Food and drink · County · Connecticut
Sit-down restaurants in the Capitol Planning Region, CT
The sit-down restaurants in the Capitol Planning Region, CT, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 55 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #958 of 2,405 scored counties
#4 of 9 scored counties in Connecticut
- Listings
- 2,334
- 539 chain locations (23%)
- Official establishments
- 870
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $1.7B
- On food away from home · $4,408 a household
- Spending per listing
- $739K
- 11% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 59.7
- 3% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 994,115
- +3.1% since 2020
See the sit-down restaurants around any address in the Capitol Planning Region
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 the Capitol Planning Region. 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 2,334 sit-down restaurants in the Capitol Planning Region. Chain locations make up 23% of them, against 29% across the U.S. That is 59.7 per 10,000 households, 3% below the U.S. rate of 61.3.
Household spending on food away from home in the Capitol Planning Region comes to about $1.7B a year: $4,408 per household, 8% above the U.S. average. That works out to $739K per restaurant, 11% 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.
In 2023, official counts showed 870 businesses with payroll in the Capitol Planning Region classed as full-service restaurants. That is one for every 450 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Official counts also show 147 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 53 SBA-backed loans worth $21.4M have gone to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in the Capitol Planning Region.
Population estimates show the Capitol Planning Region grew 3.1% from 2020 to 2025, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for sit-down restaurants in the Capitol Planning Region is 55 (upper middle), #958 of 2,405 scored counties and #4 of 9 scored counties in Connecticut.
How the Capitol Planning Region compares
The same measures for Connecticut 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 | Capitol Planning Region | Connecticut | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 59.7 | 63.4 | 61.3 |
| Spending per listing | $739K | $709K | $664K |
| Households per official establishment | 450 | 412 | 500 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | −0.7% | +1.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +3.1% | +3.0% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $4,408 | $4,498 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $93,394 | $95,781 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 55 | 50 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 870
- Employees, 2023
- 16,471
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $468M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 147Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 2,334539 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 2,598The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 53
- Amount
- $21.4M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in the Capitol Planning Region, 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 the Capitol Planning Region
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 994,115+3.1% since 2020
- Households
- 391,113
- Median age
- 41.4
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 66%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.7
- Land area
- 1,027 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 951
- Median household income
- $93,394
- Average household income
- $125,849
- Median home value
- $323,700
- Jobs located here
- 527,329
- Daytime population
- 1,033,267Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Capitol Planning Region?
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 the Capitol Planning Region. 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 Connecticut
Every Connecticut market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Connecticut for sit-down restaurants, numbered among those based in Connecticut, with the Capitol Planning Region marked.
Top counties in Connecticut
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Northeastern Connecticut Planning Region, CT | 76 | 132 | 33.5 | $1.3M | +3.0% | #214 of 2,405 |
| 2Naugatuck Valley Planning Region, CT | 62 | 935 | 51.9 | $810K | +3.2% | #673 of 2,405 |
| 3Northwest Hills Planning Region, CT | 56 | 253 | 52.9 | $834K | +2.2% | #896 of 2,405 |
| 4Capitol Planning Region, CT | 55 | 2,334 | 59.7 | $739K | +3.1% | #958 of 2,405 |
| 5Greater Bridgeport Planning Region, CT | 53 | 785 | 65.6 | $678K | +4.1% | #1,052 of 2,405 |
| 6Western Connecticut Planning Region, CT | 50 | 1,787 | 75.9 | $694K | +3.5% | #1,176 of 2,405 |
| 7Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region, CT | 48 | 499 | 67.4 | $693K | +2.3% | #1,275 of 2,405 |
| 8Southeastern Connecticut Planning Region, CT | 44 | 724 | 62.5 | $665K | +2.0% | #1,462 of 2,405 |
| 9South Central Connecticut Planning Region, CT | 42 | 1,644 | 71.3 | $603K | +2.5% | #1,555 of 2,405 |
Other business types in the Capitol Planning Region
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes58
- Sit-down restaurants55
- Fast food and sandwich shops69
- Pizza58
- Coffee shops and cafes56
- Bakeries and dessert shops50
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 the Capitol Planning Region, CT?
There are 2,334 sit-down restaurants on map listings in the Capitol Planning Region as of September 2026. 539 of them (23%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 870 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023. Another 147 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in the Capitol Planning Region, CT spend on food away from home?
About $1.7B a year, or $4,408 per household. That is 8% above the U.S. average (an index of 108, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 2,334 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $739K per restaurant. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants. It is estimated from the incomes of the 391,113 households in the Capitol Planning Region and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Capitol Planning Region, CT compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?
The Capitol Planning Region has 59.7 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 3% below the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $739K, 11% above the U.S. figure of $664K. At the national ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, the Capitol Planning Region would have about 2,598, against 2,334 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 450 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S.
How fast is the Capitol Planning Region, CT growing?
Population estimates put the Capitol Planning Region at 994,115 people in 2025, up 3.1% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 391,113 households. The median household income in the Capitol Planning Region is $93,394 a year, 16% above the U.S. median of $80,734.
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. The Capitol Planning Region scores 55 for sit-down restaurants (upper middle), #958 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Capitol Planning Region. 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 the Capitol Planning Region
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Capitol Planning Region?
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 the Capitol Planning Region. 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.