Food and drink · County · New Jersey
Sit-down restaurants in Cape May County, NJ
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for sit-down restaurants in Cape May County, NJ, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 22 out of 100: Low
Ranked #2,286 of 2,405 scored counties
#21 of 21 scored counties in New Jersey
- Listings
- 856
- 94 chain locations (11%)
- Official establishments
- 302
- −1.9% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $193.8M
- On food away from home · $4,318 a household
- Spending per listing
- $226K
- 66% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 190.7
- 3.1 times the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 93,390
- −1.7% since 2020
See the sit-down restaurants around any address in Cape May County
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 Cape May 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 sit-down restaurants, Cape May County has a Groundwork market score of 22 (low): #2,286 of 2,405 scored counties and #21 of 21 scored counties in New Jersey. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
Household spending on food away from home in Cape May County comes to about $193.8M a year: $4,318 per household, 6% above the U.S. average. Spread across 856 sit-down restaurants, that is $226K per restaurant, 66% below the U.S. figure of $664K. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants.
There are 856 sit-down restaurants on map listings in Cape May County as of September 2026. 94 of them (11%) are chain locations, against 29% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 190.7, 3.1 times the U.S. rate of 61.3.
Official counts show 302 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in Cape May County in 2023, down 1.9% from 2019. That is one for every 149 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 12 SBA-backed loans worth $12.9M have gone to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Cape May County. Population estimates put the population change in Cape May County from 2020 to 2025 at −1.7%, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How Cape May County compares
The same measures for New Jersey 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 | Cape May County | New Jersey | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 190.7 | 77.9 | 61.3 |
| Spending per listing | $226K | $601K | $664K |
| Households per official establishment | 149 | 435 | 500 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −1.9% | +2.1% | +1.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −1.7% | +3.0% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $4,318 | $4,680 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $91,128 | $103,556 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 22 | 44 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 308 → 302−1.9% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 3,193
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $183.2M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 20Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 85694 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 292The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 12
- Amount
- $12.9M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Cape May 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 Cape May County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 93,390−1.7% since 2020
- Households
- 44,884
- Median age
- 50.0
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 80%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 252 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 377
- Median household income
- $91,128+35.9% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $122,129
- Median home value
- $434,600
- Jobs located here
- 34,945
- Daytime population
- 90,601Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Cape May 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 sit-down restaurants on map listings by name and distance.
Or open the report at the center of Cape May County. 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 New Jersey
Every New Jersey market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in New Jersey for sit-down restaurants, numbered among those based in New Jersey, with Cape May County marked.
Top counties in New Jersey
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Burlington County, NJ | 73 | 989 | 55.8 | $853K | +4.3% | #307 of 2,405 |
| 2Gloucester County, NJ | 71 | 615 | 54.6 | $847K | +3.3% | #350 of 2,405 |
| 3Salem County, NJ | 71 | 123 | 49.5 | $797K | +2.3% | #352 of 2,405 |
| 4Sussex County, NJ | 67 | 302 | 52.3 | $935K | +2.9% | #460 of 2,405 |
| 5Warren County, NJ | 62 | 252 | 55.5 | $794K | +3.2% | #677 of 2,405 |
| 6Somerset County, NJ | 58 | 944 | 72.2 | $761K | +3.5% | #825 of 2,405 |
| 7Hunterdon County, NJ | 57 | 342 | 67.2 | $814K | +2.3% | #859 of 2,405 |
| 8Ocean County, NJ | 57 | 1,513 | 62.0 | $690K | +5.6% | #874 of 2,405 |
| 9Camden County, NJ | 53 | 1,348 | 66.6 | $635K | +2.4% | #1,058 of 2,405 |
| 10Morris County, NJ | 51 | 1,485 | 76.8 | $706K | +3.2% | #1,138 of 2,405 |
| 21Cape May County, NJ | 22 | 856 | 190.7 | $226K | −1.7% | #2,286 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Cape May County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes22
- Sit-down restaurants22
- Fast food and sandwich shops26
- Pizza21
- Coffee shops and cafes22
- Bakeries and dessert shops20
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 Cape May County, NJ?
As of September 2026, map listings count 856 sit-down restaurants in Cape May County. 94 of them (11%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 302 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023, down 1.9% from 2019. Another 20 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Cape May County, NJ spend on food away from home?
About $193.8M a year, or $4,318 per household. That is 6% above the U.S. average (an index of 106, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 856 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $226K 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 44,884 households in Cape May County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Cape May County, NJ compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?
Cape May County has 190.7 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 3.1 times the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $226K, 66% below the U.S. figure of $664K. At the U.S. ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, Cape May County would have about 292, against 856 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 149 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. The official count fell 1.9% from 2019 to 2023, against +1.5% for the U.S.
How fast is Cape May County, NJ growing?
Population estimates put Cape May County at 93,390 people in 2025, down 1.7% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 44,884 households. Median household income in Cape May County is $91,128, 13% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 35.9%, 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. 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. Cape May County scores 22 for sit-down restaurants (low), #2,286 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Cape May County. 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 Cape May County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Cape May 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 Cape May 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.