Food and drink · County · Hawaii
Sit-down restaurants in Kauai County, HI
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for sit-down restaurants in Kauai County, HI, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 27 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #2,168 of 2,405 scored counties
#3 of 4 scored counties in Hawaii
- Listings
- 353
- 36 chain locations (10%)
- Official establishments
- 86
- −9.5% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $103.9M
- On food away from home · $4,396 a household
- Spending per listing
- $294K
- 56% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 149.4
- 2.4 times the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 73,400
- +0.3% since 2020
See the sit-down restaurants around any address in Kauai 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 Kauai 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
The Groundwork market score for sit-down restaurants in Kauai County is 27 (lower middle), #2,168 of 2,405 scored counties and #3 of 4 scored counties in Hawaii. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
Map listings as of September 2026 show 353 sit-down restaurants in Kauai County. Chain locations make up 10% of them, against 29% across the U.S. That comes to 149.4 for every 10,000 households, 2.4 times the U.S. rate of 61.3.
Household spending on food away from home in Kauai County comes to about $103.9M a year: $4,396 per household, 8% above the U.S. average. That works out to $294K per restaurant, 56% 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 Kauai County was 86 in 2023, down 9.5% from 2019. That is one for every 275 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 5 SBA-backed loans worth $2.9M have gone to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Kauai County. Population estimates show Kauai County grew 0.3% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Kauai 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 | Kauai County | Hawaii | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 149.4 | 92.6 | 61.3 |
| Spending per listing | $294K | $490K | $664K |
| Households per official establishment | 275 | 398 | 500 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −9.5% | −2.0% | +1.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +0.3% | −1.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $4,396 | $4,533 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $97,668 | $100,389 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 27 | 21 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 95 → 86−9.5% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 2,191
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $81.1M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 17Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 35336 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 157The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 5
- Amount
- $2.9M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Kauai 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 Kauai County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 73,400+0.3% since 2020
- Households
- 23,632
- Median age
- 43.9
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 69%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.3
- Land area
- 620 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 119
- Median household income
- $97,668+16.9% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $126,466
- Median home value
- $873,200
- Jobs located here
- 28,378
- Daytime population
- 63,469Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Kauai 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 Kauai 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 Kauai 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 Kauai County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes26
- Sit-down restaurants27
- Fast food and sandwich shops50
- Pizza46
- Coffee shops and cafes25
- Bakeries and dessert shops25
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 Kauai County, HI?
There are 353 sit-down restaurants on map listings in Kauai County as of September 2026. 36 of them (10%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 86 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023, down 9.5% from 2019. Another 17 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Kauai County, HI spend on food away from home?
About $103.9M a year, or $4,396 per household. That is 8% above the U.S. average (an index of 108, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 353 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $294K per restaurant. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants. It is estimated from the incomes of the 23,632 households in Kauai County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Kauai County, HI compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?
Kauai County has 149.4 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 2.4 times the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $294K, 56% below the U.S. figure of $664K. At the national ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, Kauai County would have about 157, against 353 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 275 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. The official count fell 9.5% from 2019 to 2023, against +1.5% for the U.S.
How fast is Kauai County, HI growing?
Population estimates put Kauai County at 73,400 people in 2025, up 0.3% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 23,632 households. The median household income in Kauai County is $97,668 a year, 21% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 16.9% 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. Kauai County scores 27 for sit-down restaurants (lower middle), #2,168 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Kauai 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 Kauai County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Kauai 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 Kauai 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.