Food and drink · County · Georgia
Sit-down restaurants in Rockdale County, GA
The sit-down restaurants in Rockdale County, GA, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 47 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,335 of 2,405 scored counties
#66 of 124 scored counties in Georgia
- Listings
- 215
- 80 chain locations (37%)
- Official establishments
- 67
- −6.9% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $131.6M
- On food away from home · $3,820 a household
- Spending per listing
- $612K
- 8% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 62.4
- 2% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 98,416
- +5.2% since 2020
See the sit-down restaurants around any address in Rockdale 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 Rockdale 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
Map listings as of September 2026 show 215 sit-down restaurants in Rockdale County. Chain locations make up 37% of them, against 29% across the U.S. That comes to 62.4 for every 10,000 households, 2% above the U.S. rate of 61.3.
Household spending on food away from home in Rockdale County comes to about $131.6M a year: $3,820 per household, 6% below the U.S. average. That is about $612K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 8% 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.
In 2023, official counts showed 67 businesses with payroll in Rockdale County classed as full-service restaurants, down 6.9% from 2019. That is one for every 514 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Official counts also show 18 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 4 SBA-backed loans worth $5M have gone to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Rockdale County.
Population estimates show Rockdale County grew 5.2% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for sit-down restaurants in Rockdale County is 47 (lower middle), #1,335 of 2,405 scored counties and #66 of 124 scored counties in Georgia.
How Rockdale 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 | Rockdale County | Georgia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 62.4 | 66.0 | 61.3 |
| Spending per listing | $612K | $593K | $664K |
| Households per official establishment | 514 | 514 | 500 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −6.9% | +5.5% | +1.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +5.2% | +5.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,820 | $3,917 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $77,247 | $77,353 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 47 | 42 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 72 → 67−6.9% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,940
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $43.9M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 18Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 21580 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 198The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 4
- Amount
- $5M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Rockdale 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 Rockdale County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 98,416+5.2% since 2020
- Households
- 34,437
- Median age
- 39.8
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 70%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 130 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 734
- Median household income
- $77,247+28.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $100,790
- Median home value
- $292,900
- Jobs located here
- 36,965
- Daytime population
- 90,739Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Rockdale 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 Rockdale 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 Rockdale 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 |
| 66Rockdale County, GA | 47 | 215 | 62.4 | $612K | +5.2% | #1,335 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Rockdale County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes51
- Sit-down restaurants47
- Fast food and sandwich shops42
- Pizza60
- Coffee shops and cafes76
- Bakeries and dessert shops57
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 Rockdale County, GA?
There are 215 sit-down restaurants on map listings in Rockdale County as of September 2026. 80 of them (37%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 67 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023, down 6.9% from 2019. Another 18 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Rockdale County, GA spend on food away from home?
About $131.6M a year, or $3,820 per household. That is 6% below the U.S. average (an index of 94, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 215 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $612K per restaurant. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants. It is estimated from the incomes of the 34,437 households in Rockdale County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Rockdale County, GA compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?
Rockdale County has 62.4 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 2% above the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $612K, 8% below the U.S. figure of $664K. At the national ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, Rockdale County would have about 198, against 215 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 514 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. The official count fell 6.9% from 2019 to 2023, against +1.5% for the U.S.
How fast is Rockdale County, GA growing?
Population estimates put Rockdale County at 98,416 people in 2025, up 5.2% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 34,437 households. The median household income in Rockdale County is $77,247 a year, 4% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 28.3% 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. Rockdale County scores 47 for sit-down restaurants (lower middle), #1,335 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Rockdale 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 Rockdale County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Rockdale 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 Rockdale 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.