Food and drink · Small-town market · Maryland
Sit-down restaurants in the Cambridge, MD area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for sit-down restaurants in the Cambridge, MD area, set against other small-town markets and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 55 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #219 of 538 scored small-town markets
#1 of 4 scored small-town markets based in Maryland
- Listings
- 78
- 14 chain locations (18%)
- Official establishments
- 21
- −4.5% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $47.1M
- On food away from home · $3,474 a household
- Spending per listing
- $603K
- 9% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 57.6
- 6% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 33,628
- +3.4% since 2020
See the sit-down restaurants around any address in the Cambridge area
The site report maps the sit-down restaurants 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 Cambridge 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
Household spending on food away from home in the Cambridge area comes to about $47.1M a year: $3,474 per household, 15% below the U.S. average. That is about $603K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 9% below the U.S. figure of $664K. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants.
The Cambridge area has 78 sit-down restaurants on map listings as of September 2026. Of those, 14 are chain locations, or 18%, against 29% across the U.S. That is 57.6 per 10,000 households, 6% below the U.S. rate of 61.3.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in the Cambridge area was 21 in 2023, down 4.5% from 2019. That is one for every 645 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Official counts list 10 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $852K has gone to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in the Cambridge area.
Population estimates show the Cambridge area grew 3.4% from 2020 to 2025, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). For sit-down restaurants, the Cambridge area has a Groundwork market score of 55 (upper middle): #219 of 538 scored small-town markets and #1 of 4 scored small-town markets based in Maryland.
How the Cambridge area compares
The same measures for Maryland and the whole U.S. Spending per listing divides a year of household spending on all food away from home by the sit-down restaurants 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 | Cambridge area | Maryland | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 57.6 | 56.2 | 61.3 |
| Spending per listing | $603K | $820K | $664K |
| Households per official establishment | 645 | 621 | 500 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −4.5% | +6.6% | +1.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +3.4% | +1.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,474 | $4,604 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $61,839 | $103,678 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 55 | 80 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 21−4.5% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 378
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $8.6M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 10Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 7814 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 71The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $852K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in the Cambridge 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 Cambridge area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 33,628+3.4% since 2020
- Households
- 13,546
- Median age
- 43.3
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 66%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.7
- Land area
- 541 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 61
- Median household income
- $61,839+16.9% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $84,771
- Median home value
- $262,400
- Jobs located here
- 12,352
- Daytime population
- 29,247Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Cambridge 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 sit-down restaurants on map listings by name and distance.
Or open the report at the center of the Cambridge area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardSit-down restaurants across Maryland
Every Maryland market ranked →The highest-scoring small-town markets in Maryland for sit-down restaurants, numbered among those based in Maryland, with the Cambridge area marked.
Top small-town markets in Maryland
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Cambridge, MD | 55 | 78 | 57.6 | $603K | +3.4% | #219 of 538 |
| 2Cumberland, MD-WV | 48 | 171 | 44.4 | $743K | −1.3% | #283 of 538 |
| 3Easton, MD | 40 | 128 | 77.9 | $536K | +2.0% | #379 of 538 |
| 4Ocean Pines, MD | 35 | 476 | 197.2 | $207K | +3.7% | #428 of 538 |
Other business types in the Cambridge area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes60
- Sit-down restaurants55
- Fast food and sandwich shops50
- Pizza68
- Coffee shops and cafes75
- Bakeries and dessert shops75
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 sit-down restaurants are in the Cambridge, MD area?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 78 sit-down restaurants in the Cambridge area. 14 of them (18%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 21 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023, down 4.5% from 2019. Official counts also show 10 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Cambridge, MD area spend on food away from home?
About $47.1M a year, or $3,474 per household. That is 15% below the U.S. average (an index of 85, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 78 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $603K per restaurant. That spending covers all food away from home, which sit-down restaurants share with other businesses in the trade. It is estimated from the incomes of the 13,546 households in the Cambridge area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Cambridge, MD area compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?
The Cambridge area has 57.6 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 6% below the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $603K, 9% below the U.S. figure of $664K. At the U.S. ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, the Cambridge area would have about 71, against 78 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 645 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. The official count fell 4.5% from 2019 to 2023, against +1.5% for the U.S.
How fast is the Cambridge, MD area growing?
Population estimates put the Cambridge area at 33,628 people in 2025, up 3.4% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 13,546 households. Median household income in the Cambridge area is $61,839, 23% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 16.9%, 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 Cambridge area scores 55 for sit-down restaurants (upper middle), #219 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 Cambridge area. It maps the sit-down restaurants 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 sit-down restaurants · All 56 business types in the Cambridge area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Cambridge 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 Cambridge 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.