Food and drink · Small-town market · West Virginia
Restaurants and cafes in the Elkins, WV area
The restaurants and cafes in the Elkins, WV area, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other small-town markets.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 32 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #441 of 538 scored small-town markets
#4 of 4 scored small-town markets based in West Virginia
- Listings
- 105
- 35 chain locations (33%)
- Official establishments
- 42
- +5.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $34M
- On food away from home · $3,184 a household
- Spending per listing
- $324K
- 13% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 98.3
- 10% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 26,882
- −3.6% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in the Elkins 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 Elkins 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 Elkins area scores 32 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes, ranking #441 of 538 scored small-town markets and #4 of 4 scored small-town markets based in West Virginia. That puts it in the bottom quarter of small-town markets.
As of September 2026, map listings count 105 restaurants and cafes in the Elkins area. 35 of them (33%) are chain locations, against 34% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 98.3, 10% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.
At $3,184 per household (22% below the U.S. average), households in the Elkins area spend about $34M a year on food away from home. That works out to $324K per restaurant, 13% below the U.S. figure of $371K.
Official counts show 42 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in the Elkins area in 2023, up 5.0% from 2019. That is one for every 254 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 4 SBA-backed loans worth $700K have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in the Elkins area. Population estimates show the Elkins area declined 3.6% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How the Elkins area compares
The same measures for West Virginia 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 | Elkins area | West Virginia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 98.3 | 87.0 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $324K | $384K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 254 | 259 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +5.0% | +3.3% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −3.6% | −1.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,184 | $3,343 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $52,757 | $59,608 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 32 | 46 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 42+5.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 680
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $11.5M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 6Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 10535 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 92The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 4
- Amount
- $700K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in the Elkins 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 Elkins area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 26,882−3.6% since 2020
- Households
- 10,678
- Median age
- 44.6
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 75%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 1,040 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 27
- Median household income
- $52,757+21.8% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $71,437
- Median home value
- $144,800
- Jobs located here
- 10,659
- Daytime population
- 26,808Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Elkins area?
These figures cover the whole small-town market. 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 Elkins 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 West Virginia
Every West Virginia market ranked →The highest-scoring small-town markets in West Virginia for restaurants and cafes, numbered among those based in West Virginia (a market based in another state is listed without a number), with the Elkins area marked.
Top small-town markets in West Virginia
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Fairmont, WV | 57 | 197 | 84.4 | $410K | −1.2% | #188 of 538 |
| Cumberland, MD-WV | 48 | 350 | 90.9 | $363K | −1.3% | #277 of 538 |
| 2Bluefield, WV-VA | 46 | 324 | 80.0 | $386K | −3.8% | #303 of 538 |
| 3Clarksburg, WV | 44 | 306 | 86.2 | $396K | −2.4% | #328 of 538 |
| 4Elkins, WV | 32 | 105 | 98.3 | $324K | −3.6% | #441 of 538 |
Other business types in the Elkins area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes32
- Sit-down restaurants22
- Fast food and sandwich shops35
- Pizza34
- Coffee shops and cafes60
- Bakeries and dessert shops58
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 Elkins, WV area?
The Elkins area has 105 restaurants and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. 35 of them (33%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 42 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 5.0% from 2019. Official counts also show 6 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Elkins, WV area spend on food away from home?
About $34M a year, or $3,184 per household. That is 22% below the U.S. average (an index of 78, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 105 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $324K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 10,678 households in the Elkins area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Elkins, WV area compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
The Elkins area has 98.3 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 10% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $324K, 13% below the U.S. figure of $371K. At the national ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, the Elkins area would have about 92, against 105 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 254 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 5.0% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is the Elkins, WV area growing?
Population estimates put the Elkins area at 26,882 people in 2025, down 3.6% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 10,678 households. The median household income in the Elkins area is $52,757 a year, 35% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 21.8% 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. A small-town market is a town of 10,000 to 50,000 people and the county or counties tied to it by commuting. 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 Elkins area scores 32 for restaurants and cafes (lower middle), #441 of 538 scored small-town markets.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Elkins 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 Elkins area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Elkins 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 Elkins 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.