Food and drink · County · Colorado
Sit-down restaurants in Chaffee County, CO
How Chaffee 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 35 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,858 of 2,405 scored counties
#22 of 37 scored counties in Colorado
- Listings
- 103
- 12 chain locations (12%)
- Official establishments
- 39
- +8.3% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $40M
- On food away from home · $4,058 a household
- Spending per listing
- $389K
- 41% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 104.4
- 70% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 20,831
- +6.9% since 2020
See the sit-down restaurants around any address in Chaffee 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 Chaffee 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
The Groundwork market score for sit-down restaurants in Chaffee County is 35 (lower middle), #1,858 of 2,405 scored counties and #22 of 37 scored counties in Colorado. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
Households in Chaffee County spend about $40M a year on food away from home, or $4,058 per household, in line with the U.S. average. That is about $389K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 41% below the U.S. figure of $664K. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants.
There are 103 sit-down restaurants on map listings in Chaffee County as of September 2026. Of those, 12 are chain locations, or 12%, against 29% across the U.S. That comes to 104.4 for every 10,000 households, 70% above the U.S. rate of 61.3.
Official counts show 39 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in Chaffee County in 2023, up 8.3% from 2019. That is one for every 253 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $595K has gone to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Chaffee County. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Chaffee County grew 6.9%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Chaffee 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 | Chaffee County | Colorado | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 104.4 | 61.8 | 61.3 |
| Spending per listing | $389K | $716K | $664K |
| Households per official establishment | 253 | 468 | 500 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +8.3% | −1.7% | +1.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +6.9% | +3.9% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $4,058 | $4,421 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $84,132 | $95,470 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 35 | 59 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 36 → 39+8.3% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 529
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $18.3M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 10Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 10312 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 60The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $595K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Chaffee 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 Chaffee County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 20,831+6.9% since 2020
- Households
- 9,863
- Median age
- 48.1
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 74%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.1
- Land area
- 1,013 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 20
- Median household income
- $84,132+50.8% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $105,166
- Median home value
- $665,700
- Jobs located here
- 8,710
- Daytime population
- 19,418Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Chaffee 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 Chaffee 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 Chaffee 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 |
| 22Chaffee County, CO | 35 | 103 | 104.4 | $389K | +6.9% | #1,858 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Chaffee County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes35
- Sit-down restaurants35
- Fast food and sandwich shops61
- Pizza46
- Coffee shops and cafes34
- Bakeries and dessert shops37
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 Chaffee County, CO?
As of September 2026, map listings count 103 sit-down restaurants in Chaffee County. 12 of them (12%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 39 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023, up 8.3% from 2019. Official counts also show 10 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Chaffee County, CO spend on food away from home?
About $40M a year, or $4,058 per household. That is in line with the U.S. average (an index of 100, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 103 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $389K 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 9,863 households in Chaffee County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Chaffee County, CO compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?
Chaffee County has 104.4 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 70% above the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $389K, 41% below the U.S. figure of $664K. At the U.S. ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, Chaffee County would have about 60, against 103 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 253 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. The official count rose 8.3% from 2019 to 2023, against +1.5% for the U.S.
How fast is Chaffee County, CO growing?
Population estimates put Chaffee County at 20,831 people in 2025, up 6.9% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 9,863 households. Median household income in Chaffee County is $84,132, 4% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 50.8%, 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. Chaffee County scores 35 for sit-down restaurants (lower middle), #1,858 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Chaffee 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 Chaffee County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Chaffee 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 Chaffee 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.