Food and drink · County · West Virginia
Restaurants and cafes in Kanawha County, WV
The restaurants and cafes in Kanawha County, WV, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 27 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #2,118 of 2,405 scored counties
#34 of 43 scored counties in West Virginia
- Listings
- 735
- 353 chain locations (48%)
- Official establishments
- 347
- +1.8% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $257.4M
- On food away from home · $3,366 a household
- Spending per listing
- $350K
- 6% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 96.1
- 12% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 172,381
- −4.3% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Kanawha 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 Kanawha 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
The Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes in Kanawha County is 27 (lower middle), #2,118 of 2,405 scored counties and #34 of 43 scored counties in West Virginia. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
As of September 2026, map listings count 735 restaurants and cafes in Kanawha County. Of those, 353 are chain locations, or 48%, against 34% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 96.1, 12% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.
At $3,366 per household (17% below the U.S. average), households in Kanawha County spend about $257.4M a year on food away from home. That is about $350K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 6% below the U.S. figure of $371K.
Official counts show 347 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in Kanawha County in 2023, up 1.8% from 2019. That is one for every 220 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 5 SBA-backed loans worth $1.9M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Kanawha County. Population estimates put the population change in Kanawha County from 2020 to 2025 at −4.3%, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How Kanawha County 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 | Kanawha County | West Virginia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 96.1 | 87.0 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $350K | $384K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 220 | 259 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +1.8% | +3.3% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −4.3% | −1.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,366 | $3,343 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $60,943 | $59,608 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 27 | 46 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 341 → 347+1.8% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 6,991
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $143.8M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 36Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 735353 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 694The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 5
- Amount
- $1.9M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Kanawha 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 Kanawha County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 172,381−4.3% since 2020
- Households
- 76,459
- Median age
- 43.8
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 71%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.6
- Land area
- 902 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 196
- Median household income
- $60,943+30.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $84,041
- Median home value
- $147,300
- Jobs located here
- 104,812
- Daytime population
- 206,412Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Kanawha 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 Kanawha 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 West Virginia
Every West Virginia market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in West Virginia for restaurants and cafes, numbered among those based in West Virginia, with Kanawha County marked.
Top counties in West Virginia
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Berkeley County, WV | 83 | 365 | 71.5 | $538K | +13.7% | #94 of 2,405 |
| 2Hampshire County, WV | 78 | 43 | 49.8 | $681K | +4.4% | #167 of 2,405 |
| 3Morgan County, WV | 73 | 57 | 77.6 | $450K | +5.5% | #324 of 2,405 |
| 4Jefferson County, WV | 73 | 222 | 97.4 | $449K | +9.2% | #325 of 2,405 |
| 5Taylor County, WV | 66 | 32 | 48.5 | $689K | −2.4% | #501 of 2,405 |
| 6Putnam County, WV | 65 | 172 | 74.0 | $534K | −1.0% | #544 of 2,405 |
| 7Monroe County, WV | 64 | 21 | 45.5 | $673K | +0.8% | #584 of 2,405 |
| 8Wayne County, WV | 63 | 75 | 47.6 | $679K | −4.0% | #625 of 2,405 |
| 9Boone County, WV | 62 | 35 | 44.2 | $717K | −6.9% | #655 of 2,405 |
| 10Preston County, WV | 62 | 92 | 71.8 | $464K | −0.6% | #676 of 2,405 |
| 34Kanawha County, WV | 27 | 735 | 96.1 | $350K | −4.3% | #2,118 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Kanawha County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes27
- Sit-down restaurants30
- Fast food and sandwich shops17
- Pizza20
- Coffee shops and cafes50
- Bakeries and dessert shops44
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 Kanawha County, WV?
Kanawha County has 735 restaurants and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. 353 of them (48%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 347 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 1.8% from 2019. Another 36 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Kanawha County, WV spend on food away from home?
About $257.4M a year, or $3,366 per household. That is 17% below the U.S. average (an index of 83, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 735 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $350K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 76,459 households in Kanawha County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Kanawha County, WV compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Kanawha County has 96.1 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 12% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $350K, 6% below the U.S. figure of $371K. At the national ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Kanawha County would have about 694, against 735 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 220 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 1.8% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Kanawha County, WV growing?
Population estimates put Kanawha County at 172,381 people in 2025, down 4.3% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 76,459 households. The median household income in Kanawha County is $60,943 a year, 25% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 30.7% 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. Kanawha County scores 27 for restaurants and cafes (lower middle), #2,118 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Kanawha 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 Kanawha County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Kanawha 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 Kanawha 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.