Food and drink · County · California
Sit-down restaurants in Sonoma County, CA
The sit-down restaurants in Sonoma County, CA, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 44 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,452 of 2,405 scored counties
#31 of 55 scored counties in California
- Listings
- 1,246
- 265 chain locations (21%)
- Official establishments
- 511
- −5.5% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $893.7M
- On food away from home · $4,679 a household
- Spending per listing
- $717K
- 8% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 65.2
- 6% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 486,444
- −0.4% since 2020
See the sit-down restaurants around any address in Sonoma 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 Sonoma 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
Household spending on food away from home in Sonoma County comes to about $893.7M a year: $4,679 per household, 15% above the U.S. average. That works out to $717K per restaurant, 8% above the U.S. figure of $664K. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants.
There are 1,246 sit-down restaurants on map listings in Sonoma County as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 21% of them, against 29% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 65.2, 6% above the U.S. rate of 61.3.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in Sonoma County was 511 in 2023, down 5.5% from 2019. That is one for every 374 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Official counts also show 51 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 28 SBA-backed loans worth $15.1M have gone to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Sonoma County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Sonoma County declined 0.4%, against +3.1% for the U.S. The Groundwork market score for sit-down restaurants in Sonoma County is 44 (lower middle), #1,452 of 2,405 scored counties and #31 of 55 scored counties in California.
How Sonoma 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 | Sonoma County | California | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 65.2 | 73.9 | 61.3 |
| Spending per listing | $717K | $617K | $664K |
| Households per official establishment | 374 | 432 | 500 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −5.5% | −1.9% | +1.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −0.4% | −0.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $4,679 | $4,559 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $104,674 | $99,122 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 44 | 34 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 541 → 511−5.5% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 9,018
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $307.7M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 51Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 1,246265 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 1,347The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 28
- Amount
- $15.1M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Sonoma 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 Sonoma County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 486,444−0.4% since 2020
- Households
- 190,998
- Median age
- 44.0
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 63%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 1,575 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 308
- Median household income
- $104,674+29.2% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $142,354
- Median home value
- $815,500
- Jobs located here
- 200,159
- Daytime population
- 465,573Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Sonoma 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 Sonoma 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 Sonoma 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 |
| 31Sonoma County, CA | 44 | 1,246 | 65.2 | $717K | −0.4% | #1,452 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Sonoma County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes31
- Sit-down restaurants44
- Fast food and sandwich shops67
- Pizza66
- Coffee shops and cafes36
- Bakeries and dessert shops36
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 Sonoma County, CA?
As of September 2026, map listings count 1,246 sit-down restaurants in Sonoma County. 265 of them (21%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 511 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023, down 5.5% from 2019. Another 51 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Sonoma County, CA spend on food away from home?
About $893.7M a year, or $4,679 per household. That is 15% above the U.S. average (an index of 115, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 1,246 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $717K 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 190,998 households in Sonoma County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Sonoma County, CA compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?
Sonoma County has 65.2 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 6% above the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $717K, 8% above the U.S. figure of $664K. At the U.S. ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, Sonoma County would have about 1,347, against 1,246 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 374 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. The official count fell 5.5% from 2019 to 2023, against +1.5% for the U.S.
How fast is Sonoma County, CA growing?
Population estimates put Sonoma County at 486,444 people in 2025, down 0.4% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 190,998 households. Median household income in Sonoma County is $104,674, 30% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 29.2%, 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. Sonoma County scores 44 for sit-down restaurants (lower middle), #1,452 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Sonoma 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 Sonoma County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Sonoma 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 Sonoma 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.