Food and drink · County · California
Sit-down restaurants in Imperial County, CA
The sit-down restaurants in Imperial County, CA, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 37 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,780 of 2,405 scored counties
#39 of 55 scored counties in California
- Listings
- 303
- 91 chain locations (30%)
- Official establishments
- 73
- +2.8% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $166M
- On food away from home · $3,344 a household
- Spending per listing
- $548K
- 17% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 61.0
- In line with the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 181,411
- +1.1% since 2020
See the sit-down restaurants around any address in Imperial 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 Imperial 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 303 sit-down restaurants in Imperial County. 91 of them (30%) are chain locations, against 29% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 61.0, in line with the U.S. rate of 61.3.
Household spending on food away from home in Imperial County comes to about $166M a year: $3,344 per household, 18% below the U.S. average. That works out to $548K per restaurant, 17% 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 73 businesses with payroll in Imperial County classed as full-service restaurants, up 2.8% from 2019. That is one for every 680 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Another 25 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 4 SBA-backed loans worth $3.7M have gone to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Imperial County.
Population estimates put the population change in Imperial County from 2020 to 2025 at +1.1%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). Imperial County scores 37 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for sit-down restaurants, ranking #1,780 of 2,405 scored counties and #39 of 55 scored counties in California.
How Imperial 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 | Imperial County | California | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 61.0 | 73.9 | 61.3 |
| Spending per listing | $548K | $617K | $664K |
| Households per official establishment | 680 | 432 | 500 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +2.8% | −1.9% | +1.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +1.1% | −0.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,344 | $4,559 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $57,681 | $99,122 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 37 | 34 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 71 → 73+2.8% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,275
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $34.1M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 25Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 30391 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 250The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 4
- Amount
- $3.7M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Imperial 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 Imperial County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 181,411+1.1% since 2020
- Households
- 49,644
- Median age
- 33.6
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 57%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 4,176 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 43
- Median household income
- $57,681+21.1% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $79,363
- Median home value
- $309,600
- Jobs located here
- 63,081
- Daytime population
- 165,766Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Imperial 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 Imperial 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 Imperial 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 |
| 39Imperial County, CA | 37 | 303 | 61.0 | $548K | +1.1% | #1,780 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Imperial County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes30
- Sit-down restaurants37
- Fast food and sandwich shops25
- Pizza49
- Coffee shops and cafes31
- Bakeries and dessert shops24
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 Imperial County, CA?
There are 303 sit-down restaurants on map listings in Imperial County as of September 2026. 91 of them (30%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 73 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023, up 2.8% from 2019. Official counts list 25 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Imperial County, CA spend on food away from home?
About $166M a year, or $3,344 per household. That is 18% below the U.S. average (an index of 82, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 303 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $548K per restaurant. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants. It is estimated from the incomes of the 49,644 households in Imperial County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Imperial County, CA compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?
Imperial County has 61.0 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, in line with the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $548K, 17% below the U.S. figure of $664K. At the national ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, Imperial County would have about 250, against 303 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 680 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. The official count rose 2.8% from 2019 to 2023, against +1.5% for the U.S.
How fast is Imperial County, CA growing?
Population estimates put Imperial County at 181,411 people in 2025, up 1.1% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 49,644 households. The median household income in Imperial County is $57,681 a year, 29% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 21.1% 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. Imperial County scores 37 for sit-down restaurants (lower middle), #1,780 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Imperial 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 Imperial County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Imperial 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 Imperial 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.