Groundwork

Food and drink · County · Hawaii

Sit-down restaurants in Hawaii County, HI

Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for sit-down restaurants in Hawaii County, HI, set against other counties and the U.S.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 38 out of 100: Lower middle

Ranked #1,744 of 2,405 scored counties
#1 of 4 scored counties in Hawaii

Listings
586
80 chain locations (14%)
Official establishments
177
+18.0% since 2019
Household spending a year
$294.8M
On food away from home · $3,980 a household
Spending per listing
$503K
24% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
79.1
29% above the U.S.
Population, 2025
210,043
+4.6% since 2020

See the sit-down restaurants around any address in Hawaii 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 Hawaii County. 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

As of September 2026, map listings count 586 sit-down restaurants in Hawaii County. Chain locations make up 14% of them, against 29% across the U.S. That comes to 79.1 for every 10,000 households, 29% above the U.S. rate of 61.3.

Household spending on food away from home in Hawaii County comes to about $294.8M a year: $3,980 per household, 2% below the U.S. average. That is about $503K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 24% 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 Hawaii County was 177 in 2023, up 18.0% from 2019. That is one for every 418 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Another 42 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 5 SBA-backed loans worth $2.2M have gone to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Hawaii County.

Population estimates put the population change in Hawaii County from 2020 to 2025 at +4.6%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for sit-down restaurants in Hawaii County is 38 (lower middle), #1,744 of 2,405 scored counties and #1 of 4 scored counties in Hawaii.

How Hawaii County compares

The same measures for Hawaii 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 Hawaii County, HI compared with Hawaii and the U.S.
MeasureHawaii CountyHawaiiU.S.
Listings per 10k households79.192.661.3
Spending per listing$503K$490K$664K
Households per official establishment418398500
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+18.0%−2.0%+1.5%
Population growth, 2020–2025+4.6%−1.3%+3.1%
Spending per household on food away from home$3,980$4,533$4,070
Median household income$78,639$100,389$80,734
Groundwork market score3821

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
150 → 177+18.0% over the period
Employees, 2023
3,559
Annual payroll, 2023
$122.7M
One-person businesses, 2023
42Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
58680 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
444The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
5
Amount
$2.2M

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Hawaii 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 Hawaii County

Population, 2025 estimate
210,043+4.6% since 2020
Households
74,072
Median age
44.6
Homes lived in by their owners
74%
Vehicles per household
2.0
Land area
4,028 sq. mi.
People per square mile
51
Median household income
$78,639+26.0% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$106,737
Median home value
$519,300
Jobs located here
69,607
Daytime population
224,838Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

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

Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

Sit-down restaurants across Hawaii

Every Hawaii market ranked →

The highest-scoring counties in Hawaii for sit-down restaurants, numbered among those based in Hawaii, with Hawaii County marked.

Top counties in Hawaii

Counties in Hawaii ranked for sit-down restaurants by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Hawaii County, HI3858679.1$503K+4.6%#1,744 of 2,405
2Honolulu County, HI312,91386.0$544K−2.3%#2,009 of 2,405
3Kauai County, HI27353149.4$294K+0.3%#2,168 of 2,405
4Maui County, HI23708126.8$354K−2.5%#2,260 of 2,405

Other business types in Hawaii County

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

Questions

How many sit-down restaurants are in Hawaii County, HI?

Hawaii County has 586 sit-down restaurants on map listings as of September 2026. 80 of them (14%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 177 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023, up 18.0% from 2019. Official counts list 42 one-person businesses without payroll.

How much do households in Hawaii County, HI spend on food away from home?

About $294.8M a year, or $3,980 per household. That is 2% below the U.S. average (an index of 98, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 586 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $503K per restaurant. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants. It is estimated from the incomes of the 74,072 households in Hawaii County and national spending patterns by income.

How does Hawaii County, HI compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?

Hawaii County has 79.1 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 29% above the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $503K, 24% below the U.S. figure of $664K. At the national ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, Hawaii County would have about 444, against 586 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 418 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. The official count rose 18.0% from 2019 to 2023, against +1.5% for the U.S.

How fast is Hawaii County, HI growing?

Population estimates put Hawaii County at 210,043 people in 2025, up 4.6% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 74,072 households. The median household income in Hawaii County is $78,639 a year, 3% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 26.0% 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. Hawaii County scores 38 for sit-down restaurants (lower middle), #1,744 of 2,405 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Hawaii 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 Hawaii County

Screening a site or an acquisition in Hawaii 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 Hawaii 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.