Market rankings · Florida

Sit-down restaurants in Florida

Markets across Florida ranked by the Groundwork market score for sit-down restaurants, with competitor counts and household spending for each.

Listings: 57,802; 16,370 chain locations (28%)
Official establishments: 18,200; +7.1% since 2019
Household spending a year: $33.6B; On food away from home
Listings per 10k households: 66.0; 8% above the U.S.
Spending per listing: $582K; 12% below the U.S.
Rank among states: #39 of 51; Market score 39 · Lower middle

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

Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

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

What this means

As of September 2026, map listings count 57,802 sit-down restaurants in Florida. Chain locations make up 28% of them, against 29% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 66.0, 8% above the U.S. rate of 61.3.

At $3,841 per household (6% below the U.S. average), households in Florida spend about $33.6B a year on food away from home. That works out to $582K per restaurant, 12% below 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.

Official counts show 18,200 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in Florida in 2023, up 7.1% from 2019. That is one for every 481 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, 873 SBA-backed loans worth $730.2M have gone to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Florida.

Among the 50 states and DC, Florida ranks #39 for sit-down restaurants, with a Groundwork market score of 39 (lower middle). Of the 22 scored metro areas in or partly in Florida, the Wildwood-The Villages metro area scores highest (88). Of the 6 scored small-town markets in or partly in Florida, the Clewiston area scores highest (76).

Every market in Florida for sit-down restaurants

Download the ranking (CSV)

Numbered by Groundwork market score among the markets based in Florida, 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 Florida, ranked for sit-down restaurants by Groundwork market score
Market	Score	Listings	Per 10k households	Spending per listing	Population growth	U.S. rank
1Wildwood-The Villages, FL	88	176	25.0	$1.5M	+21.1%	#5 of 387
2Homosassa Springs, FL	75	271	38.0	$862K	+11.1%	#27 of 387
3Punta Gorda, FL	74	404	44.6	$806K	+15.5%	#31 of 387
4Lakeland-Winter Haven, FL	73	1,340	46.3	$756K	+19.8%	#35 of 387
5Sebring, FL	67	192	41.0	$767K	+9.7%	#69 of 387
6Ocala, FL	67	739	44.8	$740K	+17.3%	#71 of 387
7Pensacola-Ferry Pass-Brent, FL	61	1,096	54.4	$699K	+6.5%	#109 of 387
8Sebastian-Vero Beach-West Vero Corridor, FL	54	370	52.2	$733K	+7.7%	#155 of 387
9Port St. Lucie, FL	54	1,084	52.8	$719K	+16.0%	#157 of 387
10Jacksonville, FL	54	3,943	59.5	$667K	+10.7%	#162 of 387
11North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota, FL	52	2,309	59.4	$678K	+13.2%	#174 of 387
12Palm Bay-Melbourne-Titusville, FL	51	1,487	57.7	$678K	+9.1%	#180 of 387
13Tampa-St. Petersburg-Clearwater, FL	51	8,040	60.4	$639K	+7.3%	#182 of 387
14Naples-Marco Island, FL	46	1,152	69.4	$624K	+10.6%	#224 of 387
15Cape Coral-Fort Myers, FL	45	1,998	61.0	$631K	+14.4%	#232 of 387
16Gainesville, FL	44	809	56.8	$620K	+5.4%	#239 of 387
17Deltona-Daytona Beach-Ormond Beach, FL	43	1,659	56.3	$647K	+11.2%	#248 of 387
18Orlando-Kissimmee-Sanford, FL	37	7,720	75.5	$519K	+10.3%	#293 of 387
19Crestview-Fort Walton Beach-Destin, FL	34	1,159	96.8	$420K	+9.4%	#318 of 387
20Tallahassee, FL	32	985	62.4	$572K	+3.1%	#330 of 387
21Miami-Fort Lauderdale-West Palm Beach, FL	32	18,565	79.5	$495K	+4.2%	#333 of 387
22Panama City-Panama City Beach, FL	32	698	79.3	$463K	+15.7%	#334 of 387

