How Many Restaurants Are in the US? #
The United States had 618,476 restaurants with paid employees (Census CBP, 2023). Counting the 148,626 restaurant businesses that operate with no paid employees (Census Nonemployer Statistics, 2023) raises the total to 767,102.
The employer count has risen since 2017 and was higher in the latest count than before the pandemic. Restaurants with paid employees employ about 11.4 million people.
Restaurants by Type #
Census sorts restaurants into four types. Limited-service restaurants, where customers order and pay before eating, are the largest group. Full-service restaurants, with table service, are close behind.
| Type | With paid employees | No paid employees |
|---|---|---|
| Limited-service restaurants | 270,088 | 52,005 |
| Full-service restaurants | 258,626 | 61,909 |
| Snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars | 85,140 | 19,974 |
| Cafeterias, grill buffets and buffets | 4,622 | 14,738 |
| All restaurants | 618,476 | 148,626 |
Sources: Census County Business Patterns (2023) for restaurants with paid employees; Census Nonemployer Statistics (2023) for the rest. Snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars include coffee shops, juice bars and ice cream parlors.
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What Counts as a Restaurant in Federal Data #
The count covers NAICS 7225, restaurants and other eating places. Bars and other drinking places (NAICS 7224), caterers (NAICS 72232) and food trucks (NAICS 72233) are classified as separate industries and are not included.
Fast food sits inside the limited-service group, alongside fast casual restaurants, delicatessens, takeout sandwich shops and pizza delivery. No federal count isolates fast food on its own.
How We Counted #
Restaurants with paid employees come from County Business Patterns, which counts each location that had payroll during the year, across the 50 states and the District of Columbia. Restaurants with no paid employees come from Nonemployer Statistics, which Census builds from tax records.
The two sources count different units. County Business Patterns counts locations; Nonemployer Statistics counts businesses, and some of those may not run a storefront. The combined 767,102 is therefore a count of restaurant locations and owner-run restaurant businesses together. The two releases use different editions of the industry classification (2017 and 2022), and the restaurant codes are the same in both.
What the National Count Does Not Show #
A national total does not show where restaurants are. The state-by-state breakdown, the industry's growth rate and its employment trend are in our Restaurants and Other Eating Places report, built from the same federal data.
For the economics of running one, see our pages on restaurant profit margins, restaurant startup costs and what restaurant owners earn.