Food and drink · County · Arizona
Sit-down restaurants in Santa Cruz County, AZ
The sit-down restaurants in Santa Cruz County, AZ, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 30 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #2,053 of 2,405 scored counties
#11 of 14 scored counties in Arizona
- Listings
- 99
- 24 chain locations (24%)
- Official establishments
- 37
- −7.5% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $54M
- On food away from home · $3,182 a household
- Spending per listing
- $545K
- 18% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 58.4
- 5% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 50,020
- +4.8% since 2020
See the sit-down restaurants around any address in Santa Cruz 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 Santa Cruz 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, Santa Cruz County has a Groundwork market score of 30 (lower middle): #2,053 of 2,405 scored counties and #11 of 14 scored counties in Arizona. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
Map listings as of September 2026 show 99 sit-down restaurants in Santa Cruz County. 24 of them (24%) are chain locations, against 29% across the U.S. That comes to 58.4 for every 10,000 households, 5% below the U.S. rate of 61.3.
Household spending on food away from home in Santa Cruz County comes to about $54M a year: $3,182 per household, 22% below the U.S. average. That works out to $545K per restaurant, 18% below the U.S. figure of $664K. That spending covers all food away from home, which sit-down restaurants share with other businesses in the trade.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in Santa Cruz County was 37 in 2023, down 7.5% from 2019. That is one for every 459 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Population estimates show Santa Cruz County grew 4.8% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Santa Cruz County compares
The same measures for Arizona 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 | Santa Cruz County | Arizona | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 58.4 | 53.3 | 61.3 |
| Spending per listing | $545K | $747K | $664K |
| Households per official establishment | 459 | 640 | 500 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −7.5% | +3.3% | +1.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +4.8% | +6.1% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,182 | $3,982 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $55,217 | $79,964 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 30 | 77 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 40 → 37−7.5% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 444
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $10.5M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 11Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 9924 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 81The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 0
- Amount
- $0
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Santa Cruz 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 Santa Cruz County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 50,020+4.8% since 2020
- Households
- 16,966
- Median age
- 38.7
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 69%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 1,236 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 40
- Median household income
- $55,217+33.8% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $71,913
- Median home value
- $233,000
- Jobs located here
- 12,313
- Daytime population
- 42,829Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Santa Cruz 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 Santa Cruz 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 Arizona
Every Arizona market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Arizona for sit-down restaurants, numbered among those based in Arizona, with Santa Cruz County marked.
Top counties in Arizona
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Pinal County, AZ | 93 | 429 | 26.5 | $1.5M | +25.4% | #9 of 2,405 |
| 2Graham County, AZ | 68 | 43 | 33.7 | $1M | +4.0% | #422 of 2,405 |
| 3Pima County, AZ | 65 | 2,035 | 46.5 | $801K | +2.8% | #538 of 2,405 |
| 4Maricopa County, AZ | 65 | 10,093 | 58.3 | $726K | +5.5% | #544 of 2,405 |
| 5Apache County, AZ | 61 | 50 | 23.7 | $1.2M | −2.2% | #692 of 2,405 |
| 6Mohave County, AZ | 59 | 423 | 41.5 | $793K | +6.5% | #780 of 2,405 |
| 7Yuma County, AZ | 59 | 395 | 49.8 | $673K | +9.2% | #792 of 2,405 |
| 8Yavapai County, AZ | 54 | 549 | 49.4 | $739K | +6.5% | #997 of 2,405 |
| 9Cochise County, AZ | 42 | 258 | 50.6 | $660K | +0.6% | #1,542 of 2,405 |
| 10Navajo County, AZ | 33 | 196 | 48.9 | $638K | +3.0% | #1,917 of 2,405 |
| 11Santa Cruz County, AZ | 30 | 99 | 58.4 | $545K | +4.8% | #2,053 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Santa Cruz County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes33
- Sit-down restaurants30
- Fast food and sandwich shops47
- Pizza54
- Coffee shops and cafes53
- Bakeries and dessert shops51
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 Santa Cruz County, AZ?
There are 99 sit-down restaurants on map listings in Santa Cruz County as of September 2026. 24 of them (24%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 37 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023, down 7.5% from 2019. Official counts also show 11 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Santa Cruz County, AZ spend on food away from home?
About $54M a year, or $3,182 per household. That is 22% below the U.S. average (an index of 78, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 99 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $545K per restaurant. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants. It is estimated from the incomes of the 16,966 households in Santa Cruz County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Santa Cruz County, AZ compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?
Santa Cruz County has 58.4 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 5% below the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $545K, 18% below the U.S. figure of $664K. At the national ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, Santa Cruz County would have about 81, against 99 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 459 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. The official count fell 7.5% from 2019 to 2023, against +1.5% for the U.S.
How fast is Santa Cruz County, AZ growing?
Population estimates put Santa Cruz County at 50,020 people in 2025, up 4.8% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 16,966 households. The median household income in Santa Cruz County is $55,217 a year, 32% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 33.8% from the 2015–2019 survey, 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. Santa Cruz County scores 30 for sit-down restaurants (lower middle), #2,053 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Santa Cruz 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 Santa Cruz County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Santa Cruz 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 Santa Cruz 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.