Small-town markets

Small-town markets reaching Florida, ranked for sit-down restaurants by Groundwork market score
Market	Score	Listings	Per 10k households	Spending per listing	Population growth	U.S. rank
1Clewiston, FL	76	67	36.0	$912K	+18.8%	#35 of 538
2Palatka, FL	69	117	37.3	$811K	+5.9%	#79 of 538
3Lake City, FL	66	124	45.2	$730K	+6.2%	#107 of 538
4Arcadia, FL	64	54	42.1	$706K	+8.8%	#126 of 538
5Okeechobee, FL	53	74	49.0	$659K	+7.4%	#239 of 538
6Key West-Key Largo, FL	22	678	197.1	$217K	−2.9%	#519 of 538

Counties

Counties in Florida, ranked for sit-down restaurants by Groundwork market score
Market	Score	Listings	Per 10k households	Spending per listing	Population growth	U.S. rank
1Sumter County, FL	87	176	25.0	$1.5M	+21.1%	#48 of 2,405
2Santa Rosa County, FL	83	293	40.4	$1M	+11.7%	#87 of 2,405
3Baker County, FL	80	30	32.7	$1.2M	+5.8%	#126 of 2,405
4Glades County, FL	78	8	17.8	$1.7M	+9.9%	#155 of 2,405
5Gilchrist County, FL	78	27	37.8	$925K	+14.5%	#176 of 2,405
6Clay County, FL	78	380	45.4	$889K	+9.4%	#177 of 2,405
7Pasco County, FL	77	993	42.0	$888K	+19.1%	#199 of 2,405
8Union County, FL	76	10	23.2	$1.5M	+5.2%	#209 of 2,405
9Flagler County, FL	75	225	42.8	$906K	+21.0%	#251 of 2,405
10Dixie County, FL	74	14	22.5	$1.3M	+8.0%	#257 of 2,405
11Suwannee County, FL	72	54	33.5	$952K	+10.6%	#321 of 2,405
12Jefferson County, FL	71	25	43.5	$797K	+11.1%	#353 of 2,405
13Polk County, FL	71	1,340	46.3	$756K	+19.8%	#355 of 2,405
14Madison County, FL	68	21	30.1	$940K	+5.0%	#429 of 2,405
15Citrus County, FL	68	271	38.0	$862K	+11.1%	#436 of 2,405
16Charlotte County, FL	67	404	44.6	$806K	+15.5%	#469 of 2,405
17Nassau County, FL	66	213	54.2	$771K	+17.4%	#502 of 2,405
18St. Lucie County, FL	66	660	48.0	$757K	+21.4%	#503 of 2,405
19Hernando County, FL	65	363	44.0	$789K	+13.3%	#541 of 2,405
20Lake County, FL	65	801	48.7	$762K	+18.1%	#542 of 2,405
21Marion County, FL	64	739	44.8	$740K	+17.3%	#583 of 2,405
22St. Johns County, FL	63	706	61.0	$785K	+25.0%	#628 of 2,405
23Highlands County, FL	63	192	41.0	$767K	+9.7%	#632 of 2,405
24Manatee County, FL	63	948	53.6	$738K	+16.6%	#637 of 2,405
25Holmes County, FL	62	23	32.8	$902K	+2.7%	#654 of 2,405

