Restaurant businesses by state
Census industry: Full-Service Restaurants (NAICS 722511). Nationwide: 258,626 employer establishments (7.7 per 10,000 residents) and 69,716 businesses without employees.
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2023 [source], Nonemployer Statistics 2024 [source], Population Estimates Vintage 2024 [source]. Downloaded and processed November 4, 2026. Public domain.
| California | 31,333 | 8 | 5,739 | 1.5 |
| Texas | 20,819 | 6.8 | 10,076 | 3.2 |
| New York | 19,661 | 10 | 6,131 | 3.1 |
| Florida | 18,200 | 7.9 | 10,241 | 4.4 |
| Illinois | 9,928 | 7.9 | 2,443 | 1.9 |
| Pennsylvania | 9,433 | 7.2 | 2,021 | 1.5 |
| North Carolina | 8,543 | 7.9 | 1,670 | 1.5 |
| New Jersey | 8,060 | 8.6 | 2,908 | 3.1 |
| Georgia | 7,925 | 7.2 | 3,281 | 2.9 |
| Ohio | 7,698 | 6.5 | 1,473 | 1.2 |
| Michigan | 7,198 | 7.1 | 1,447 | 1.4 |
| Virginia | 7,154 | 8.2 | 1,722 | 2 |
| Washington | 6,724 | 8.6 | 812 | 1 |
| Massachusetts | 6,558 | 9.3 | 981 | 1.4 |
| Colorado | 5,074 | 8.6 | 905 | 1.5 |
| Wisconsin | 4,988 | 8.4 | 702 | 1.2 |
| Tennessee | 4,962 | 6.9 | 1,318 | 1.8 |
| Indiana | 4,796 | 7 | 899 | 1.3 |
| South Carolina | 4,583 | 8.5 | 1,194 | 2.2 |
| Missouri | 4,522 | 7.3 | 730 | 1.2 |
| Arizona | 4,464 | 6 | 1,157 | 1.5 |
| Oregon | 4,240 | 10 | 513 | 1.2 |
| Minnesota | 3,879 | 6.7 | 521 | 0.9 |
| Maryland | 3,803 | 6.1 | 1,318 | 2.1 |
| Connecticut | 3,484 | 9.6 | 688 | 1.9 |
| Louisiana | 3,085 | 6.7 | 1,012 | 2.2 |
| Oklahoma | 2,992 | 7.4 | 737 | 1.8 |
| Kentucky | 2,808 | 6.2 | 671 | 1.5 |
| Alabama | 2,771 | 5.4 | 872 | 1.7 |
| Iowa | 2,459 | 7.6 | 368 | 1.1 |
| Nevada | 2,368 | 7.4 | 518 | 1.6 |
| Kansas | 2,197 | 7.4 | 350 | 1.2 |
| Arkansas | 2,015 | 6.6 | 582 | 1.9 |
| Utah | 1,799 | 5.2 | 450 | 1.3 |
| Mississippi | 1,752 | 6 | 686 | 2.3 |
| Maine | 1,446 | 10.3 | 160 | 1.1 |
| Nebraska | 1,438 | 7.2 | 263 | 1.3 |
| New Hampshire | 1,371 | 9.8 | 145 | 1 |
| New Mexico | 1,329 | 6.3 | 331 | 1.6 |
| Idaho | 1,296 | 6.6 | 180 | 0.9 |
| Hawaii | 1,238 | 8.6 | 216 | 1.5 |
| West Virginia | 1,234 | 7 | 178 | 1 |
| Rhode Island | 1,153 | 10.4 | 187 | 1.7 |
| Montana | 1,060 | 9.4 | 150 | 1.3 |
| District of Columbia | 974 | 14.2 | 160 | 2.3 |
| Delaware | 899 | 8.7 | 158 | 1.5 |
| South Dakota | 675 | 7.4 | 103 | 1.1 |
| Vermont | 595 | 9.2 | 76 | 1.2 |
| North Dakota | 582 | 7.4 | 106 | 1.3 |
| Alaska | 533 | 7.2 | 98 | 1.3 |
| Wyoming | 528 | 9 | 69 | 1.2 |
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What these counts mean — and what they don't
- Counts are not market saturation. They don't measure demand, prices, quality, how busy businesses are, or how far customers travel. A high count can mean a crowded market — or a strong one that supports many businesses.
- Employer establishments (County Business Patterns 2023) are physical locations with paid employees, counted as of mid-March. One company can have several. Self-employed people without employees, private households, railroads, agricultural production and most government are excluded. [source]
- Nonemployer businesses (Nonemployer Statistics 2024) have no paid employees, at least $1,000 in annual receipts ($1 in construction), and are subject to federal income tax. Many are part-time or side businesses. [source]
- Different years and industry definitions. Employer counts use 2017 industry codes; nonemployer counts use 2022 codes. County nonemployer figures are only published for broader industry groups, so we label which group is shown. Don't add the two counts together for a precise total.
- Per 10,000 residents uses Census population estimates for the same year as each count. It helps compare places of different sizes, nothing more.
- Employment is shown only when Census marks the figure as low or moderate noise. Census adds statistical noise to protect businesses' confidentiality. Establishment counts themselves are published without noise.
- Your business may be classified differently from these industry codes — check several related industries.
Sources
- County Business Patterns 2023 — county, state and U.S. files — U.S. Census Bureau, verified 2026-11-03
- Nonemployer Statistics 2024 — county, state and U.S. files — U.S. Census Bureau, verified 2026-11-03
- County population estimates, Vintage 2024 — U.S. Census Bureau, verified 2026-11-03
- County Business Patterns methodology (coverage, establishments, noise flags) — U.S. Census Bureau, verified 2026-11-03
- Nonemployer Statistics glossary (definition of a nonemployer business) — U.S. Census Bureau, verified 2026-11-03