Groundwork

Market rankings · District of Columbia

Sit-down restaurants in the District of Columbia

Every metro area, small-town market and county in the District of Columbia, ranked by the Groundwork market score for sit-down restaurants, with competitor counts and household spending for each.

Listings
3,332
567 chain locations (17%)
Official establishments
974
+1.4% since 2019
Household spending a year
$1.6B
On food away from home
Listings per 10k households
102.7
68% above the U.S.
Spending per listing
$469K
29% below the U.S.
Rank among states
#46 of 51
Market score 33 · Lower middle

A site report maps the sit-down restaurants on map listings around any address in the District of Columbia by name and distance, and the spending within reach.

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Survey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure

What this means

The District of Columbia has 3,332 sit-down restaurants on map listings as of September 2026. Of those, 567 are chain locations, or 17%, against 29% across the U.S. That comes to 102.7 for every 10,000 households, 68% above the U.S. rate of 61.3.

Household spending on food away from home in the District of Columbia comes to about $1.6B a year: $4,813 per household, 18% above the U.S. average. That is about $469K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 29% below the U.S. figure of $664K. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants.

The official count of businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in the District of Columbia was 974 in 2023, up 1.4% from 2019. That is one for every 333 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Across the U.S., the count rose 1.5% over the same years. Since fiscal 2022, 50 SBA-backed loans worth $32.5M have gone to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in the District of Columbia.

Among the 50 states and DC, the District of Columbia ranks #46 for sit-down restaurants, with a Groundwork market score of 33 (lower middle). The one scored metro area in or partly in the District of Columbia, the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area, scores 66.

Every market in the District of Columbia for sit-down restaurants

Download the ranking (CSV)

Numbered by Groundwork market score among the markets based in the District of Columbia, highest first; the U.S. rank compares each market with every other of its kind. A metro area that crosses a state line is listed in each state it reaches, and numbered only in the state its page is under. How the score works.

Metro areas

Metro areas reaching the District of Columbia, ranked for sit-down restaurants by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV6615,31664.5$796K+3.3%#74 of 387

Counties

Counties in the District of Columbia, ranked for sit-down restaurants by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
District of ColumbiaNot scored3,332102.7$469K+3.4%

Markets with fewer than 5 sit-down restaurants on map listings, and counties under 10,000 people, aren’t scored; they’re listed last in each table.

Questions

How many sit-down restaurants are in the District of Columbia?

Map listings as of September 2026 show 3,332 sit-down restaurants in the District of Columbia. 567 of them (17%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 974 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023, up 1.4% from 2019. Official counts list 156 one-person businesses without payroll.

How much do households in the District of Columbia spend on food away from home?

About $1.6B a year, or $4,813 per household. That is 18% above the U.S. average (an index of 118, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 3,332 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $469K 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 324,491 households in the District of Columbia and national spending patterns by income.

How does the District of Columbia compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?

The District of Columbia has 102.7 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 68% above the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $469K, 29% below the U.S. figure of $664K. At the U.S. ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, the District of Columbia would have about 2,354, against 3,332 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 333 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. The official count rose 1.4% from 2019 to 2023, against +1.5% for the U.S.

Which market in the District of Columbia has the highest market score for sit-down restaurants?

The one scored metro area in or partly in the District of Columbia is the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area, at 66 (upper middle). Scores compare each market with others of its kind across the U.S.

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 District of Columbia scores 33 for sit-down restaurants (lower middle), #46 of the 50 states and DC.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the District of Columbia. 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.

Sit-down restaurants in other states

All 51 states

Top markets for sit-down restaurants across the U.S. · All business types in the District of Columbia

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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.