Food and drink · County · West Virginia
Restaurants and cafes in Monongalia County, WV
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for restaurants and cafes in Monongalia County, WV, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 31 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,989 of 2,405 scored counties
#30 of 43 scored counties in West Virginia
- Listings
- 560
- 227 chain locations (41%)
- Official establishments
- 252
- +5.9% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $164.7M
- On food away from home · $3,691 a household
- Spending per listing
- $294K
- 21% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 125.5
- 14% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 107,991
- +2.0% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Monongalia 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 Monongalia 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
For restaurants and cafes, Monongalia County has a Groundwork market score of 31 (lower middle): #1,989 of 2,405 scored counties and #30 of 43 scored counties in West Virginia. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
Households in Monongalia County spend about $164.7M a year on food away from home, or $3,691 per household, 9% below the U.S. average. Spread across 560 restaurants and cafes, that is $294K per restaurant, 21% below the U.S. figure of $371K.
There are 560 restaurants and cafes on map listings in Monongalia County as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 41% of them, against 34% across the U.S. That is 125.5 per 10,000 households, 14% above the U.S. rate of 109.8.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in Monongalia County was 252 in 2023, up 5.9% from 2019. That is one for every 177 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 13 SBA-backed loans worth $4.1M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Monongalia County. Population estimates show Monongalia County grew 2.0% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Monongalia 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 | Monongalia County | West Virginia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 125.5 | 87.0 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $294K | $384K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 177 | 259 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +5.9% | +3.3% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.0% | −1.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,691 | $3,343 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $65,346 | $59,608 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 31 | 46 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 238 → 252+5.9% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 5,244
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $105.7M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 22Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 560227 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 444The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 13
- Amount
- $4.1M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Monongalia 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 Monongalia County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 107,991+2.0% since 2020
- Households
- 44,629
- Median age
- 35.8
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 58%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.7
- Land area
- 360 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 298
- Median household income
- $65,346+24.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $97,594
- Median home value
- $267,700
- Jobs located here
- 64,605
- Daytime population
- 128,019Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Monongalia 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 Monongalia 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 Monongalia 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 |
| 30Monongalia County, WV | 31 | 560 | 125.5 | $294K | +2.0% | #1,989 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Monongalia County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes31
- Sit-down restaurants32
- Fast food and sandwich shops33
- Pizza31
- Coffee shops and cafes46
- Bakeries and dessert shops43
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 Monongalia County, WV?
As of September 2026, map listings count 560 restaurants and cafes in Monongalia County. 227 of them (41%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 252 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 5.9% from 2019. Another 22 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Monongalia County, WV spend on food away from home?
About $164.7M a year, or $3,691 per household. That is 9% below the U.S. average (an index of 91, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 560 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $294K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 44,629 households in Monongalia County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Monongalia County, WV compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Monongalia County has 125.5 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 14% above the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $294K, 21% below the U.S. figure of $371K. At the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Monongalia County would have about 444, against 560 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 177 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 5.9% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Monongalia County, WV growing?
Population estimates put Monongalia County at 107,991 people in 2025, up 2.0% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 44,629 households. Median household income in Monongalia County is $65,346, 19% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 24.6%, 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. Monongalia County scores 31 for restaurants and cafes (lower middle), #1,989 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Monongalia 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 Monongalia County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Monongalia 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 Monongalia 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.