Food and drink · County · Delaware
Sit-down restaurants in New Castle County, DE
How New Castle County, DE 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 53 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #1,051 of 2,405 scored counties
#2 of 3 scored counties in Delaware
- Listings
- 1,385
- 389 chain locations (28%)
- Official establishments
- 448
- +8.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $956.5M
- On food away from home · $4,267 a household
- Spending per listing
- $691K
- 4% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 61.8
- In line with the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 588,026
- +3.0% since 2020
See the sit-down restaurants around any address in New Castle 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 New Castle 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
Household spending on food away from home in New Castle County comes to about $956.5M a year: $4,267 per household, 5% above the U.S. average. That works out to $691K per restaurant, 4% above the U.S. figure of $664K. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants.
There are 1,385 sit-down restaurants on map listings in New Castle County as of September 2026. 389 of them (28%) are chain locations, against 29% across the U.S. That comes to 61.8 for every 10,000 households, in line with the U.S. rate of 61.3.
In 2023, official counts showed 448 businesses with payroll in New Castle County classed as full-service restaurants, up 8.0% from 2019. That is one for every 500 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Official counts list 100 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 24 SBA-backed loans worth $15.6M have gone to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in New Castle County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of New Castle County grew 3.0%, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for sit-down restaurants in New Castle County is 53 (upper middle), #1,051 of 2,405 scored counties and #2 of 3 scored counties in Delaware.
How New Castle County compares
The same measures for Delaware 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 | New Castle County | Delaware | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 61.8 | 60.4 | 61.3 |
| Spending per listing | $691K | $677K | $664K |
| Households per official establishment | 500 | 447 | 500 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +8.0% | +6.8% | +1.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +3.0% | +6.9% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $4,267 | $4,092 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $91,166 | $84,954 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 53 | 51 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 415 → 448+8.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 11,706
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $298.2M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 100Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 1,385389 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 1,441The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 24
- Amount
- $15.6M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in New Castle 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 New Castle County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 588,026+3.0% since 2020
- Households
- 224,173
- Median age
- 40.7
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 69%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.7
- Land area
- 426 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 1,356
- Median household income
- $91,166+23.4% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $120,517
- Median home value
- $352,200
- Jobs located here
- 298,174
- Daytime population
- 607,117Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in New Castle 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 New Castle 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 Delaware
Every Delaware market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Delaware for sit-down restaurants, numbered among those based in Delaware, with New Castle County marked.
Top counties in Delaware
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Kent County, DE | 60 | 341 | 47.7 | $779K | +6.8% | #749 of 2,405 |
| 2New Castle County, DE | 53 | 1,385 | 61.8 | $691K | +3.0% | #1,051 of 2,405 |
| 3Sussex County, DE | 46 | 703 | 66.0 | $602K | +16.1% | #1,385 of 2,405 |
Other business types in New Castle County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes56
- Sit-down restaurants53
- Fast food and sandwich shops61
- Pizza58
- Coffee shops and cafes63
- Bakeries and dessert shops58
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 New Castle County, DE?
As of September 2026, map listings count 1,385 sit-down restaurants in New Castle County. 389 of them (28%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 448 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023, up 8.0% from 2019. Official counts also show 100 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in New Castle County, DE spend on food away from home?
About $956.5M a year, or $4,267 per household. That is 5% above the U.S. average (an index of 105, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 1,385 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $691K 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 224,173 households in New Castle County and national spending patterns by income.
How does New Castle County, DE compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?
New Castle County has 61.8 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, in line with the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $691K, 4% above the U.S. figure of $664K. At the U.S. ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, New Castle County would have about 1,441, against 1,385 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 500 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. The official count rose 8.0% from 2019 to 2023, against +1.5% for the U.S.
How fast is New Castle County, DE growing?
Population estimates put New Castle County at 588,026 people in 2025, up 3.0% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 224,173 households. Median household income in New Castle County is $91,166, 13% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 23.4%, 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. New Castle County scores 53 for sit-down restaurants (upper middle), #1,051 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in New Castle 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 New Castle County
Screening a site or an acquisition in New Castle 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 New Castle 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.