Food and drink · County · Colorado
Sit-down restaurants in Arapahoe County, CO
How Arapahoe County, CO compares with other counties and the U.S. for sit-down restaurants: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 61 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #712 of 2,405 scored counties
#11 of 37 scored counties in Colorado
- Listings
- 1,476
- 501 chain locations (34%)
- Official establishments
- 514
- +1.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $1.2B
- On food away from home · $4,570 a household
- Spending per listing
- $796K
- 20% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 57.4
- 6% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 673,820
- +2.8% since 2020
See the sit-down restaurants around any address in Arapahoe 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 Arapahoe 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 1,476 sit-down restaurants in Arapahoe County. Chain locations make up 34% of them, against 29% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 57.4, 6% below the U.S. rate of 61.3.
Household spending on food away from home in Arapahoe County comes to about $1.2B a year: $4,570 per household, 12% above the U.S. average. Spread across 1,476 sit-down restaurants, that is $796K per restaurant, 20% 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.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in Arapahoe County was 514 in 2023, up 1.0% from 2019. That is one for every 500 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Official counts list 99 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 49 SBA-backed loans worth $32M have gone to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Arapahoe County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Arapahoe County grew 2.8%, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for sit-down restaurants in Arapahoe County is 61 (upper middle), #712 of 2,405 scored counties and #11 of 37 scored counties in Colorado.
How Arapahoe County compares
The same measures for Colorado 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 | Arapahoe County | Colorado | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 57.4 | 61.8 | 61.3 |
| Spending per listing | $796K | $716K | $664K |
| Households per official establishment | 500 | 468 | 500 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +1.0% | −1.7% | +1.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.8% | +3.9% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $4,570 | $4,421 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $101,087 | $95,470 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 61 | 59 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 509 → 514+1.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 11,856
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $383.4M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 99Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 1,476501 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 1,771The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 49
- Amount
- $32M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Arapahoe 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 Arapahoe County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 673,820+2.8% since 2020
- Households
- 257,232
- Median age
- 38.7
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 65%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 798 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 827
- Median household income
- $101,087+30.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $136,289
- Median home value
- $561,200
- Jobs located here
- 352,398
- Daytime population
- 677,507Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Arapahoe 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 Arapahoe 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 Colorado
Every Colorado market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Colorado for sit-down restaurants, numbered among those based in Colorado, with Arapahoe County marked.
Top counties in Colorado
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Elbert County, CO | 95 | 17 | 17.0 | $3.1M | +16.5% | #3 of 2,405 |
| 2Douglas County, CO | 88 | 607 | 43.4 | $1.3M | +10.9% | #38 of 2,405 |
| 3Park County, CO | 86 | 32 | 35.6 | $1.2M | +5.1% | #53 of 2,405 |
| 4Weld County, CO | 86 | 509 | 41.0 | $1.1M | +14.2% | #56 of 2,405 |
| 5Broomfield County, CO | 77 | 160 | 50.4 | $1M | +6.3% | #194 of 2,405 |
| 6Adams County, CO | 77 | 977 | 51.8 | $836K | +6.6% | #205 of 2,405 |
| 7Mesa County, CO | 68 | 287 | 43.6 | $859K | +4.4% | #437 of 2,405 |
| 8El Paso County, CO | 65 | 1,556 | 53.6 | $794K | +3.2% | #540 of 2,405 |
| 9Larimer County, CO | 64 | 845 | 54.8 | $792K | +4.8% | #575 of 2,405 |
| 10Jefferson County, CO | 61 | 1,234 | 51.0 | $936K | −0.5% | #696 of 2,405 |
| 11Arapahoe County, CO | 61 | 1,476 | 57.4 | $796K | +2.8% | #712 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Arapahoe County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes62
- Sit-down restaurants61
- Fast food and sandwich shops64
- Pizza70
- Coffee shops and cafes57
- Bakeries and dessert shops65
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 Arapahoe County, CO?
There are 1,476 sit-down restaurants on map listings in Arapahoe County as of September 2026. 501 of them (34%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 514 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023, up 1.0% from 2019. Official counts also show 99 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Arapahoe County, CO spend on food away from home?
About $1.2B a year, or $4,570 per household. That is 12% above the U.S. average (an index of 112, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 1,476 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $796K per restaurant. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants. It is estimated from the incomes of the 257,232 households in Arapahoe County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Arapahoe County, CO compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?
Arapahoe County has 57.4 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 6% below the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $796K, 20% above the U.S. figure of $664K. At the national ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, Arapahoe County would have about 1,771, against 1,476 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 500 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. The official count rose 1.0% from 2019 to 2023, against +1.5% for the U.S.
How fast is Arapahoe County, CO growing?
Population estimates put Arapahoe County at 673,820 people in 2025, up 2.8% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 257,232 households. The median household income in Arapahoe County is $101,087 a year, 25% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 30.5% 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. Arapahoe County scores 61 for sit-down restaurants (upper middle), #712 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Arapahoe 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 Arapahoe County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Arapahoe 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 Arapahoe 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.