Food and drink · County · Colorado
Sit-down restaurants in Mesa County, CO
How Mesa 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 68 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #437 of 2,405 scored counties
#7 of 37 scored counties in Colorado
- Listings
- 287
- 104 chain locations (36%)
- Official establishments
- 103
- −2.8% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $246.6M
- On food away from home · $3,745 a household
- Spending per listing
- $859K
- 29% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 43.6
- 29% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 162,845
- +4.4% since 2020
See the sit-down restaurants around any address in Mesa 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 Mesa 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
At $3,745 per household (8% below the U.S. average), households in Mesa County spend about $246.6M a year on food away from home. Spread across 287 sit-down restaurants, that is $859K per restaurant, 29% above the U.S. figure of $664K. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants.
There are 287 sit-down restaurants on map listings in Mesa County as of September 2026. Of those, 104 are chain locations, or 36%, against 29% across the U.S. That comes to 43.6 for every 10,000 households, 29% below the U.S. rate of 61.3.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in Mesa County was 103 in 2023, down 2.8% from 2019. That is one for every 639 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Official counts list 15 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 11 SBA-backed loans worth $8M have gone to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Mesa County.
Population estimates put the population change in Mesa County from 2020 to 2025 at +4.4%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). Mesa County scores 68 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for sit-down restaurants, ranking #437 of 2,405 scored counties and #7 of 37 scored counties in Colorado. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How Mesa 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 | Mesa County | Colorado | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 43.6 | 61.8 | 61.3 |
| Spending per listing | $859K | $716K | $664K |
| Households per official establishment | 639 | 468 | 500 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −2.8% | −1.7% | +1.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +4.4% | +3.9% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,745 | $4,421 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $73,658 | $95,470 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 68 | 59 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 106 → 103−2.8% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 2,531
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $72.6M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 15Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 287104 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 372The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 11
- Amount
- $8M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Mesa 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 Mesa County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 162,845+4.4% since 2020
- Households
- 65,830
- Median age
- 41.7
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 72%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 3,329 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 48
- Median household income
- $73,658+33.0% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $95,145
- Median home value
- $378,600
- Jobs located here
- 65,394
- Daytime population
- 156,691Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Mesa 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 Mesa 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 Mesa 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 |
Other business types in Mesa County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes59
- Sit-down restaurants68
- Fast food and sandwich shops61
- Pizza73
- Coffee shops and cafes49
- Bakeries and dessert shops56
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 Mesa County, CO?
As of September 2026, map listings count 287 sit-down restaurants in Mesa County. 104 of them (36%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 103 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023, down 2.8% from 2019. Official counts also show 15 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Mesa County, CO spend on food away from home?
About $246.6M a year, or $3,745 per household. That is 8% below the U.S. average (an index of 92, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 287 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $859K 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 65,830 households in Mesa County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Mesa County, CO compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?
Mesa County has 43.6 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 29% below the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $859K, 29% above the U.S. figure of $664K. At the U.S. ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, Mesa County would have about 372, against 287 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 639 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. The official count fell 2.8% from 2019 to 2023, against +1.5% for the U.S.
How fast is Mesa County, CO growing?
Population estimates put Mesa County at 162,845 people in 2025, up 4.4% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 65,830 households. Median household income in Mesa County is $73,658, 9% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 33.0%, 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. Mesa County scores 68 for sit-down restaurants (upper middle), #437 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Mesa 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 Mesa County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Mesa 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 Mesa 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.