Food and drink · County · Florida
Sit-down restaurants in Bay County, FL
The sit-down restaurants in Bay County, FL, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 38 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,747 of 2,405 scored counties
#56 of 65 scored counties in Florida
- Listings
- 662
- 210 chain locations (32%)
- Official establishments
- 197
- +6.5% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $294.1M
- On food away from home · $3,733 a household
- Spending per listing
- $444K
- 33% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 84.0
- 37% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 204,479
- +17.2% since 2020
See the sit-down restaurants around any address in Bay 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 Bay 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 Bay County comes to about $294.1M a year: $3,733 per household, 8% below the U.S. average. That is about $444K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 33% below the U.S. figure of $664K. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants.
There are 662 sit-down restaurants on map listings in Bay County as of September 2026. Of those, 210 are chain locations, or 32%, against 29% across the U.S. That is 84.0 per 10,000 households, 37% above the U.S. rate of 61.3.
Official counts show 197 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in Bay County in 2023, up 6.5% from 2019. That is one for every 400 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Official counts also show 57 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 7 SBA-backed loans worth $4.1M have gone to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Bay County.
Population estimates show Bay County grew 17.2% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for sit-down restaurants in Bay County is 38 (lower middle), #1,747 of 2,405 scored counties and #56 of 65 scored counties in Florida.
How Bay County compares
The same measures for Florida 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 | Bay County | Florida | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 84.0 | 66.0 | 61.3 |
| Spending per listing | $444K | $582K | $664K |
| Households per official establishment | 400 | 481 | 500 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +6.5% | +7.1% | +1.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +17.2% | +8.7% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,733 | $3,841 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $73,533 | $74,568 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 38 | 39 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 185 → 197+6.5% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 5,087
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $146.9M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 57Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 662210 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 443The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 7
- Amount
- $4.1M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Bay 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 Bay County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 204,479+17.2% since 2020
- Households
- 78,778
- Median age
- 41.4
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 67%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 759 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 246
- Median household income
- $73,533+35.4% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $96,618
- Median home value
- $310,500
- Jobs located here
- 79,343
- Daytime population
- 189,844Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Bay 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 Bay 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 Florida
Every Florida market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Florida for sit-down restaurants, numbered among those based in Florida, with Bay County marked.
Top counties in Florida
| 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 |
| 56Bay County, FL | 38 | 662 | 84.0 | $444K | +17.2% | #1,747 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Bay County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes39
- Sit-down restaurants38
- Fast food and sandwich shops46
- Pizza48
- Coffee shops and cafes56
- 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 Bay County, FL?
As of September 2026, map listings count 662 sit-down restaurants in Bay County. 210 of them (32%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 197 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023, up 6.5% from 2019. Another 57 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Bay County, FL spend on food away from home?
About $294.1M a year, or $3,733 per household. That is 8% below the U.S. average (an index of 92, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 662 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $444K 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 78,778 households in Bay County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Bay County, FL compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?
Bay County has 84.0 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 37% above the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $444K, 33% below the U.S. figure of $664K. At the U.S. ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, Bay County would have about 443, against 662 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 400 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. The official count rose 6.5% from 2019 to 2023, against +1.5% for the U.S.
How fast is Bay County, FL growing?
Population estimates put Bay County at 204,479 people in 2025, up 17.2% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 78,778 households. Median household income in Bay County is $73,533, 9% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 35.4%, 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. Bay County scores 38 for sit-down restaurants (lower middle), #1,747 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Bay 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 Bay County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Bay 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 Bay 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.