That is one for every 211 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 4 SBA-backed loans worth $1.3M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in the Walla Walla metro area. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of the Walla Walla metro area declined 0.4%, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How the Walla Walla metro 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 | Walla Walla metro area | Washington | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 179.6 | 107.4 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $210K | $419K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 211 | 204 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +6.7% | +4.8% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −0.4% | +3.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,771 | $4,501 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $74,202 | $98,141 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 22 | 70 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 111+6.7% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,728
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $47.2M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 7Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 42171 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 238The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 4
- Amount
- $1.3M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in the Walla Walla metro 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 Walla Walla metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 62,361−0.4% since 2020
- Households
- 23,447
- Median age
- 39.2
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 65%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 1,270 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 49
- Median household income
- $74,202+28.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $98,236
- Median home value
- $408,900
- Jobs located here
- 26,913
- Daytime population
- 66,232Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Walla Walla metro area?
These figures cover the whole metro area. 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 Walla Walla metro 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 metro areas in Washington for restaurants and cafes, numbered among those based in Washington (a market based in another state is listed without a number), with the Walla Walla metro area marked.
Top metro areas in Washington
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA | 78 | 1,051 | 88.4 | $484K | +2.8% | #23 of 387 |
| 2Longview-Kelso, WA | 73 | 369 | 84.0 | $450K | +3.5% | #41 of 387 |
| 3Bremerton-Silverdale-Port Orchard, WA | 71 | 1,036 | 95.5 | $478K | +2.7% | #51 of 387 |
| 4Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | 66 | 18,327 | 113.9 | $433K | +3.3% | #85 of 387 |
| 5Spokane-Spokane Valley, WA | 65 | 2,166 | 91.1 | $426K | +3.5% | #92 of 387 |
| Lewiston, ID-WA | 63 | 231 | 86.3 | $427K | +1.5% | #104 of 387 |
| 6Bellingham, WA | 54 | 988 | 105.1 | $383K | +3.9% | #163 of 387 |
| 7Kennewick-Richland, WA | 53 | 1,234 | 114.3 | $365K | +6.5% | #174 of 387 |
| 8Mount Vernon-Anacortes, WA | 41 | 608 | 116.2 | $358K | +2.4% | #253 of 387 |
| Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA | 38 | 13,193 | 130.6 | $341K | +1.0% | #277 of 387 |
| 11Walla Walla, WA | 22 | 421 | 179.6 | $210K | −0.4% | #366 of 387 |
Other business types in the Walla Walla metro area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes22
- Sit-down restaurants42
- Fast food and sandwich shops68
- Pizza69
- Coffee shops and cafes21
- Bakeries and dessert shops36
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 Walla Walla, WA metro area?
As of September 2026, map listings count 421 restaurants and cafes in the Walla Walla metro area. 71 of them (17%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 111 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 6.7% from 2019. Another 7 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in the Walla Walla, WA metro area spend on food away from home?
About $88.4M a year, or $3,771 per household. That is 7% below the U.S. average (an index of 93, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 421 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $210K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 23,447 households in the Walla Walla metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Walla Walla, WA metro area compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
The Walla Walla metro area has 179.6 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 64% above the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $210K, 43% below the U.S. figure of $371K. At the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, the Walla Walla metro area would have about 238, against 421 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 211 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 6.7% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is the Walla Walla, WA metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Walla Walla metro area at 62,361 people in 2025, down 0.4% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 23,447 households. Median household income in the Walla Walla metro area is $74,202, 8% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 28.3%, 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. The Walla Walla metro area scores 22 for restaurants and cafes (low), #366 of 387 scored metro areas.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Walla Walla metro 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 Walla Walla metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Walla Walla metro 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 Walla Walla metro 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.