Food and drink · County · Colorado
Sit-down restaurants in Boulder County, CO
The sit-down restaurants in Boulder County, CO, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 36 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,804 of 2,405 scored counties
#20 of 37 scored counties in Colorado
- Listings
- 1,051
- 284 chain locations (27%)
- Official establishments
- 359
- −1.1% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $646.2M
- On food away from home · $4,716 a household
- Spending per listing
- $615K
- 7% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 76.7
- 25% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 328,560
- −0.7% since 2020
See the sit-down restaurants around any address in Boulder 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 Boulder 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
Households in Boulder County spend about $646.2M a year on food away from home, or $4,716 per household, 16% above the U.S. average. Spread across 1,051 sit-down restaurants, that is $615K per restaurant, 7% below the U.S. figure of $664K. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants.
Boulder County has 1,051 sit-down restaurants on map listings as of September 2026. Of those, 284 are chain locations, or 27%, against 29% across the U.S. That comes to 76.7 for every 10,000 households, 25% above the U.S. rate of 61.3.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in Boulder County was 359 in 2023, down 1.1% from 2019. That is one for every 382 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Official counts list 44 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 26 SBA-backed loans worth $16.9M have gone to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Boulder County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Boulder County declined 0.7%, against +3.1% for the U.S. For sit-down restaurants, Boulder County has a Groundwork market score of 36 (lower middle): #1,804 of 2,405 scored counties and #20 of 37 scored counties in Colorado.
How Boulder 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 | Boulder County | Colorado | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 76.7 | 61.8 | 61.3 |
| Spending per listing | $615K | $716K | $664K |
| Households per official establishment | 382 | 468 | 500 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −1.1% | −1.7% | +1.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −0.7% | +3.9% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $4,716 | $4,421 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $103,994 | $95,470 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 36 | 59 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 363 → 359−1.1% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 8,000
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $258.6M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 44Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 1,051284 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 974The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 26
- Amount
- $16.9M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Boulder 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 Boulder County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 328,560−0.7% since 2020
- Households
- 137,008
- Median age
- 39.9
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 62%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 726 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 453
- Median household income
- $103,994+25.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $148,846
- Median home value
- $756,300
- Jobs located here
- 190,563
- Daytime population
- 376,803Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Boulder 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 Boulder 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 Boulder 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 |
| 20Boulder County, CO | 36 | 1,051 | 76.7 | $615K | −0.7% | #1,804 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Boulder County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes38
- Sit-down restaurants36
- Fast food and sandwich shops58
- Pizza56
- Coffee shops and cafes32
- Bakeries and dessert shops46
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 Boulder County, CO?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 1,051 sit-down restaurants in Boulder County. 284 of them (27%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 359 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023, down 1.1% from 2019. Official counts also show 44 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Boulder County, CO spend on food away from home?
About $646.2M a year, or $4,716 per household. That is 16% above the U.S. average (an index of 116, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 1,051 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $615K 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 137,008 households in Boulder County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Boulder County, CO compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?
Boulder County has 76.7 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 25% above the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $615K, 7% below the U.S. figure of $664K. At the U.S. ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, Boulder County would have about 974, against 1,051 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 382 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. The official count fell 1.1% from 2019 to 2023, against +1.5% for the U.S.
How fast is Boulder County, CO growing?
Population estimates put Boulder County at 328,560 people in 2025, down 0.7% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 137,008 households. Median household income in Boulder County is $103,994, 29% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 25.3%, 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. Boulder County scores 36 for sit-down restaurants (lower middle), #1,804 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Boulder 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 Boulder County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Boulder 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 Boulder 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.