Food and drink · County · Florida
Sit-down restaurants in Hardee County, FL
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for sit-down restaurants in Hardee County, FL, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 48 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,282 of 2,405 scored counties
#43 of 65 scored counties in Florida
- Listings
- 42
- 8 chain locations (19%)
- Official establishments
- 11
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $27.1M
- On food away from home · $3,302 a household
- Spending per listing
- $646K
- 3% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 51.1
- 17% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 25,932
- +2.4% since 2020
See the sit-down restaurants around any address in Hardee 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 Hardee 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
Households in Hardee County spend about $27.1M a year on food away from home, or $3,302 per household, 19% below the U.S. average. That is about $646K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 3% below the U.S. figure of $664K. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants.
There are 42 sit-down restaurants on map listings in Hardee County as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 19% of them, against 29% across the U.S. That is 51.1 per 10,000 households, 17% below the U.S. rate of 61.3.
In 2023, official counts showed 11 businesses with payroll in Hardee County classed as full-service restaurants. That is one for every 747 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Official counts also show 4 one-person businesses without payroll.
Population estimates put the population change in Hardee County from 2020 to 2025 at +2.4%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). Hardee County scores 48 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for sit-down restaurants, ranking #1,282 of 2,405 scored counties and #43 of 65 scored counties in Florida.
How Hardee 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 | Hardee County | Florida | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 51.1 | 66.0 | 61.3 |
| Spending per listing | $646K | $582K | $664K |
| Households per official establishment | 747 | 481 | 500 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +7.1% | +1.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.4% | +8.7% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,302 | $3,841 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $60,489 | $74,568 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 48 | 39 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 12 → 11
- Employees, 2023
- 72
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $1.5M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 4Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 428 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 41The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 0
- Amount
- $0
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Hardee 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 Hardee County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 25,932+2.4% since 2020
- Households
- 8,219
- Median age
- 35.9
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 71%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 638 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 40
- Median household income
- $60,489+56.4% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $84,981
- Median home value
- $153,600
- Jobs located here
- 6,991
- Daytime population
- 22,490Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Hardee 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 Hardee 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 Hardee 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 |
| 43Hardee County, FL | 48 | 42 | 51.1 | $646K | +2.4% | #1,282 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Hardee County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes52
- Sit-down restaurants48
- Fast food and sandwich shops58
- Pizza
- Coffee shops and cafes48
- Bakeries and dessert shops55
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 Hardee County, FL?
As of September 2026, map listings count 42 sit-down restaurants in Hardee County. 8 of them (19%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 11 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023. Another 4 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Hardee County, FL spend on food away from home?
About $27.1M a year, or $3,302 per household. That is 19% below the U.S. average (an index of 81, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 42 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $646K 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 8,219 households in Hardee County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Hardee County, FL compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?
Hardee County has 51.1 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 17% below the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $646K, 3% below the U.S. figure of $664K. At the U.S. ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, Hardee County would have about 41, against 42 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 747 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S.
How fast is Hardee County, FL growing?
Population estimates put Hardee County at 25,932 people in 2025, up 2.4% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 8,219 households. Median household income in Hardee County is $60,489, 25% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 56.4%, 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. Hardee County scores 48 for sit-down restaurants (lower middle), #1,282 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Hardee 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 Hardee County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Hardee 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 Hardee 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.