Food and drink · Small-town market · Georgia
Sit-down restaurants in the Vidalia, GA area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for sit-down restaurants in the Vidalia, GA area, set against other small-town markets and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 28 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #478 of 538 scored small-town markets
#20 of 23 scored small-town markets based in Georgia
- Listings
- 91
- 42 chain locations (46%)
- Official establishments
- 26
- +20.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $42.8M
- On food away from home · $3,155 a household
- Spending per listing
- $470K
- 29% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 67.1
- 9% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 36,180
- +1.5% since 2020
See the sit-down restaurants around any address in the Vidalia 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 Vidalia area. 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 Vidalia area scores 28 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for sit-down restaurants, ranking #478 of 538 scored small-town markets and #20 of 23 scored small-town markets based in Georgia. That puts it in the bottom quarter of small-town markets.
At $3,155 per household (22% below the U.S. average), households in the Vidalia area spend about $42.8M a year on food away from home. Spread across 91 sit-down restaurants, that is $470K per restaurant, 29% below the U.S. figure of $664K. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants.
The Vidalia area has 91 sit-down restaurants on map listings as of September 2026. 42 of them (46%) are chain locations, against 29% across the U.S. That comes to 67.1 for every 10,000 households, 9% above the U.S. rate of 61.3.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in the Vidalia area was 26 in 2023, up 20.0% from 2019. That is one for every 521 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of the Vidalia area grew 1.5%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How the Vidalia 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.
| Measure | Vidalia area | Georgia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 67.1 | 66.0 | 61.3 |
| Spending per listing | $470K | $593K | $664K |
| Households per official establishment | 521 | 514 | 500 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +20.0% | +5.5% | +1.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +1.5% | +5.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,155 | $3,917 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $52,500 | $77,353 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 28 | 42 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 26+20.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 338
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $6.8M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 6Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 9142 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 64The 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 the Vidalia 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 Vidalia area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 36,180+1.5% since 2020
- Households
- 13,552
- Median age
- 38.3
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 64%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 605 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 59
- Median household income
- $52,500+29.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $70,859
- Median home value
- $133,500
- Jobs located here
- 13,897
- Daytime population
- 36,383Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Vidalia 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 Vidalia area. 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 small-town markets in Georgia for sit-down restaurants, numbered among those based in Georgia, with the Vidalia area marked.
Top small-town markets in Georgia
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Jefferson, GA | 80 | 163 | 57.4 | $723K | +29.3% | #20 of 538 |
| 2Calhoun, GA | 71 | 107 | 50.1 | $702K | +6.9% | #71 of 538 |
| 3Toccoa, GA | 66 | 42 | 39.9 | $767K | +3.8% | #104 of 538 |
| 4Kingsland, GA | 66 | 129 | 59.5 | $615K | +9.5% | #108 of 538 |
| 5Cornelia, GA | 62 | 101 | 60.3 | $588K | +9.3% | #145 of 538 |
| 6Summerville, GA | 58 | 37 | 40.4 | $726K | +1.5% | #186 of 538 |
| 7Thomaston, GA | 54 | 52 | 49.1 | $658K | +2.7% | #226 of 538 |
| 8Thomasville, GA | 54 | 154 | 53.5 | $623K | +1.3% | #227 of 538 |
| 9Waycross, GA | 49 | 102 | 49.6 | $616K | +3.0% | #277 of 538 |
| 10Statesboro, GA | 49 | 202 | 57.8 | $568K | +8.0% | #279 of 538 |
| 20Vidalia, GA | 28 | 91 | 67.1 | $470K | +1.5% | #478 of 538 |
Other business types in the Vidalia area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes30
- Sit-down restaurants28
- Fast food and sandwich shops26
- Pizza22
- Coffee shops and cafes39
- 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 the Vidalia, GA area?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 91 sit-down restaurants in the Vidalia area. 42 of them (46%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 26 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023, up 20.0% from 2019. Official counts also show 6 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Vidalia, GA area spend on food away from home?
About $42.8M a year, or $3,155 per household. That is 22% below the U.S. average (an index of 78, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 91 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $470K 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 13,552 households in the Vidalia area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Vidalia, GA area compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?
The Vidalia area has 67.1 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 9% above the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $470K, 29% below the U.S. figure of $664K. At the U.S. ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, the Vidalia area would have about 64, against 91 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 521 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. The official count rose 20.0% from 2019 to 2023, against +1.5% for the U.S.
How fast is the Vidalia, GA area growing?
Population estimates put the Vidalia area at 36,180 people in 2025, up 1.5% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 13,552 households. Median household income in the Vidalia area is $52,500, 35% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 29.6%, 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. 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 Vidalia area scores 28 for sit-down restaurants (lower middle), #478 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 Vidalia 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 Vidalia area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Vidalia 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 Vidalia 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.