Food and drink · Small-town market · Georgia
Sit-down restaurants in the Cornelia, GA area
The sit-down restaurants in the Cornelia, GA area, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other small-town markets.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 62 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #145 of 538 scored small-town markets
#5 of 23 scored small-town markets based in Georgia
- Listings
- 101
- 33 chain locations (33%)
- Official establishments
- 24
- −11.1% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $59.4M
- On food away from home · $3,547 a household
- Spending per listing
- $588K
- 11% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 60.3
- 2% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 50,416
- +9.3% since 2020
See the sit-down restaurants around any address in the Cornelia area
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 the Cornelia area. 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 the Cornelia area spend about $59.4M a year on food away from home, or $3,547 per household, 13% below the U.S. average. That works out to $588K per restaurant, 11% below the U.S. figure of $664K. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants.
There are 101 sit-down restaurants on map listings in the Cornelia area as of September 2026. 33 of them (33%) are chain locations, against 29% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 60.3, 2% below the U.S. rate of 61.3.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in the Cornelia area was 24 in 2023, down 11.1% from 2019. That is one for every 698 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Official counts also show 11 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $1.1M has gone to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in the Cornelia area.
Population estimates put the population change in the Cornelia area from 2020 to 2025 at +9.3%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Cornelia area scores 62 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for sit-down restaurants, ranking #145 of 538 scored small-town markets and #5 of 23 scored small-town markets based in Georgia.
How the Cornelia area 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 | Cornelia area | Georgia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 60.3 | 66.0 | 61.3 |
| Spending per listing | $588K | $593K | $664K |
| Households per official establishment | 698 | 514 | 500 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −11.1% | +5.5% | +1.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +9.3% | +5.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,547 | $3,917 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $67,309 | $77,353 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 62 | 42 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 24−11.1% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 351
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $8.9M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 11Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 10133 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 90The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $1.1M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in the Cornelia area, 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 the Cornelia area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 50,416+9.3% since 2020
- Households
- 16,753
- Median age
- 39.8
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 73%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.1
- Land area
- 277 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 173
- Median household income
- $67,309+33.1% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $88,702
- Median home value
- $238,300
- Jobs located here
- 13,258
- Daytime population
- 41,101Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Cornelia area?
These figures cover the whole small-town market. 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 the Cornelia area. 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 small-town markets in Georgia for sit-down restaurants, numbered among those based in Georgia, with the Cornelia area marked.
Top small-town markets in Georgia
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Jefferson, GA | 80 | 163 | 57.4 | $723K | +29.3% | #20 of 538 |
| 2Calhoun, GA | 71 | 107 | 50.1 | $702K | +6.9% | #71 of 538 |
| 3Toccoa, GA | 66 | 42 | 39.9 | $767K | +3.8% | #104 of 538 |
| 4Kingsland, GA | 66 | 129 | 59.5 | $615K | +9.5% | #108 of 538 |
| 5Cornelia, GA | 62 | 101 | 60.3 | $588K | +9.3% | #145 of 538 |
| 6Summerville, GA | 58 | 37 | 40.4 | $726K | +1.5% | #186 of 538 |
| 7Thomaston, GA | 54 | 52 | 49.1 | $658K | +2.7% | #226 of 538 |
| 8Thomasville, GA | 54 | 154 | 53.5 | $623K | +1.3% | #227 of 538 |
| 9Waycross, GA | 49 | 102 | 49.6 | $616K | +3.0% | #277 of 538 |
| 10Statesboro, GA | 49 | 202 | 57.8 | $568K | +8.0% | #279 of 538 |
Other business types in the Cornelia area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes59
- Sit-down restaurants62
- Fast food and sandwich shops45
- Pizza54
- Coffee shops and cafes56
- Bakeries and dessert shops60
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 the Cornelia, GA area?
As of September 2026, map listings count 101 sit-down restaurants in the Cornelia area. 33 of them (33%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 24 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023, down 11.1% from 2019. Another 11 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in the Cornelia, GA area spend on food away from home?
About $59.4M a year, or $3,547 per household. That is 13% below the U.S. average (an index of 87, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 101 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $588K 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 16,753 households in the Cornelia area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Cornelia, GA area compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?
The Cornelia area has 60.3 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 2% below the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $588K, 11% below the U.S. figure of $664K. At the U.S. ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, the Cornelia area would have about 90, against 101 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 698 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. The official count fell 11.1% from 2019 to 2023, against +1.5% for the U.S.
How fast is the Cornelia, GA area growing?
Population estimates put the Cornelia area at 50,416 people in 2025, up 9.3% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 16,753 households. Median household income in the Cornelia area is $67,309, 17% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 33.1%, 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. A small-town market is a town of 10,000 to 50,000 people and the county or counties tied to it by commuting. 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. The Cornelia area scores 62 for sit-down restaurants (upper middle), #145 of 538 scored small-town markets.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Cornelia area. 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 the Cornelia area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Cornelia area?
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 the Cornelia area. 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.