Food and drink · County · Georgia
Sit-down restaurants in Early County, GA
How Early 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 28 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #2,136 of 2,405 scored counties
#106 of 124 scored counties in Georgia
- Listings
- 30
- 13 chain locations (43%)
- Official establishments
- 4
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $12.6M
- On food away from home · $3,054 a household
- Spending per listing
- $419K
- 37% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 72.9
- 19% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 10,455
- −3.1% since 2020
See the sit-down restaurants around any address in Early 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 Early 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
Early County scores 28 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for sit-down restaurants, ranking #2,136 of 2,405 scored counties and #106 of 124 scored counties in Georgia. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
Households in Early County spend about $12.6M a year on food away from home, or $3,054 per household, 25% below the U.S. average. That is about $419K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 37% below the U.S. figure of $664K. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants.
There are 30 sit-down restaurants on map listings in Early County as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 43% of them, against 29% across the U.S. That comes to 72.9 for every 10,000 households, 19% above the U.S. rate of 61.3.
In 2023, official counts showed 4 businesses with payroll in Early County classed as full-service restaurants. That is one for every 1,029 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Early County declined 3.1%, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How Early 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 | Early County | Georgia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 72.9 | 66.0 | 61.3 |
| Spending per listing | $419K | $593K | $664K |
| Households per official establishment | 1,029 | 514 | 500 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +5.5% | +1.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −3.1% | +5.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,054 | $3,917 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $54,083 | $77,353 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 28 | 42 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 7 → 4
- Employees, 2023
- 32
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $464K
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 4Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 3013 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 19The 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 Early 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 Early County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 10,455−3.1% since 2020
- Households
- 4,114
- Median age
- 42.4
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 67%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 513 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 21
- Median household income
- $54,083+76.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $70,964
- Median home value
- $131,300
- Jobs located here
- 2,989
- Daytime population
- 9,205Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Early 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 Early 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 Early 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 |
| 106Early County, GA | 28 | 30 | 72.9 | $419K | −3.1% | #2,136 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Early County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes31
- Sit-down restaurants28
- Fast food and sandwich shops27
- Pizza14
- Coffee shops and cafes
- Bakeries and dessert shops
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 Early County, GA?
As of September 2026, map listings count 30 sit-down restaurants in Early County. 13 of them (43%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 4 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023. Official counts list 4 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Early County, GA spend on food away from home?
About $12.6M a year, or $3,054 per household. That is 25% below the U.S. average (an index of 75, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 30 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $419K 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 4,114 households in Early County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Early County, GA compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?
Early County has 72.9 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 19% above the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $419K, 37% below the U.S. figure of $664K. At the U.S. ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, Early County would have about 19, against 30 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,029 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S.
How fast is Early County, GA growing?
Population estimates put Early County at 10,455 people in 2025, down 3.1% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 4,114 households. Median household income in Early County is $54,083, 33% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 76.5%, 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. Early County scores 28 for sit-down restaurants (lower middle), #2,136 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Early 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 Early County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Early 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 Early 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.