Food and drink · County · California
Sit-down restaurants in Butte County, CA
The sit-down restaurants in Butte County, CA, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 48 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,276 of 2,405 scored counties
#24 of 55 scored counties in California
- Listings
- 447
- 107 chain locations (24%)
- Official establishments
- 129
- −9.1% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $309.7M
- On food away from home · $3,717 a household
- Spending per listing
- $693K
- 4% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 53.7
- 12% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 209,211
- −0.5% since 2020
See the sit-down restaurants around any address in Butte 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 Butte 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
Map listings as of September 2026 show 447 sit-down restaurants in Butte County. Chain locations make up 24% of them, against 29% across the U.S. That comes to 53.7 for every 10,000 households, 12% below the U.S. rate of 61.3.
At $3,717 per household (9% below the U.S. average), households in Butte County spend about $309.7M a year on food away from home. Spread across 447 sit-down restaurants, that is $693K per restaurant, 4% above 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 Butte County was 129 in 2023, down 9.1% from 2019. That is one for every 646 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Official counts list 25 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 7 SBA-backed loans worth $3M have gone to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Butte County.
Population estimates put the population change in Butte County from 2020 to 2025 at −0.5%, against +3.1% for the U.S. Butte County scores 48 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for sit-down restaurants, ranking #1,276 of 2,405 scored counties and #24 of 55 scored counties in California.
How Butte 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 | Butte County | California | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 53.7 | 73.9 | 61.3 |
| Spending per listing | $693K | $617K | $664K |
| Households per official establishment | 646 | 432 | 500 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −9.1% | −1.9% | +1.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −0.5% | −0.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,717 | $4,559 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $67,928 | $99,122 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 48 | 34 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 142 → 129−9.1% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 2,614
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $66.6M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 25Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 447107 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 467The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 7
- Amount
- $3M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Butte 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 Butte County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 209,211−0.5% since 2020
- Households
- 83,312
- Median age
- 38.7
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 57%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 1,637 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 127
- Median household income
- $67,928+29.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $95,439
- Median home value
- $424,700
- Jobs located here
- 75,172
- Daytime population
- 203,711Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Butte 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 Butte 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 Butte 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 |
| 24Butte County, CA | 48 | 447 | 53.7 | $693K | −0.5% | #1,276 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Butte County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes42
- Sit-down restaurants48
- Fast food and sandwich shops50
- Pizza54
- Coffee shops and cafes28
- Bakeries and dessert shops42
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 Butte County, CA?
There are 447 sit-down restaurants on map listings in Butte County as of September 2026. 107 of them (24%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 129 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023, down 9.1% from 2019. Official counts also show 25 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Butte County, CA spend on food away from home?
About $309.7M a year, or $3,717 per household. That is 9% below the U.S. average (an index of 91, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 447 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $693K per restaurant. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants. It is estimated from the incomes of the 83,312 households in Butte County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Butte County, CA compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?
Butte County has 53.7 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 12% below the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $693K, 4% above the U.S. figure of $664K. At the national ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, Butte County would have about 467, against 447 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 646 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. The official count fell 9.1% from 2019 to 2023, against +1.5% for the U.S.
How fast is Butte County, CA growing?
Population estimates put Butte County at 209,211 people in 2025, down 0.5% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 83,312 households. The median household income in Butte County is $67,928 a year, 16% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 29.3% 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. Butte County scores 48 for sit-down restaurants (lower middle), #1,276 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Butte 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 Butte County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Butte 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 Butte 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.