Food and drink · Metro area · West Virginia
Restaurants and cafes in the Wheeling, WV-OH metro area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for restaurants and cafes in the Wheeling, WV-OH metro area, set against other metro areas and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 28 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #341 of 387 scored metro areas
#6 of 7 scored metro areas based in West Virginia
- Listings
- 557
- 221 chain locations (40%)
- Official establishments
- 246
- +8.4% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $193.9M
- On food away from home · $3,342 a household
- Spending per listing
- $348K
- 6% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 96.0
- 13% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 134,089
- −3.6% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in the Wheeling metro 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 Wheeling metro 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 Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes in the Wheeling metro area is 28 (lower middle), #341 of 387 scored metro areas and #6 of 7 scored metro areas based in West Virginia. That puts it in the bottom quarter of metro areas.
At $3,342 per household (18% below the U.S. average), households in the Wheeling metro area spend about $193.9M a year on food away from home. Spread across 557 restaurants and cafes, that is $348K per restaurant, 6% below the U.S. figure of $371K.
The Wheeling metro area has 557 restaurants and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 40% of them, against 34% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 96.0, 13% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in the Wheeling metro area was 246 in 2023, up 8.4% from 2019. That is one for every 236 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 3 SBA-backed loans worth $120K have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in the Wheeling metro area. Population estimates put the population change in the Wheeling metro area from 2020 to 2025 at −3.6%, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How the Wheeling metro 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 | Wheeling metro area | West Virginia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 96.0 | 87.0 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $348K | $384K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 236 | 259 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +8.4% | +3.3% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −3.6% | −1.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,342 | $3,343 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $57,418 | $59,608 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 28 | 46 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 246+8.4% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 5,021
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $92.8M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 33Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 557221 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 523The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 3
- Amount
- $120K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in the Wheeling metro 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 Wheeling metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 134,089−3.6% since 2020
- Households
- 58,024
- Median age
- 44.8
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 72%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.7
- Land area
- 944 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 145
- Median household income
- $57,418+14.0% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $79,303
- Median home value
- $156,600
- Jobs located here
- 58,297
- Daytime population
- 134,771Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Wheeling metro area?
These figures cover the whole metro area. 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 Wheeling metro 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 metro areas 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 Wheeling metro area marked.
Top metro areas in West Virginia
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hagerstown-Martinsburg, MD-WV | 80 | 1,043 | 88.3 | $434K | +7.1% | #15 of 387 |
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | 71 | 25,241 | 106.4 | $483K | +3.3% | #50 of 387 |
| Winchester, VA-WV | 63 | 575 | 103.6 | $392K | +6.5% | #110 of 387 |
| 1Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH | 52 | 1,196 | 78.6 | $427K | −2.6% | #175 of 387 |
| 2Weirton-Steubenville, WV-OH | 41 | 433 | 87.2 | $378K | −3.6% | #249 of 387 |
| 3Parkersburg-Vienna, WV | 39 | 303 | 80.0 | $409K | −2.3% | #262 of 387 |
| 4Charleston, WV | 35 | 782 | 89.5 | $372K | −4.7% | #289 of 387 |
| 5Beckley, WV | 32 | 411 | 91.4 | $337K | −4.3% | #320 of 387 |
| 6Wheeling, WV-OH | 28 | 557 | 96.0 | $348K | −3.6% | #341 of 387 |
| 7Morgantown, WV | 26 | 652 | 113.5 | $318K | +1.3% | #349 of 387 |
Other business types in the Wheeling metro area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes28
- Sit-down restaurants35
- Fast food and sandwich shops16
- Pizza11
- Coffee shops and cafes50
- Bakeries and dessert shops29
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 Wheeling, WV-OH metro area?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 557 restaurants and cafes in the Wheeling metro area. 221 of them (40%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 246 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 8.4% from 2019. Another 33 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in the Wheeling, WV-OH metro area spend on food away from home?
About $193.9M a year, or $3,342 per household. That is 18% below the U.S. average (an index of 82, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 557 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $348K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 58,024 households in the Wheeling metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Wheeling, WV-OH metro area compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
The Wheeling metro area has 96.0 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 13% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $348K, 6% below the U.S. figure of $371K. At the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, the Wheeling metro area would have about 523, against 557 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 236 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 8.4% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is the Wheeling, WV-OH metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Wheeling metro area at 134,089 people in 2025, down 3.6% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 58,024 households. Median household income in the Wheeling metro area is $57,418, 29% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 14.0%, 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. The Wheeling metro area scores 28 for restaurants and cafes (lower middle), #341 of 387 scored metro areas.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Wheeling metro 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 Wheeling metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Wheeling metro 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 Wheeling metro 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.