Food and drink · County · California
Sit-down restaurants in Marin County, CA
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for sit-down restaurants in Marin County, CA, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 47 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,295 of 2,405 scored counties
#26 of 55 scored counties in California
- Listings
- 698
- 126 chain locations (18%)
- Official establishments
- 280
- −8.2% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $572.9M
- On food away from home · $5,561 a household
- Spending per listing
- $821K
- 24% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 67.8
- 11% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 253,694
- −2.9% since 2020
See the sit-down restaurants around any address in Marin 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 Marin 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 698 sit-down restaurants in Marin County. Chain locations make up 18% of them, against 29% across the U.S. That comes to 67.8 for every 10,000 households, 11% above the U.S. rate of 61.3.
At $5,561 per household (37% above the U.S. average), households in Marin County spend about $572.9M a year on food away from home. That is about $821K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 24% 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.
Official counts show 280 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in Marin County in 2023, down 8.2% from 2019. That is one for every 368 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Another 39 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 10 SBA-backed loans worth $3M have gone to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Marin County.
Population estimates put the population change in Marin County from 2020 to 2025 at −2.9%, against +3.1% for the U.S. For sit-down restaurants, Marin County has a Groundwork market score of 47 (lower middle): #1,295 of 2,405 scored counties and #26 of 55 scored counties in California.
How Marin 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 | Marin County | California | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 67.8 | 73.9 | 61.3 |
| Spending per listing | $821K | $617K | $664K |
| Households per official establishment | 368 | 432 | 500 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −8.2% | −1.9% | +1.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −2.9% | −0.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $5,561 | $4,559 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $149,091 | $99,122 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 47 | 34 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 305 → 280−8.2% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 5,940
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $213.5M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 39Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 698126 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 863The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 10
- Amount
- $3M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Marin 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 Marin County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 253,694−2.9% since 2020
- Households
- 103,018
- Median age
- 47.7
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 65%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 520 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 496
- Median household income
- $149,091+29.4% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $232,579
- Median home value
- $1,507,300
- Jobs located here
- 110,704
- Daytime population
- 260,594Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Marin 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 Marin 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 Marin 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 |
| 26Marin County, CA | 47 | 698 | 67.8 | $821K | −2.9% | #1,295 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Marin County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes51
- Sit-down restaurants47
- Fast food and sandwich shops67
- Pizza67
- Coffee shops and cafes38
- Bakeries and dessert shops48
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 Marin County, CA?
Marin County has 698 sit-down restaurants on map listings as of September 2026. 126 of them (18%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 280 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023, down 8.2% from 2019. Official counts list 39 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Marin County, CA spend on food away from home?
About $572.9M a year, or $5,561 per household. That is 37% above the U.S. average (an index of 137, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 698 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $821K per restaurant. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants. It is estimated from the incomes of the 103,018 households in Marin County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Marin County, CA compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?
Marin County has 67.8 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 11% above the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $821K, 24% above the U.S. figure of $664K. At the national ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, Marin County would have about 863, against 698 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 368 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. The official count fell 8.2% from 2019 to 2023, against +1.5% for the U.S.
How fast is Marin County, CA growing?
Population estimates put Marin County at 253,694 people in 2025, down 2.9% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 103,018 households. The median household income in Marin County is $149,091 a year, 85% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 29.4% 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. Marin County scores 47 for sit-down restaurants (lower middle), #1,295 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Marin 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 Marin County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Marin 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 Marin 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.