Food and drink · County · Washington
Restaurants and cafes in Whitman County, WA
How Whitman 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 44 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,454 of 2,405 scored counties
#26 of 35 scored counties in Washington
- Listings
- 177
- 41 chain locations (23%)
- Official establishments
- 76
- −3.8% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $64.7M
- On food away from home · $3,453 a household
- Spending per listing
- $365K
- In line with the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 94.5
- 14% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 48,512
- +1.5% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Whitman 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 Whitman 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
Households in Whitman County spend about $64.7M a year on food away from home, or $3,453 per household, 15% below the U.S. average. That is about $365K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, in line with the U.S. figure of $371K.
Whitman County has 177 restaurants and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. Of those, 41 are chain locations, or 23%, against 34% across the U.S. That comes to 94.5 for every 10,000 households, 14% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.
Official counts show 76 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in Whitman County in 2023, down 3.8% from 2019. That is one for every 246 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Another 19 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 4 SBA-backed loans worth $1.8M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Whitman County.
Population estimates put the population change in Whitman County from 2020 to 2025 at +1.5%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). Whitman County scores 44 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes, ranking #1,454 of 2,405 scored counties and #26 of 35 scored counties in Washington.
How Whitman 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 | Whitman County | Washington | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 94.5 | 107.4 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $365K | $419K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 246 | 204 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −3.8% | +4.8% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +1.5% | +3.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,453 | $4,501 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $55,406 | $98,141 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 44 | 70 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 79 → 76−3.8% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,410
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $29.3M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 19Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 17741 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 174The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 4
- Amount
- $1.8M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Whitman 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 Whitman County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 48,512+1.5% since 2020
- Households
- 18,721
- Median age
- 33.7
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 47%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 2,159 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 22
- Median household income
- $55,406+29.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $84,165
- Median home value
- $359,600
- Jobs located here
- 19,571
- Daytime population
- 49,541Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Whitman 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 Whitman 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 Whitman 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 |
| 26Whitman County, WA | 44 | 177 | 94.5 | $365K | +1.5% | #1,454 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Whitman County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes44
- Sit-down restaurants44
- Fast food and sandwich shops64
- Pizza66
- Coffee shops and cafes24
- Bakeries and dessert shops38
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 Whitman County, WA?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 177 restaurants and cafes in Whitman County. 41 of them (23%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 76 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, down 3.8% from 2019. Official counts list 19 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Whitman County, WA spend on food away from home?
About $64.7M a year, or $3,453 per household. That is 15% below the U.S. average (an index of 85, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 177 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $365K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 18,721 households in Whitman County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Whitman County, WA compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Whitman County has 94.5 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 14% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $365K, in line with the U.S. figure of $371K. At the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Whitman County would have about 174, against 177 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 246 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count fell 3.8% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Whitman County, WA growing?
Population estimates put Whitman County at 48,512 people in 2025, up 1.5% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 18,721 households. Median household income in Whitman County is $55,406, 31% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 29.6%, 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. Whitman County scores 44 for restaurants and cafes (lower middle), #1,454 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Whitman 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 Whitman County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Whitman 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 Whitman 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.