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Hunterdon County, NJ — Restaurants Saturation

How many restaurants exist per person present — residents plus daytime workers — by ZIP code, compared with the U.S. average. Establishment data: Census ZBP 2023. Population: ACS 2024 5-year. 27 ZIP codes analyzed.

Includes: Sit-down restaurants with table service. Counted together because official statistics use one 722511 code.

Measured density: Above average — 1.20× the U.S. rate (between 1.20× and 1.36× once withheld ZIP cells are counted)

Why a range: Census does not publish a ZIP-by-industry count when that ZIP has 0–2 businesses. 15 ZIP cells in this county are withheld, 8 of them with residents. Each could hold 0, 1, or 2 businesses: counting them all as 0 gives the low end, counting them all as 2 gives the high end — the data cannot say where the truth sits. The density range uses only the populated cells, since ZIPs without residents are excluded from per-person rates. How ranges work

Above the U.S. rate   Hunterdon County restaurants — 120–136% of the U.S. rate

119 restaurants are counted in Hunterdon County — 7.7 per 10,000 people present (residents + daytime workers), 120% of the U.S. rate of 6.4.

On the comparable ZIP set (ZIPs with a published count in every year), the total has fallen 9% between 2015 and 2023 (122 → 111). That set is smaller than today's county total. 2020–2021 were pandemic-distorted, and Census rounds counts, so small moves are within noise.

Measured supply density is highest in 08809 (Clinton), 08530 (Lambertville), 08833 (Lebanon) — well above the national rate. On measured density alone, the lowest-density residential ZIPs with a published count are 08826 (Glen Gardner), 08801 (Annandale), 08551 (Ringoes).

BLS QCEW puts the latest county-wide count (2026 Q1) at 115 establishments, the freshest available signal.

Measured density: Hunterdon County sits at 120% of the U.S. rate for restaurants. 8 ZIPs with population have no published count (each 0–2 businesses), so the true per-capita rate is between 120% and 136% of the U.S. rate. Why. The highest measured density is in 08809 and 08530; the lowest measured density is in 08826 and 08801.

This is a supply-side read: it counts existing restaurants and the people present, not foot traffic, income, rent, or whether locals want more. Treat low density as a question to check, not an answer.

Restaurants
119–149
published count; upper bound counts each withheld ZIP cell as 2 (15 cells) (2023)
Per 10,000 present
7.7
residents + daytime workers
U.S. average
6.4
per 10,000 present
County index
1.20×
vs. U.S.
Latest quarter (QCEW)
115
2026 Q1 — county total
Residents
133,199
20 ZIPs with data
Workers
43,352
jobs located in county

Is the area growing?

Population
131,708
Census PEP, July 1 2024
Change since 2020
+2.3%
+2,915 people
Net migration 2024
+1,030
international +693, domestic +337
Jobs located here
46,527
LODES 2022, −5.2% since 2019

Hunterdon County had an estimated 131,708 residents on July 1, 2024 — 2.3% more than in 2020 (+2,915). In the latest year it gained 1,075 people: births minus deaths +57, international migration +693, domestic migration +337. Components are published separately and may not sum exactly.

46,527 jobs were located in the county in 2022 (−5.2% since 2019), and 66,975 employed residents lived there (+1.1% since 2019). LODES counts wage and salary jobs covered by unemployment insurance plus federal jobs; it excludes the self-employed and military, and counts jobs rather than unique people. 2019→2022 spans the pandemic, so read it as one change, not a trend.

Population and migration say whether the customer base is growing. They do not say whether people want another business of this type. Definitions and limits →  ·  Full county detail →

ZIP gaining residents
2015–19 → 2020–24
Change
08822 Flemington
+9.0%
08530 Lambertville
+8.3%
ZIP losing residents
2015–19 → 2020–24
Change
08801 Annandale
−14.5%

ACS 5-year estimates for 2015–2019 and 2020–2024. Only ZIPs with at least 2,000 residents in both windows and a change larger than the survey margin of error (90%) are listed — small ZIPs move a lot on paper without a real signal.

