Groundwork

Food and drink · County · West Virginia

Restaurants and cafes in Wayne County, WV

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

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 63 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #625 of 2,405 scored counties
#8 of 43 scored counties in West Virginia

Listings
75
29 chain locations (39%)
Official establishments
30
−14.3% since 2019
Household spending a year
$50.9M
On food away from home · $3,232 a household
Spending per listing
$679K
83% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
47.6
57% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
37,309
−4.0% since 2020

See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Wayne 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 Wayne County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

Survey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure

What this means

Map listings as of September 2026 show 75 restaurants and cafes in Wayne County. Of those, 29 are chain locations, or 39%, against 34% across the U.S. That comes to 47.6 for every 10,000 households, 57% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.

Households in Wayne County spend about $50.9M a year on food away from home, or $3,232 per household, 21% below the U.S. average. Spread across 75 restaurants and cafes, that is $679K per restaurant, 83% above the U.S. figure of $371K.

The official count of businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in Wayne County was 30 in 2023, down 14.3% from 2019. That is one for every 525 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S.

Population estimates show Wayne County declined 4.0% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S. For restaurants and cafes, Wayne County has a Groundwork market score of 63 (upper middle): #625 of 2,405 scored counties and #8 of 43 scored counties in West Virginia.

How Wayne 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.

Restaurants and cafes in Wayne County, WV compared with West Virginia and the U.S.
MeasureWayne CountyWest VirginiaU.S.
Listings per 10k households47.687.0109.8
Spending per listing$679K$384K$371K
Households per official establishment525259209
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023−14.3%+3.3%+6.0%
Population growth, 2020–2025−4.0%−1.4%+3.1%
Spending per household on food away from home$3,232$3,343$4,070
Median household income$58,878$59,608$80,734
Groundwork market score6346

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
35 → 30−14.3% over the period
Employees, 2023
393
Annual payroll, 2023
$7M
One-person businesses, 2023
0Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
7529 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
137The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
0
Amount
$0

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

Population, 2025 estimate
37,309−4.0% since 2020
Households
15,762
Median age
44.5
Homes lived in by their owners
79%
Vehicles per household
1.7
Land area
506 sq. mi.
People per square mile
75
Median household income
$58,878+55.0% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$78,850
Median home value
$127,100
Jobs located here
8,769
Daytime population
32,887Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Wayne 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 Wayne County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

Restaurants 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 Wayne County marked.

Top counties in West Virginia

Counties in West Virginia ranked for restaurants and cafes by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Berkeley County, WV8336571.5$538K+13.7%#94 of 2,405
2Hampshire County, WV784349.8$681K+4.4%#167 of 2,405
3Morgan County, WV735777.6$450K+5.5%#324 of 2,405
4Jefferson County, WV7322297.4$449K+9.2%#325 of 2,405
5Taylor County, WV663248.5$689K−2.4%#501 of 2,405
6Putnam County, WV6517274.0$534K−1.0%#544 of 2,405
7Monroe County, WV642145.5$673K+0.8%#584 of 2,405
8Wayne County, WV637547.6$679K−4.0%#625 of 2,405
9Boone County, WV623544.2$717K−6.9%#655 of 2,405
10Preston County, WV629271.8$464K−0.6%#676 of 2,405

Other business types in Wayne County

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

Questions

How many restaurants and cafes are in Wayne County, WV?

There are 75 restaurants and cafes on map listings in Wayne County as of September 2026. 29 of them (39%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 30 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, down 14.3% from 2019.

How much do households in Wayne County, WV spend on food away from home?

About $50.9M a year, or $3,232 per household. That is 21% below the U.S. average (an index of 79, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 75 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $679K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 15,762 households in Wayne County and national spending patterns by income.

How does Wayne County, WV compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?

Wayne County has 47.6 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 57% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $679K, 83% above the U.S. figure of $371K. At the national ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Wayne County would have about 137, against 75 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 525 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count fell 14.3% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.

How fast is Wayne County, WV growing?

Population estimates put Wayne County at 37,309 people in 2025, down 4.0% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 15,762 households. The median household income in Wayne County is $58,878 a year, 27% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 55.0% 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. Wayne County scores 63 for restaurants and cafes (upper middle), #625 of 2,405 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

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

Screening a site or an acquisition in Wayne 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 Wayne 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.