Groundwork

Food and drink · Small-town market · Georgia

Sit-down restaurants in the Thomasville, GA area

The sit-down restaurants in the Thomasville, GA area, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other small-town markets.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 54 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #227 of 538 scored small-town markets
#8 of 23 scored small-town markets based in Georgia

Listings
154
74 chain locations (48%)
Official establishments
37
+15.6% since 2019
Household spending a year
$96M
On food away from home · $3,335 a household
Spending per listing
$623K
6% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
53.5
13% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
72,958
+1.3% since 2020

See the sit-down restaurants around any address in the Thomasville 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 Thomasville area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Survey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure

What this means

At $3,335 per household (18% below the U.S. average), households in the Thomasville area spend about $96M a year on food away from home. Spread across 154 sit-down restaurants, that is $623K per restaurant, 6% below the U.S. figure of $664K. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants.

There are 154 sit-down restaurants on map listings in the Thomasville area as of September 2026. Of those, 74 are chain locations, or 48%, against 29% across the U.S. That comes to 53.5 for every 10,000 households, 13% below the U.S. rate of 61.3.

The official count of businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in the Thomasville area was 37 in 2023, up 15.6% from 2019. That is one for every 778 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Another 10 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $334K has gone to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in the Thomasville area.

Population estimates show the Thomasville area grew 1.3% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Thomasville area scores 54 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for sit-down restaurants, ranking #227 of 538 scored small-town markets and #8 of 23 scored small-town markets based in Georgia.

How the Thomasville 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.

Sit-down restaurants in Thomasville, GA area compared with Georgia and the U.S.
MeasureThomasville areaGeorgiaU.S.
Listings per 10k households53.566.061.3
Spending per listing$623K$593K$664K
Households per official establishment778514500
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+15.6%+5.5%+1.5%
Population growth, 2020–2025+1.3%+5.3%+3.1%
Spending per household on food away from home$3,335$3,917$4,070
Median household income$60,262$77,353$80,734
Groundwork market score5442

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
37+15.6% over the period
Employees, 2023
673
Annual payroll, 2023
$16.3M
One-person businesses, 2023
10Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
15474 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
145The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
1
Amount
$334K

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in the Thomasville 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 Thomasville area

Population, 2025 estimate
72,958+1.3% since 2020
Households
28,792
Median age
40.6
Homes lived in by their owners
65%
Vehicles per household
1.8
Land area
999 sq. mi.
People per square mile
72
Median household income
$60,262
Average household income
$80,075
Median home value
$180,600
Jobs located here
27,454
Daytime population
70,004Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in the Thomasville 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 Thomasville area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Sit-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 Thomasville area marked.

Top small-town markets in Georgia

Small-town markets in Georgia ranked for sit-down restaurants by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Jefferson, GA8016357.4$723K+29.3%#20 of 538
2Calhoun, GA7110750.1$702K+6.9%#71 of 538
3Toccoa, GA664239.9$767K+3.8%#104 of 538
4Kingsland, GA6612959.5$615K+9.5%#108 of 538
5Cornelia, GA6210160.3$588K+9.3%#145 of 538
6Summerville, GA583740.4$726K+1.5%#186 of 538
7Thomaston, GA545249.1$658K+2.7%#226 of 538
8Thomasville, GA5415453.5$623K+1.3%#227 of 538
9Waycross, GA4910249.6$616K+3.0%#277 of 538
10Statesboro, GA4920257.8$568K+8.0%#279 of 538

Other business types in the Thomasville area

Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.

Questions

How many sit-down restaurants are in the Thomasville, GA area?

As of September 2026, map listings count 154 sit-down restaurants in the Thomasville area. 74 of them (48%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 37 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023, up 15.6% from 2019. Official counts list 10 one-person businesses without payroll.

How much do households in the Thomasville, GA area spend on food away from home?

About $96M a year, or $3,335 per household. That is 18% below the U.S. average (an index of 82, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 154 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $623K 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 28,792 households in the Thomasville area and national spending patterns by income.

How does the Thomasville, GA area compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?

The Thomasville area has 53.5 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 13% below the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $623K, 6% below the U.S. figure of $664K. At the U.S. ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, the Thomasville area would have about 145, against 154 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 778 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. The official count rose 15.6% from 2019 to 2023, against +1.5% for the U.S.

How fast is the Thomasville, GA area growing?

Population estimates put the Thomasville area at 72,958 people in 2025, up 1.3% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 28,792 households. Median household income in the Thomasville area is $60,262, 25% below the U.S. median of $80,734.

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 Thomasville area scores 54 for sit-down restaurants (upper middle), #227 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 Thomasville 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 Thomasville area

Screening a site or an acquisition in the Thomasville 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 Thomasville 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.