Food and drink · County · Hawaii
Sit-down restaurants in Honolulu County, HI
How Honolulu County, HI 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 31 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #2,009 of 2,405 scored counties
#2 of 4 scored counties in Hawaii
- Listings
- 2,913
- 616 chain locations (21%)
- Official establishments
- 797
- −5.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $1.6B
- On food away from home · $4,672 a household
- Spending per listing
- $544K
- 18% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 86.0
- 40% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 988,703
- −2.3% since 2020
See the sit-down restaurants around any address in Honolulu 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 Honolulu 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
Honolulu County scores 31 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for sit-down restaurants, ranking #2,009 of 2,405 scored counties and #2 of 4 scored counties in Hawaii. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
Map listings as of September 2026 show 2,913 sit-down restaurants in Honolulu County. Of those, 616 are chain locations, or 21%, against 29% across the U.S. That is 86.0 per 10,000 households, 40% above the U.S. rate of 61.3.
Households in Honolulu County spend about $1.6B a year on food away from home, or $4,672 per household, 15% above the U.S. average. That is about $544K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 18% 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 Honolulu County was 797 in 2023, down 5.0% from 2019. That is one for every 425 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 34 SBA-backed loans worth $11.7M have gone to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Honolulu County. Population estimates show Honolulu County declined 2.3% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How Honolulu 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.
| Measure | Honolulu County | Hawaii | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 86.0 | 92.6 | 61.3 |
| Spending per listing | $544K | $490K | $664K |
| Households per official establishment | 425 | 398 | 500 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −5.0% | −2.0% | +1.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −2.3% | −1.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $4,672 | $4,533 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $106,195 | $100,389 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 31 | 21 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 839 → 797−5.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 18,665
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $617.5M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 94Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 2,913616 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 2,386The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 34
- Amount
- $11.7M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Honolulu 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 Honolulu County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 988,703−2.3% since 2020
- Households
- 338,868
- Median age
- 41.3
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 60%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 601 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 1,666
- Median household income
- $106,195+23.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $136,603
- Median home value
- $897,500
- Jobs located here
- 441,980
- Daytime population
- 1,039,068Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Honolulu 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 Honolulu 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 Hawaii
Every Hawaii market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Hawaii for sit-down restaurants, numbered among those based in Hawaii, with Honolulu County marked.
Top counties in Hawaii
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Hawaii County, HI | 38 | 586 | 79.1 | $503K | +4.6% | #1,744 of 2,405 |
| 2Honolulu County, HI | 31 | 2,913 | 86.0 | $544K | −2.3% | #2,009 of 2,405 |
| 3Kauai County, HI | 27 | 353 | 149.4 | $294K | +0.3% | #2,168 of 2,405 |
| 4Maui County, HI | 23 | 708 | 126.8 | $354K | −2.5% | #2,260 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Honolulu County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes31
- Sit-down restaurants31
- Fast food and sandwich shops49
- Pizza56
- Coffee shops and cafes29
- Bakeries and dessert shops29
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 Honolulu County, HI?
There are 2,913 sit-down restaurants on map listings in Honolulu County as of September 2026. 616 of them (21%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 797 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023, down 5.0% from 2019. Official counts also show 94 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Honolulu County, HI spend on food away from home?
About $1.6B a year, or $4,672 per household. That is 15% above the U.S. average (an index of 115, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 2,913 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $544K per restaurant. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants. It is estimated from the incomes of the 338,868 households in Honolulu County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Honolulu County, HI compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?
Honolulu County has 86.0 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 40% above the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $544K, 18% below the U.S. figure of $664K. At the national ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, Honolulu County would have about 2,386, against 2,913 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 425 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. The official count fell 5.0% from 2019 to 2023, against +1.5% for the U.S.
How fast is Honolulu County, HI growing?
Population estimates put Honolulu County at 988,703 people in 2025, down 2.3% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 338,868 households. The median household income in Honolulu County is $106,195 a year, 32% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 23.7% 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. Honolulu County scores 31 for sit-down restaurants (lower middle), #2,009 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Honolulu 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 Honolulu County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Honolulu 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 Honolulu 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.