Food and drink · County · California
Sit-down restaurants in Alameda County, CA
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for sit-down restaurants in Alameda County, CA, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 37 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,762 of 2,405 scored counties
#37 of 55 scored counties in California
- Listings
- 4,761
- 999 chain locations (21%)
- Official establishments
- 1,564
- −3.7% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $3.1B
- On food away from home · $5,224 a household
- Spending per listing
- $656K
- In line with the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 79.6
- 30% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 1,636,630
- −2.6% since 2020
See the sit-down restaurants around any address in Alameda 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 Alameda 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
As of September 2026, map listings count 4,761 sit-down restaurants in Alameda County. 999 of them (21%) are chain locations, against 29% across the U.S. That is 79.6 per 10,000 households, 30% above the U.S. rate of 61.3.
Households in Alameda County spend about $3.1B a year on food away from home, or $5,224 per household, 28% above the U.S. average. That works out to $656K per restaurant, in line with 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.
Official counts show 1,564 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in Alameda County in 2023, down 3.7% from 2019. That is one for every 383 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Another 235 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 88 SBA-backed loans worth $55.8M have gone to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Alameda County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Alameda County declined 2.6%, against +3.1% for the U.S. Alameda County scores 37 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for sit-down restaurants, ranking #1,762 of 2,405 scored counties and #37 of 55 scored counties in California.
How Alameda County compares
The same measures for California 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 | Alameda County | California | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 79.6 | 73.9 | 61.3 |
| Spending per listing | $656K | $617K | $664K |
| Households per official establishment | 383 | 432 | 500 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −3.7% | −1.9% | +1.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −2.6% | −0.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $5,224 | $4,559 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $129,367 | $99,122 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 37 | 34 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 1,624 → 1,564−3.7% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 23,420
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $802.4M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 235Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 4,761999 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 4,709The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 88
- Amount
- $55.8M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Alameda 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 Alameda County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 1,636,630−2.6% since 2020
- Households
- 598,246
- Median age
- 40.1
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 54%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 738 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 2,237
- Median household income
- $129,367+30.1% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $177,147
- Median home value
- $1,090,100
- Jobs located here
- 831,131
- Daytime population
- 1,673,490Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Alameda 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 Alameda 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 California
Every California market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in California for sit-down restaurants, numbered among those based in California, with Alameda County marked.
Top counties in California
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Yuba County, CA | 86 | 101 | 35.3 | $1.1M | +8.2% | #55 of 2,405 |
| 2San Benito County, CA | 72 | 113 | 55.0 | $891K | +8.6% | #326 of 2,405 |
| 3San Joaquin County, CA | 69 | 1,321 | 53.9 | $797K | +5.5% | #413 of 2,405 |
| 4Riverside County, CA | 64 | 4,476 | 57.7 | $748K | +5.0% | #582 of 2,405 |
| 5Madera County, CA | 64 | 247 | 54.4 | $705K | +7.4% | #590 of 2,405 |
| 6Merced County, CA | 63 | 406 | 47.2 | $750K | +5.1% | #636 of 2,405 |
| 7Contra Costa County, CA | 62 | 2,368 | 57.1 | $906K | +0.3% | #652 of 2,405 |
| 8Placer County, CA | 60 | 1,057 | 66.9 | $734K | +8.9% | #758 of 2,405 |
| 9Solano County, CA | 59 | 871 | 55.3 | $816K | +0.6% | #777 of 2,405 |
| 10Lassen County, CA | 58 | 33 | 35.7 | $980K | −13.1% | #800 of 2,405 |
| 37Alameda County, CA | 37 | 4,761 | 79.6 | $656K | −2.6% | #1,762 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Alameda County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes42
- Sit-down restaurants37
- Fast food and sandwich shops57
- Pizza57
- Coffee shops and cafes34
- Bakeries and dessert shops43
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 Alameda County, CA?
Alameda County has 4,761 sit-down restaurants on map listings as of September 2026. 999 of them (21%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 1,564 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023, down 3.7% from 2019. Official counts list 235 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Alameda County, CA spend on food away from home?
About $3.1B a year, or $5,224 per household. That is 28% above the U.S. average (an index of 128, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 4,761 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $656K per restaurant. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants. It is estimated from the incomes of the 598,246 households in Alameda County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Alameda County, CA compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?
Alameda County has 79.6 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 30% above the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $656K, in line with the U.S. figure of $664K. At the national ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, Alameda County would have about 4,709, against 4,761 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 383 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. The official count fell 3.7% from 2019 to 2023, against +1.5% for the U.S.
How fast is Alameda County, CA growing?
Population estimates put Alameda County at 1,636,630 people in 2025, down 2.6% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 598,246 households. The median household income in Alameda County is $129,367 a year, 60% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 30.1% 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. Alameda County scores 37 for sit-down restaurants (lower middle), #1,762 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Alameda 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 Alameda County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Alameda 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 Alameda 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.