Food and drink · County · Georgia
Sit-down restaurants in Lee County, GA
The sit-down restaurants in Lee County, GA, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 88 out of 100: High
Ranked #35 of 2,405 scored counties
#4 of 124 scored counties in Georgia
- Listings
- 29
- 12 chain locations (41%)
- Official establishments
- 6
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $48.7M
- On food away from home · $3,960 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.7M
- 2.5 times the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 23.6
- 62% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 34,179
- +2.9% since 2020
See the sit-down restaurants around any address in Lee 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 Lee 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
For sit-down restaurants, Lee County has a Groundwork market score of 88 (high): #35 of 2,405 scored counties and #4 of 124 scored counties in Georgia. That puts it in the top 10% of counties for sit-down restaurants.
As of September 2026, map listings count 29 sit-down restaurants in Lee County. Chain locations make up 41% of them, against 29% across the U.S. That comes to 23.6 for every 10,000 households, 62% below the U.S. rate of 61.3.
At $3,960 per household (3% below the U.S. average), households in Lee County spend about $48.7M a year on food away from home. That is about $1.7M of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 2.5 times the U.S. figure of $664K. That spending covers all food away from home, which sit-down restaurants share with other businesses in the trade.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in Lee County was 6 in 2023. That is one for every 2,048 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Population estimates show Lee County grew 2.9% from 2020 to 2025, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Lee 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 | Lee County | Georgia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 23.6 | 66.0 | 61.3 |
| Spending per listing | $1.7M | $593K | $664K |
| Households per official establishment | 2,048 | 514 | 500 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +5.5% | +1.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.9% | +5.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,960 | $3,917 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $89,168 | $77,353 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 88 | 42 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 7 → 6
- Employees, 2023
- 113
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $2.2M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 6Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 2912 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 73The 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 Lee 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 Lee County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 34,179+2.9% since 2020
- Households
- 12,287
- Median age
- 38.2
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 74%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.1
- Land area
- 356 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 94
- Median household income
- $89,168+28.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $103,626
- Median home value
- $231,800
- Jobs located here
- 7,593
- Daytime population
- 27,704Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Lee 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 Lee 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 Lee 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 |
Other business types in Lee County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes87
- Sit-down restaurants88
- Fast food and sandwich shops74
- Pizza82
- 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 Lee County, GA?
Lee County has 29 sit-down restaurants on map listings as of September 2026. 12 of them (41%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 6 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023. Official counts also show 6 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Lee County, GA spend on food away from home?
About $48.7M 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 29 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $1.7M per restaurant. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants. It is estimated from the incomes of the 12,287 households in Lee County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Lee County, GA compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?
Lee County has 23.6 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 62% below the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $1.7M, 2.5 times the U.S. figure of $664K. At the national ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, Lee County would have about 73, against 29 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,048 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S.
How fast is Lee County, GA growing?
Population estimates put Lee County at 34,179 people in 2025, up 2.9% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 12,287 households. The median household income in Lee County is $89,168 a year, 10% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 28.7% from the 2015–2019 survey, 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. Lee County scores 88 for sit-down restaurants (high), #35 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Lee 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 Lee County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Lee 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 Lee 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.