Food and drink · County · California
Sit-down restaurants in Humboldt County, CA
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for sit-down restaurants in Humboldt County, CA, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 21 out of 100: Low
Ranked #2,288 of 2,405 scored counties
#52 of 55 scored counties in California
- Listings
- 334
- 67 chain locations (20%)
- Official establishments
- 145
- −0.7% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $192.4M
- On food away from home · $3,504 a household
- Spending per listing
- $576K
- 13% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 60.8
- In line with the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 131,647
- −3.4% since 2020
See the sit-down restaurants around any address in Humboldt 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 Humboldt 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
Humboldt County scores 21 (low) on the Groundwork market score for sit-down restaurants, ranking #2,288 of 2,405 scored counties and #52 of 55 scored counties in California. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
As of September 2026, map listings count 334 sit-down restaurants in Humboldt County. Chain locations make up 20% of them, against 29% across the U.S. That comes to 60.8 for every 10,000 households, in line with the U.S. rate of 61.3.
Household spending on food away from home in Humboldt County comes to about $192.4M a year: $3,504 per household, 14% below the U.S. average. Spread across 334 sit-down restaurants, that is $576K per restaurant, 13% 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.
In 2023, official counts showed 145 businesses with payroll in Humboldt County classed as full-service restaurants, down 0.7% from 2019. That is one for every 379 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 5 SBA-backed loans worth $1.2M have gone to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Humboldt County. Population estimates put the population change in Humboldt County from 2020 to 2025 at −3.4%, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How Humboldt 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 | Humboldt County | California | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 60.8 | 73.9 | 61.3 |
| Spending per listing | $576K | $617K | $664K |
| Households per official establishment | 379 | 432 | 500 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −0.7% | −1.9% | +1.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −3.4% | −0.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,504 | $4,559 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $61,160 | $99,122 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 21 | 34 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 146 → 145−0.7% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,863
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $47.7M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 23Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 33467 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 290The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 5
- Amount
- $1.2M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Humboldt 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 Humboldt County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 131,647−3.4% since 2020
- Households
- 54,922
- Median age
- 40.4
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 57%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 3,568 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 38
- Median household income
- $61,160+27.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $86,194
- Median home value
- $446,900
- Jobs located here
- 48,178
- Daytime population
- 133,286Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Humboldt 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 Humboldt 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 Humboldt 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 |
| 52Humboldt County, CA | 21 | 334 | 60.8 | $576K | −3.4% | #2,288 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Humboldt County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes19
- Sit-down restaurants21
- Fast food and sandwich shops54
- Pizza40
- Coffee shops and cafes17
- Bakeries and dessert shops25
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 Humboldt County, CA?
Humboldt County has 334 sit-down restaurants on map listings as of September 2026. 67 of them (20%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 145 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023, down 0.7% from 2019. Official counts also show 23 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Humboldt County, CA spend on food away from home?
About $192.4M a year, or $3,504 per household. That is 14% below the U.S. average (an index of 86, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 334 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $576K per restaurant. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants. It is estimated from the incomes of the 54,922 households in Humboldt County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Humboldt County, CA compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?
Humboldt County has 60.8 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, in line with the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $576K, 13% below the U.S. figure of $664K. At the national ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, Humboldt County would have about 290, against 334 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 379 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. The official count fell 0.7% from 2019 to 2023, against +1.5% for the U.S.
How fast is Humboldt County, CA growing?
Population estimates put Humboldt County at 131,647 people in 2025, down 3.4% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 54,922 households. The median household income in Humboldt County is $61,160 a year, 24% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 27.3% 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. Humboldt County scores 21 for sit-down restaurants (low), #2,288 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Humboldt 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 Humboldt County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Humboldt 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 Humboldt 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.