Food and drink · County · Connecticut
Sit-down restaurants in the Northwest Hills Planning Region, CT
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for sit-down restaurants in the Northwest Hills Planning Region, CT, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 56 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #896 of 2,405 scored counties
#3 of 9 scored counties in Connecticut
- Listings
- 253
- 33 chain locations (13%)
- Official establishments
- 123
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $211M
- On food away from home · $4,410 a household
- Spending per listing
- $834K
- 26% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 52.9
- 14% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 114,690
- +2.2% since 2020
See the sit-down restaurants around any address in the Northwest Hills 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 Northwest Hills 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
Household spending on food away from home in the Northwest Hills Planning Region comes to about $211M a year: $4,410 per household, 8% above the U.S. average. That works out to $834K per restaurant, 26% above the U.S. figure of $664K. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants.
The Northwest Hills Planning Region has 253 sit-down restaurants on map listings as of September 2026. 33 of them (13%) are chain locations, against 29% across the U.S. That comes to 52.9 for every 10,000 households, 14% below the U.S. rate of 61.3.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in the Northwest Hills Planning Region was 123 in 2023. That is one for every 389 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Official counts also show 17 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 6 SBA-backed loans worth $1.1M have gone to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in the Northwest Hills Planning Region.
Population estimates show the Northwest Hills Planning Region grew 2.2% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Northwest Hills Planning Region scores 56 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for sit-down restaurants, ranking #896 of 2,405 scored counties and #3 of 9 scored counties in Connecticut.
How the Northwest Hills 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 | Northwest Hills Planning Region | Connecticut | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 52.9 | 63.4 | 61.3 |
| Spending per listing | $834K | $709K | $664K |
| Households per official establishment | 389 | 412 | 500 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | −0.7% | +1.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.2% | +3.0% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $4,410 | $4,498 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $93,551 | $95,781 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 56 | 50 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 123
- Employees, 2023
- 1,370
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $39.2M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 17Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 25333 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 318The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 6
- Amount
- $1.1M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in the Northwest Hills 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 Northwest Hills Planning Region
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 114,690+2.2% since 2020
- Households
- 47,845
- Median age
- 47.0
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 76%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 787 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 144
- Median household income
- $93,551
- Average household income
- $131,679
- Median home value
- $335,600
- Jobs located here
- 36,871
- Daytime population
- 93,666Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Northwest Hills 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 Northwest Hills 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 Northwest Hills 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 Northwest Hills Planning Region
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes61
- Sit-down restaurants56
- Fast food and sandwich shops81
- Pizza68
- Coffee shops and cafes58
- Bakeries and dessert shops52
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 Northwest Hills Planning Region, CT?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 253 sit-down restaurants in the Northwest Hills Planning Region. 33 of them (13%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 123 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023. Another 17 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in the Northwest Hills Planning Region, CT spend on food away from home?
About $211M a year, or $4,410 per household. That is 8% above the U.S. average (an index of 108, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 253 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $834K 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 47,845 households in the Northwest Hills Planning Region and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Northwest Hills Planning Region, CT compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?
The Northwest Hills Planning Region has 52.9 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 14% below the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $834K, 26% above the U.S. figure of $664K. At the U.S. ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, the Northwest Hills Planning Region would have about 318, against 253 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 389 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S.
How fast is the Northwest Hills Planning Region, CT growing?
Population estimates put the Northwest Hills Planning Region at 114,690 people in 2025, up 2.2% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 47,845 households. Median household income in the Northwest Hills Planning Region is $93,551, 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 Northwest Hills Planning Region scores 56 for sit-down restaurants (upper middle), #896 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 Northwest Hills 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 Northwest Hills Planning Region
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Northwest Hills 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 Northwest Hills 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.