Groundwork

Food and drink · County · Georgia

Sit-down restaurants in Columbia County, GA

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

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 74 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #284 of 2,405 scored counties
#23 of 124 scored counties in Georgia

Listings
291
119 chain locations (41%)
Official establishments
87
−5.4% since 2019
Household spending a year
$242.1M
On food away from home · $4,390 a household
Spending per listing
$832K
25% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
52.8
14% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
169,189
+7.9% since 2020

See the sit-down restaurants around any address in Columbia 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 Columbia 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 Columbia County comes to about $242.1M a year: $4,390 per household, 8% above the U.S. average. That is about $832K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 25% above the U.S. figure of $664K. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants.

There are 291 sit-down restaurants on map listings in Columbia County as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 41% of them, against 29% across the U.S. That comes to 52.8 for every 10,000 households, 14% below the U.S. rate of 61.3.

In 2023, official counts showed 87 businesses with payroll in Columbia County classed as full-service restaurants, down 5.4% from 2019. That is one for every 634 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Official counts list 16 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 6 SBA-backed loans worth $2.4M have gone to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Columbia County.

Population estimates put the population change in Columbia County from 2020 to 2025 at +7.9%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). For sit-down restaurants, Columbia County has a Groundwork market score of 74 (upper middle): #284 of 2,405 scored counties and #23 of 124 scored counties in Georgia. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.

How Columbia 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.

Sit-down restaurants in Columbia County, GA compared with Georgia and the U.S.
MeasureColumbia CountyGeorgiaU.S.
Listings per 10k households52.866.061.3
Spending per listing$832K$593K$664K
Households per official establishment634514500
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023−5.4%+5.5%+1.5%
Population growth, 2020–2025+7.9%+5.3%+3.1%
Spending per household on food away from home$4,390$3,917$4,070
Median household income$95,592$77,353$80,734
Groundwork market score7442

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
92 → 87−5.4% over the period
Employees, 2023
1,971
Annual payroll, 2023
$47.3M
One-person businesses, 2023
16Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
291119 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
365The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
6
Amount
$2.4M

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

Population, 2025 estimate
169,189+7.9% since 2020
Households
55,149
Median age
38.5
Homes lived in by their owners
78%
Vehicles per household
2.0
Land area
290 sq. mi.
People per square mile
560
Median household income
$95,592+16.1% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$119,651
Median home value
$305,300
Jobs located here
38,609
Daytime population
137,846Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

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

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Sit-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 Columbia County marked.

Top counties in Georgia

Counties in Georgia ranked for sit-down restaurants by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Effingham County, GA929037.1$1.1M+14.1%#14 of 2,405
2Paulding County, GA9119732.8$1.3M+12.7%#17 of 2,405
3Pike County, GA892334.2$1.2M+10.5%#32 of 2,405
4Lee County, GA882923.6$1.7M+2.9%#35 of 2,405
5Long County, GA851219.5$1.7M+32.6%#59 of 2,405
6Oglethorpe County, GA841731.4$1.2M+10.4%#73 of 2,405
7Jones County, GA832523.2$1.6M+2.8%#81 of 2,405
8Forsyth County, GA8243348.6$1.1M+11.8%#93 of 2,405
9Jasper County, GA822033.5$1M+20.2%#94 of 2,405
10Monroe County, GA805653.1$762K+14.1%#133 of 2,405
23Columbia County, GA7429152.8$832K+7.9%#284 of 2,405

Other business types in Columbia County

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

Funeral services

Questions

How many sit-down restaurants are in Columbia County, GA?

As of September 2026, map listings count 291 sit-down restaurants in Columbia County. 119 of them (41%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 87 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023, down 5.4% from 2019. Official counts also show 16 one-person businesses without payroll.

How much do households in Columbia County, GA spend on food away from home?

About $242.1M a year, or $4,390 per household. That is 8% above the U.S. average (an index of 108, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 291 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $832K 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 55,149 households in Columbia County and national spending patterns by income.

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

Columbia County has 52.8 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 14% below the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $832K, 25% above the U.S. figure of $664K. At the U.S. ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, Columbia County would have about 365, against 291 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 634 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. The official count fell 5.4% from 2019 to 2023, against +1.5% for the U.S.

How fast is Columbia County, GA growing?

Population estimates put Columbia County at 169,189 people in 2025, up 7.9% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 55,149 households. Median household income in Columbia County is $95,592, 18% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 16.1%, 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. Columbia County scores 74 for sit-down restaurants (upper middle), #284 of 2,405 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

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

Screening a site or an acquisition in Columbia County?

A site report maps the competitors on map listings near an address and sizes the households and spending around it.

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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.