Nonemployer businesses (no paid employees)

Nonemployer businesses
22
no paid employees (2024)
Receipts
$1.7M
published gross receipts
Receipts per business
$79K
gross, not profit

Census Nonemployer Statistics counts businesses with no paid employees — a separate universe from the employer establishments counted above; a business is in one or the other, never both. They are not storefronts by definition: many are home-based, mobile, or part-time.

We show them beside the density index, not inside it. In categories such as nail and beauty salons, child care, and pet care, one-person businesses can outnumber employer establishments, so the employer-only count understates how many businesses exist. That is not evidence of higher demand.

Receipts are gross revenue reported for these businesses — not profit, and not the size of the local market. Census publishes this only at county level, so it is not shown on the ZIP map. See methodology.

Saturation map

Each ZIP area is shaded by its density of this business type per person present (residents + workers) vs. the U.S. average. Click any ZIP to zoom to its boundary, see its numbers, and switch to aerial imagery. Individual mapped shops appear as dots at street level — Show locations zooms you in to them (scroll or double-click to zoom).

Basemap:
Under 50% 50–100% 100–150% 150–250% 250%+ 0–2 (not published) / no data ZIP total (dot size) Mapped shop (OpenStreetMap, street level)

Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors, tiles by OpenFreeMap.

White dots are ZIP totals from the official Census count — the bigger the dot, the more restaurants in that ZIP. They are aggregated, not individual shops. Turquoise dots are individual locations mapped in OpenStreetMap, shown only at street level; they are crowd-sourced and indicative, may be incomplete, and do not equal the official counts. Only the official ZIP totals feed the saturation index.

Market trend — down 9% since 2015

Number of restaurants in Hunterdon County across 2015–2023, on a consistent set of ZIP codes present in every year — so changes are real, not ZIP-boundary artifacts. 2015/2018 are pre-pandemic baselines; 2020/2021 are COVID-distorted.

122
2015
127
2018
125
2020
113
2021
112
2022
111
2023

Highest measured density

ZIP
vs. U.S. average
Index
08809 Clinton
321%
08530 Lambertville
292%
08833 Lebanon
128%
08889 Whitehouse Station
124%
07830 Califon
119%
08848 Milford
110%
08822 Flemington
99%
08551 Ringoes
98%
08801 Annandale
95%
08826 Glen Gardner
82%

Lowest measured density

ZIP
vs. U.S. average
Index
08826 Glen Gardner
82%
08801 Annandale
95%
08551 Ringoes
98%
08822 Flemington
99%
08848 Milford
110%
07830 Califon
119%
08889 Whitehouse Station
124%
08833 Lebanon
128%
08530 Lambertville
292%
08809 Clinton
321%
Low measured density is not evidence of opportunity. A ZIP with few restaurants may simply lack foot traffic, retail space, or demand. We rank only residential and mixed ZIPs here; employment hubs and visitor destinations are listed separately below. ZIPs where Census did not publish a count (0–2 businesses) are not ranked: they may be the least served of all, but the data cannot tell 0 from 1 or 2. Verify those locally.

Employment hubs & destinations

These ZIPs have far more workers (or visitors) than residents, so their counts are driven by daytime and visitor demand — not a place to read "shortage" from resident numbers alone.

ZIPNeighborhoodType ResidentsWorkersRestaurantsIndex
08858Oldwick Destination 20891 0–2 —

Scroll the table sideways to see all columns.

All ZIP codes

Click a column header to sort. Index = restaurants per 10,000 people present (residents + 0.5×workers) ÷ the U.S. average. 100% = exactly average.