Show all 67 counties

Counties in Florida, ranked for sit-down restaurants by Groundwork market score, continued
Market	Score	Listings	Per 10k households	Spending per listing	Population growth	U.S. rank
26Putnam County, FL	62	117	37.3	$811K	+5.9%	#672 of 2,405
27Hendry County, FL	62	59	41.8	$803K	+21.5%	#675 of 2,405
28Wakulla County, FL	62	66	51.8	$737K	+12.3%	#686 of 2,405
29Washington County, FL	61	36	38.8	$816K	+5.4%	#710 of 2,405
30Levy County, FL	60	79	42.6	$751K	+12.7%	#754 of 2,405
31DeSoto County, FL	59	54	42.1	$706K	+8.8%	#789 of 2,405
32Hamilton County, FL	58	16	37.4	$755K	+3.3%	#826 of 2,405
33Columbia County, FL	57	124	45.2	$730K	+6.2%	#869 of 2,405
34Indian River County, FL	56	370	52.2	$733K	+7.7%	#913 of 2,405
35Seminole County, FL	56	1,091	58.3	$712K	+4.3%	#916 of 2,405
36Brevard County, FL	54	1,487	57.7	$678K	+9.1%	#1,007 of 2,405
37Hillsborough County, FL	54	3,818	65.5	$611K	+7.4%	#1,013 of 2,405
38Gadsden County, FL	53	69	40.9	$732K	+2.0%	#1,043 of 2,405
39Bradford County, FL	50	44	47.4	$696K	+0.3%	#1,174 of 2,405
40Sarasota County, FL	50	1,361	64.1	$636K	+10.0%	#1,189 of 2,405
41Lee County, FL	50	1,998	61.0	$631K	+14.4%	#1,190 of 2,405
42Collier County, FL	49	1,152	69.4	$624K	+10.6%	#1,243 of 2,405
43Hardee County, FL	48	42	51.1	$646K	+2.4%	#1,282 of 2,405
44Okeechobee County, FL	47	74	49.0	$659K	+7.4%	#1,325 of 2,405
45Palm Beach County, FL	47	4,045	66.8	$622K	+5.5%	#1,333 of 2,405
46Duval County, FL	47	2,614	63.0	$588K	+6.5%	#1,337 of 2,405
47Martin County, FL	46	424	62.5	$658K	+4.8%	#1,372 of 2,405
48Escambia County, FL	44	803	62.2	$577K	+3.5%	#1,477 of 2,405
49Volusia County, FL	43	1,434	59.3	$607K	+9.1%	#1,506 of 2,405
50Alachua County, FL	43	703	60.2	$594K	+3.7%	#1,507 of 2,405
51Jackson County, FL	42	75	43.4	$679K	+5.4%	#1,535 of 2,405
52Calhoun County, FL	40	19	41.0	$735K	−3.0%	#1,618 of 2,405
53Osceola County, FL	39	1,137	79.6	$455K	+23.2%	#1,707 of 2,405
54Broward County, FL	38	5,641	74.8	$525K	+3.6%	#1,743 of 2,405
55Orange County, FL	38	4,691	88.9	$448K	+6.7%	#1,746 of 2,405
56Bay County, FL	38	662	84.0	$444K	+17.2%	#1,747 of 2,405
57Walton County, FL	38	387	112.6	$365K	+22.9%	#1,748 of 2,405
58Okaloosa County, FL	36	772	90.4	$447K	+4.6%	#1,818 of 2,405
59Leon County, FL	33	825	67.3	$539K	+1.7%	#1,933 of 2,405
60Miami-Dade County, FL	32	8,879	91.0	$418K	+4.0%	#1,985 of 2,405
61Pinellas County, FL	31	2,866	66.9	$571K	−1.2%	#2,004 of 2,405
62Gulf County, FL	30	62	104.3	$337K	+11.7%	#2,066 of 2,405
63Franklin County, FL	25	63	127.3	$275K	+4.5%	#2,212 of 2,405
64Monroe County, FL	20	678	197.1	$217K	−2.9%	#2,316 of 2,405
65Taylor County, FL	15	42	52.7	$565K	−2.5%	#2,373 of 2,405
Lafayette County, FL	Not scored	4	15.2	$2M	+6.8%
Liberty County, FL	Not scored	3	11.7	$2.7M	+2.8%

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 Florida?

Florida has 57,802 sit-down restaurants on map listings as of September 2026. 16,370 of them (28%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 18,200 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023, up 7.1% from 2019. Official counts also show 8,281 one-person businesses without payroll.

How much do households in Florida spend on food away from home?

About $33.6B a year, or $3,841 per household. That is 6% below the U.S. average (an index of 94, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 57,802 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $582K per restaurant. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants. It is estimated from the incomes of the 8,752,810 households in Florida and national spending patterns by income.

How does Florida compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?

Florida has 66.0 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 8% above the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $582K, 12% below the U.S. figure of $664K. At the national ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, Florida would have about 50,664, against 57,802 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 481 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. The official count rose 7.1% from 2019 to 2023, against +1.5% for the U.S.

Which market in Florida has the highest market score for sit-down restaurants?

Among 22 scored metro areas in or partly in Florida, the Wildwood-The Villages metro area scores highest, at 88 (high). Among 6 scored small-town markets in or partly in Florida, the Clewiston area scores highest, at 76 (high). Among 65 scored counties in Florida, Sumter County scores highest, at 87 (high). 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. Florida scores 39 for sit-down restaurants (lower middle), #39 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 Florida. 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.

Restaurants and cafes98,351 listings
Fast food and sandwich shops10,637 listings
Pizza6,246 listings
Coffee shops and cafes9,122 listings
Bakeries and dessert shops8,677 listings

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