Groundwork

Food and drink · County · Florida

Sit-down restaurants in Manatee County, FL

The sit-down restaurants in Manatee County, FL, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 63 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #637 of 2,405 scored counties
#24 of 65 scored counties in Florida

Listings
948
307 chain locations (32%)
Official establishments
327
+10.9% since 2019
Household spending a year
$700M
On food away from home · $3,960 a household
Spending per listing
$738K
11% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
53.6
13% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
468,200
+16.6% since 2020

See the sit-down restaurants around any address in Manatee 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 Manatee County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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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

Household spending on food away from home in Manatee County comes to about $700M a year: $3,960 per household, 3% below the U.S. average. That is about $738K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 11% above the U.S. figure of $664K. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants.

There are 948 sit-down restaurants on map listings in Manatee County as of September 2026. Of those, 307 are chain locations, or 32%, against 29% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 53.6, 13% below the U.S. rate of 61.3.

Official counts show 327 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in Manatee County in 2023, up 10.9% from 2019. That is one for every 541 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Official counts list 74 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 20 SBA-backed loans worth $13.9M have gone to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Manatee County.

Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Manatee County grew 16.6%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for sit-down restaurants in Manatee County is 63 (upper middle), #637 of 2,405 scored counties and #24 of 65 scored counties in Florida.

How Manatee 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.

Sit-down restaurants in Manatee County, FL compared with Florida and the U.S.
MeasureManatee CountyFloridaU.S.
Listings per 10k households53.666.061.3
Spending per listing$738K$582K$664K
Households per official establishment541481500
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+10.9%+7.1%+1.5%
Population growth, 2020–2025+16.6%+8.7%+3.1%
Spending per household on food away from home$3,960$3,841$4,070
Median household income$78,457$74,568$80,734
Groundwork market score6339

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
295 → 327+10.9% over the period
Employees, 2023
8,071
Annual payroll, 2023
$232.6M
One-person businesses, 2023
74Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
948307 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
1,055The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
20
Amount
$13.9M

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Manatee 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 Manatee County

Population, 2025 estimate
468,200+16.6% since 2020
Households
176,747
Median age
48.7
Homes lived in by their owners
74%
Vehicles per household
1.7
Land area
743 sq. mi.
People per square mile
579
Median household income
$78,457+33.0% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$109,837
Median home value
$391,400
Jobs located here
145,644
Daytime population
393,187Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Manatee 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 Manatee County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Sit-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 Manatee County marked.

Top counties in Florida

Counties in Florida ranked for sit-down restaurants by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Sumter County, FL8717625.0$1.5M+21.1%#48 of 2,405
2Santa Rosa County, FL8329340.4$1M+11.7%#87 of 2,405
3Baker County, FL803032.7$1.2M+5.8%#126 of 2,405
4Glades County, FL78817.8$1.7M+9.9%#155 of 2,405
5Gilchrist County, FL782737.8$925K+14.5%#176 of 2,405
6Clay County, FL7838045.4$889K+9.4%#177 of 2,405
7Pasco County, FL7799342.0$888K+19.1%#199 of 2,405
8Union County, FL761023.2$1.5M+5.2%#209 of 2,405
9Flagler County, FL7522542.8$906K+21.0%#251 of 2,405
10Dixie County, FL741422.5$1.3M+8.0%#257 of 2,405
24Manatee County, FL6394853.6$738K+16.6%#637 of 2,405

Other business types in Manatee County

Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.

Questions

How many sit-down restaurants are in Manatee County, FL?

As of September 2026, map listings count 948 sit-down restaurants in Manatee County. 307 of them (32%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 327 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023, up 10.9% from 2019. Official counts also show 74 one-person businesses without payroll.

How much do households in Manatee County, FL spend on food away from home?

About $700M a year, or $3,960 per household. That is 3% below the U.S. average (an index of 97, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 948 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $738K 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 176,747 households in Manatee County and national spending patterns by income.

How does Manatee County, FL compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?

Manatee County has 53.6 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 13% below the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $738K, 11% above the U.S. figure of $664K. At the U.S. ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, Manatee County would have about 1,055, against 948 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 541 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. The official count rose 10.9% from 2019 to 2023, against +1.5% for the U.S.

How fast is Manatee County, FL growing?

Population estimates put Manatee County at 468,200 people in 2025, up 16.6% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 176,747 households. Median household income in Manatee County is $78,457, 3% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 33.0%, 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. Manatee County scores 63 for sit-down restaurants (upper middle), #637 of 2,405 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Manatee 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 Manatee County

Screening a site or an acquisition in Manatee 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 Manatee 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.