Food and drink · County · Georgia
Sit-down restaurants in Chatham County, GA
How Chatham County, GA compares with other counties and the U.S. for sit-down restaurants: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 31 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #2,021 of 2,405 scored counties
#97 of 124 scored counties in Georgia
- Listings
- 1,076
- 354 chain locations (33%)
- Official establishments
- 399
- +9.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $447.1M
- On food away from home · $3,714 a household
- Spending per listing
- $416K
- 37% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 89.4
- 46% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 311,855
- +5.7% since 2020
See the sit-down restaurants around any address in Chatham 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 Chatham 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
The Groundwork market score for sit-down restaurants in Chatham County is 31 (lower middle), #2,021 of 2,405 scored counties and #97 of 124 scored counties in Georgia. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
Household spending on food away from home in Chatham County comes to about $447.1M a year: $3,714 per household, 9% below the U.S. average. Spread across 1,076 sit-down restaurants, that is $416K per restaurant, 37% below the U.S. figure of $664K. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants.
There are 1,076 sit-down restaurants on map listings in Chatham County as of September 2026. Of those, 354 are chain locations, or 33%, against 29% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 89.4, 46% above the U.S. rate of 61.3.
In 2023, official counts showed 399 businesses with payroll in Chatham County classed as full-service restaurants, up 9.0% from 2019. That is one for every 302 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 19 SBA-backed loans worth $11.3M have gone to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Chatham County. Population estimates show Chatham County grew 5.7% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Chatham County compares
The same measures for Georgia 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 | Chatham County | Georgia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 89.4 | 66.0 | 61.3 |
| Spending per listing | $416K | $593K | $664K |
| Households per official establishment | 302 | 514 | 500 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +9.0% | +5.5% | +1.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +5.7% | +5.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,714 | $3,917 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $71,097 | $77,353 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 31 | 42 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 366 → 399+9.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 10,525
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $270.6M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 59Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 1,076354 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 674The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 19
- Amount
- $11.3M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Chatham 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 Chatham County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 311,855+5.7% since 2020
- Households
- 120,383
- Median age
- 38.4
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 57%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.6
- Land area
- 433 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 695
- Median household income
- $71,097+25.1% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $98,268
- Median home value
- $302,700
- Jobs located here
- 168,123
- Daytime population
- 342,441Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Chatham 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 Chatham 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 Georgia
Every Georgia market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Georgia for sit-down restaurants, numbered among those based in Georgia, with Chatham County marked.
Top counties in Georgia
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Effingham County, GA | 92 | 90 | 37.1 | $1.1M | +14.1% | #14 of 2,405 |
| 2Paulding County, GA | 91 | 197 | 32.8 | $1.3M | +12.7% | #17 of 2,405 |
| 3Pike County, GA | 89 | 23 | 34.2 | $1.2M | +10.5% | #32 of 2,405 |
| 4Lee County, GA | 88 | 29 | 23.6 | $1.7M | +2.9% | #35 of 2,405 |
| 5Long County, GA | 85 | 12 | 19.5 | $1.7M | +32.6% | #59 of 2,405 |
| 6Oglethorpe County, GA | 84 | 17 | 31.4 | $1.2M | +10.4% | #73 of 2,405 |
| 7Jones County, GA | 83 | 25 | 23.2 | $1.6M | +2.8% | #81 of 2,405 |
| 8Forsyth County, GA | 82 | 433 | 48.6 | $1.1M | +11.8% | #93 of 2,405 |
| 9Jasper County, GA | 82 | 20 | 33.5 | $1M | +20.2% | #94 of 2,405 |
| 10Monroe County, GA | 80 | 56 | 53.1 | $762K | +14.1% | #133 of 2,405 |
| 97Chatham County, GA | 31 | 1,076 | 89.4 | $416K | +5.7% | #2,021 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Chatham County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes31
- Sit-down restaurants31
- Fast food and sandwich shops35
- Pizza42
- Coffee shops and cafes42
- Bakeries and dessert shops38
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 Chatham County, GA?
As of September 2026, map listings count 1,076 sit-down restaurants in Chatham County. 354 of them (33%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 399 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023, up 9.0% from 2019. Official counts list 59 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Chatham County, GA spend on food away from home?
About $447.1M a year, or $3,714 per household. That is 9% below the U.S. average (an index of 91, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 1,076 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $416K 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 120,383 households in Chatham County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Chatham County, GA compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?
Chatham County has 89.4 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 46% above the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $416K, 37% below the U.S. figure of $664K. At the U.S. ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, Chatham County would have about 674, against 1,076 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 302 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. The official count rose 9.0% from 2019 to 2023, against +1.5% for the U.S.
How fast is Chatham County, GA growing?
Population estimates put Chatham County at 311,855 people in 2025, up 5.7% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 120,383 households. Median household income in Chatham County is $71,097, 12% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 25.1%, 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. Chatham County scores 31 for sit-down restaurants (lower middle), #2,021 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Chatham 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 Chatham County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Chatham 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 Chatham 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.