ZIPNeighborhood ResidentsWorkersRestaurants Per 10kIndexStatus
08809Clinton 6,7033,164 17 20.5 321% Very high density
08825Frenchtown 4,735770 10 19.5 306% Very high density
08530Lambertville 8,1192,004 17 18.6 292% Very high density
08802Asbury 4,552593 6 12.4 194% High density
08833Lebanon 9,1843,674 9 8.2 128% Above average
08889Whitehouse Station 10,1934,944 10 7.9 124% Above average
07830Califon 7,3791,000 6 7.6 119% Above average
08848Milford 8,134816 6 7.0 110% Above average
08822Flemington 32,55617,162 26 6.3 99% Below average
08551Ringoes 5,8731,048 4 6.3 98% Below average
08801Annandale 7,2671,950 5 6.1 95% Below average
08826Glen Gardner 5,459470 3 5.3 82% Below average
07979Pottersville 214255 0–2 — — Not published
08556Rosemont —19 0–2 — — Not published
08557Sergeantsville —121 0–2 — — Not published
08559Stockton 4,836372 0–2 — — Not published
08803Baptistown —14 0–2 — — Not published
08804Bloomsbury 3,465733 0–2 — — Not published
08827Hampton 4,3461,680 0–2 — — Not published
08829High Bridge 3,5801,001 0–2 — — Not published
08858Oldwick 20891 0–2 — — Not published
08867Pittstown 5,204640 0–2 — — Not published
08868Quakertown —14 0–2 — — Not published
08870Readington —64 0–2 — — Not published
08885Stanton —45 0–2 — — Not published
08887Three Bridges 1,380185 0–2 — — Not published
08888Whitehouse —332 0–2 — — Not published

Scroll the table sideways to see all columns.

Find an actual space in Flemington

The numbers above tell you how the market looks. To find a specific storefront, these marketplaces list available retail space for lease.

LoopNet
Largest commercial marketplace
Browse Flemington retail space →
Crexi
Free listings + market data
Browse Flemington retail space →
CityFeet
Retail space for lease
Browse Flemington retail space →

Open vacancy data (actual empty units) is only published by some cities; where it exists we show it directly. Listings above are third-party.

Census withholds some ZIP-by-industry cells to protect small businesses. 0–2 means the cell was not published (Census publishes industry counts only at 3+ per ZIP), so the ZIP is left unranked rather than counted as zero. ~ means the count is estimated from the broader industry group and can be off by a business or two.

Follow Hunterdon County and restaurants

When a data vintage changes or a section of this report is revised, we post it to a public update feed. No email address, no account, no tracking — and nothing is sent unless something actually changed.

Subscribe to updates (RSS) How these numbers are built →

Methodology & sources

Establishments. U.S. Census ZIP Code Business Patterns (ZBP 2023), NAICS 722511 — full-service restaurants. Counts establishments with paid employees. ZBP is published annually with a ~2-year lag.

Fresh county signal. BLS QCEW (quarterly) is newer than ZBP — 2026 Q1 shows 115 establishments county-wide for this industry. It cannot be broken down by ZIP.

Population. U.S. Census American Community Survey 2024 5-year ZCTA population (table B01003). Workers are the ZIP's total employment from the same 2023 ZBP file.

Demand ("people present"). Demand comes from residents and daytime workers: residents + 0.5 × workers. This is the single documented assumption in the model and can be tuned.

Index. index = (ZIP establishments ÷ ZIP demand × 10,000) ÷ the U.S. average for this industry (6.39 per 10,000 present). It is a supply-side density measure; it does not capture income, rent, tourism, or whether locals actually want more.

Read the full methodology →  ·  Data sources & vintages →

BizGapMap — free, no-login small-business saturation reports for major U.S. counties. Built entirely from public U.S. Census, BLS, and IRS data (ZBP 2023, ACS 2024 5-year, PEP 2024, LODES, QCEW, IRS SOI). No forecasts, no revenue guesses — withheld cells are marked, and the few derived counts are labelled as estimates.