Food and drink · County · Georgia
Sit-down restaurants in Rabun County, GA
How Rabun 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 29 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #2,093 of 2,405 scored counties
#102 of 124 scored counties in Georgia
- Listings
- 64
- 13 chain locations (20%)
- Official establishments
- 27
- −15.6% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $27.3M
- On food away from home · $3,585 a household
- Spending per listing
- $427K
- 36% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 84.0
- 37% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 17,764
- +5.0% since 2020
See the sit-down restaurants around any address in Rabun 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 Rabun 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 Rabun County is 29 (lower middle), #2,093 of 2,405 scored counties and #102 of 124 scored counties in Georgia. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
As of September 2026, map listings count 64 sit-down restaurants in Rabun County. Chain locations make up 20% of them, against 29% across the U.S. That is 84.0 per 10,000 households, 37% above the U.S. rate of 61.3.
Household spending on food away from home in Rabun County comes to about $27.3M a year: $3,585 per household, 12% below the U.S. average. Spread across 64 sit-down restaurants, that is $427K per restaurant, 36% below 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 Rabun County was 27 in 2023, down 15.6% from 2019. That is one for every 282 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Rabun County grew 5.0%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Rabun 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 | Rabun County | Georgia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 84.0 | 66.0 | 61.3 |
| Spending per listing | $427K | $593K | $664K |
| Households per official establishment | 282 | 514 | 500 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −15.6% | +5.5% | +1.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +5.0% | +5.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,585 | $3,917 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $67,493 | $77,353 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 29 | 42 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 32 → 27−15.6% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 332
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $9M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 6Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 6413 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 41The 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 Rabun 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 Rabun County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 17,764+5.0% since 2020
- Households
- 7,615
- Median age
- 48.5
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 77%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 370 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 47
- Median household income
- $67,493+58.8% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $97,747
- Median home value
- $295,200
- Jobs located here
- 5,486
- Daytime population
- 15,729Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Rabun 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 Rabun 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 Rabun 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 |
| 102Rabun County, GA | 29 | 64 | 84.0 | $427K | +5.0% | #2,093 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Rabun County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes30
- Sit-down restaurants29
- Fast food and sandwich shops43
- Pizza36
- Coffee shops and cafes42
- Bakeries and dessert shops68
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 Rabun County, GA?
Rabun County has 64 sit-down restaurants on map listings as of September 2026. 13 of them (20%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 27 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023, down 15.6% from 2019. Official counts list 6 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Rabun County, GA spend on food away from home?
About $27.3M a year, or $3,585 per household. That is 12% below the U.S. average (an index of 88, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 64 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $427K per restaurant. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants. It is estimated from the incomes of the 7,615 households in Rabun County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Rabun County, GA compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?
Rabun County has 84.0 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 37% above the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $427K, 36% below the U.S. figure of $664K. At the national ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, Rabun County would have about 41, against 64 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 282 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. The official count fell 15.6% from 2019 to 2023, against +1.5% for the U.S.
How fast is Rabun County, GA growing?
Population estimates put Rabun County at 17,764 people in 2025, up 5.0% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 7,615 households. The median household income in Rabun County is $67,493 a year, 16% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 58.8% 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. Rabun County scores 29 for sit-down restaurants (lower middle), #2,093 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Rabun 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 Rabun County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Rabun 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 Rabun 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.