Groundwork

Food and drink · County · California

Sit-down restaurants in Madera County, CA

The sit-down restaurants in Madera County, CA, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 64 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #590 of 2,405 scored counties
#5 of 55 scored counties in California

Listings
247
80 chain locations (32%)
Official establishments
66
+24.5% since 2019
Household spending a year
$174.2M
On food away from home · $3,838 a household
Spending per listing
$705K
6% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
54.4
11% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
167,927
+7.4% since 2020

See the sit-down restaurants around any address in Madera 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 Madera County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Survey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure

What this means

Households in Madera County spend about $174.2M a year on food away from home, or $3,838 per household, 6% below the U.S. average. Spread across 247 sit-down restaurants, that is $705K per restaurant, 6% above the U.S. figure of $664K. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants.

There are 247 sit-down restaurants on map listings in Madera County as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 32% of them, against 29% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 54.4, 11% below the U.S. rate of 61.3.

The official count of businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in Madera County was 66 in 2023, up 24.5% from 2019. That is one for every 688 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Another 17 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 4 SBA-backed loans worth $3.1M have gone to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Madera County.

Population estimates put the population change in Madera County from 2020 to 2025 at +7.4%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). Madera County scores 64 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for sit-down restaurants, ranking #590 of 2,405 scored counties and #5 of 55 scored counties in California. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.

How Madera 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.

Sit-down restaurants in Madera County, CA compared with California and the U.S.
MeasureMadera CountyCaliforniaU.S.
Listings per 10k households54.473.961.3
Spending per listing$705K$617K$664K
Households per official establishment688432500
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+24.5%−1.9%+1.5%
Population growth, 2020–2025+7.4%−0.4%+3.1%
Spending per household on food away from home$3,838$4,559$4,070
Median household income$76,627$99,122$80,734
Groundwork market score6434

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
53 → 66+24.5% over the period
Employees, 2023
799
Annual payroll, 2023
$22.5M
One-person businesses, 2023
17Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
24780 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
262The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
4
Amount
$3.1M

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Madera 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 Madera County

Population, 2025 estimate
167,927+7.4% since 2020
Households
45,379
Median age
35.6
Homes lived in by their owners
67%
Vehicles per household
2.2
Land area
2,137 sq. mi.
People per square mile
75
Median household income
$76,627+33.1% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$100,809
Median home value
$393,200
Jobs located here
52,879
Daytime population
154,268Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Madera 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 Madera County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Sit-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 Madera County marked.

Top counties in California

Counties in California ranked for sit-down restaurants by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Yuba County, CA8610135.3$1.1M+8.2%#55 of 2,405
2San Benito County, CA7211355.0$891K+8.6%#326 of 2,405
3San Joaquin County, CA691,32153.9$797K+5.5%#413 of 2,405
4Riverside County, CA644,47657.7$748K+5.0%#582 of 2,405
5Madera County, CA6424754.4$705K+7.4%#590 of 2,405
6Merced County, CA6340647.2$750K+5.1%#636 of 2,405
7Contra Costa County, CA622,36857.1$906K+0.3%#652 of 2,405
8Placer County, CA601,05766.9$734K+8.9%#758 of 2,405
9Solano County, CA5987155.3$816K+0.6%#777 of 2,405
10Lassen County, CA583335.7$980K−13.1%#800 of 2,405

Other business types in Madera County

Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.

Questions

How many sit-down restaurants are in Madera County, CA?

As of September 2026, map listings count 247 sit-down restaurants in Madera County. 80 of them (32%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 66 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023, up 24.5% from 2019. Official counts list 17 one-person businesses without payroll.

How much do households in Madera County, CA spend on food away from home?

About $174.2M a year, or $3,838 per household. That is 6% below the U.S. average (an index of 94, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 247 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $705K per restaurant. That spending covers all food away from home, which sit-down restaurants share with other businesses in the trade. It is estimated from the incomes of the 45,379 households in Madera County and national spending patterns by income.

How does Madera County, CA compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?

Madera County has 54.4 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 11% below the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $705K, 6% above the U.S. figure of $664K. At the U.S. ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, Madera County would have about 262, against 247 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 688 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. The official count rose 24.5% from 2019 to 2023, against +1.5% for the U.S.

How fast is Madera County, CA growing?

Population estimates put Madera County at 167,927 people in 2025, up 7.4% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 45,379 households. Median household income in Madera County is $76,627, 5% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 33.1%, 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. Madera County scores 64 for sit-down restaurants (upper middle), #590 of 2,405 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Madera 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 Madera County

Screening a site or an acquisition in Madera 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 Madera 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.