Groundwork

Food and drink · County · Washington

Restaurants and cafes in Yakima County, WA

The restaurants and cafes in Yakima County, WA, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 33 out of 100: Lower middle

Ranked #1,908 of 2,405 scored counties
#32 of 35 scored counties in Washington

Listings
955
268 chain locations (28%)
Official establishments
435
+17.6% since 2019
Household spending a year
$315.6M
On food away from home · $3,599 a household
Spending per listing
$330K
11% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
108.9
In line with the U.S.
Population, 2025
259,185
+1.0% since 2020

See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Yakima 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 Yakima 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

The Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes in Yakima County is 33 (lower middle), #1,908 of 2,405 scored counties and #32 of 35 scored counties in Washington. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.

At $3,599 per household (12% below the U.S. average), households in Yakima County spend about $315.6M a year on food away from home. Spread across 955 restaurants and cafes, that is $330K per restaurant, 11% below the U.S. figure of $371K.

There are 955 restaurants and cafes on map listings in Yakima County as of September 2026. 268 of them (28%) are chain locations, against 34% across the U.S. That comes to 108.9 for every 10,000 households, in line with the U.S. rate of 109.8.

The official count of businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in Yakima County was 435 in 2023, up 17.6% from 2019. That is one for every 202 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 16 SBA-backed loans worth $9.3M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Yakima County. Population estimates show Yakima County grew 1.0% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%).

How Yakima 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 Yakima County, WA compared with Washington and the U.S.
MeasureYakima CountyWashingtonU.S.
Listings per 10k households108.9107.4109.8
Spending per listing$330K$419K$371K
Households per official establishment202204209
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+17.6%+4.8%+6.0%
Population growth, 2020–2025+1.0%+3.6%+3.1%
Spending per household on food away from home$3,599$4,501$4,070
Median household income$70,656$98,141$80,734
Groundwork market score3370

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
370 → 435+17.6% over the period
Employees, 2023
6,202
Annual payroll, 2023
$158.1M
One-person businesses, 2023
94Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
955268 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
851The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
16
Amount
$9.3M

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

Population, 2025 estimate
259,185+1.0% since 2020
Households
87,708
Median age
34.0
Homes lived in by their owners
62%
Vehicles per household
2.2
Land area
4,295 sq. mi.
People per square mile
60
Median household income
$70,656+36.8% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$88,451
Median home value
$310,100
Jobs located here
108,597
Daytime population
259,646Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Yakima 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 Yakima 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 Yakima 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
32Yakima County, WA33955108.9$330K+1.0%#1,908 of 2,405

Other business types in Yakima County

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

Questions

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

As of September 2026, map listings count 955 restaurants and cafes in Yakima County. 268 of them (28%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 435 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 17.6% from 2019. Official counts list 94 one-person businesses without payroll.

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

About $315.6M a year, or $3,599 per household. That is 12% below the U.S. average (an index of 88, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 955 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $330K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 87,708 households in Yakima County and national spending patterns by income.

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

Yakima County has 108.9 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, in line with the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $330K, 11% below the U.S. figure of $371K. At the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Yakima County would have about 851, against 955 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 202 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 17.6% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.

How fast is Yakima County, WA growing?

Population estimates put Yakima County at 259,185 people in 2025, up 1.0% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 87,708 households. Median household income in Yakima County is $70,656, 12% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 36.8%, 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. Yakima County scores 33 for restaurants and cafes (lower middle), #1,908 of 2,405 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

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

Screening a site or an acquisition in Yakima 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 Yakima 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.