Food and drink · County · Indiana
Sit-down restaurants in St. Joseph County, IN
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for sit-down restaurants in St. Joseph County, IN, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 42 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,536 of 2,405 scored counties
#71 of 86 scored counties in Indiana
- Listings
- 582
- 209 chain locations (36%)
- Official establishments
- 202
- −2.9% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $394.7M
- On food away from home · $3,680 a household
- Spending per listing
- $678K
- 2% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 54.3
- 11% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 272,861
- +0.1% since 2020
See the sit-down restaurants around any address in St. Joseph 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 St. Joseph 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
Map listings as of September 2026 show 582 sit-down restaurants in St. Joseph County. Of those, 209 are chain locations, or 36%, against 29% across the U.S. That is 54.3 per 10,000 households, 11% below the U.S. rate of 61.3.
Households in St. Joseph County spend about $394.7M a year on food away from home, or $3,680 per household, 10% below the U.S. average. Spread across 582 sit-down restaurants, that is $678K per restaurant, 2% above 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.
In 2023, official counts showed 202 businesses with payroll in St. Joseph County classed as full-service restaurants, down 2.9% from 2019. That is one for every 531 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Official counts list 41 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 4 SBA-backed loans worth $3.7M have gone to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in St. Joseph County.
Population estimates put the population change in St. Joseph County from 2020 to 2025 at +0.1%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). For sit-down restaurants, St. Joseph County has a Groundwork market score of 42 (lower middle): #1,536 of 2,405 scored counties and #71 of 86 scored counties in Indiana.
How St. Joseph County compares
The same measures for Indiana 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 | St. Joseph County | Indiana | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 54.3 | 50.5 | 61.3 |
| Spending per listing | $678K | $753K | $664K |
| Households per official establishment | 531 | 566 | 500 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −2.9% | +0.1% | +1.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +0.1% | +2.7% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,680 | $3,802 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $66,868 | $71,957 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 42 | 59 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 208 → 202−2.9% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 4,625
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $100.9M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 41Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 582209 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 595The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 4
- Amount
- $3.7M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in St. Joseph 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 St. Joseph County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 272,861+0.1% since 2020
- Households
- 107,252
- Median age
- 38.0
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 69%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.7
- Land area
- 458 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 596
- Median household income
- $66,868+26.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $92,212
- Median home value
- $192,800
- Jobs located here
- 124,747
- Daytime population
- 277,571Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in St. Joseph 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 St. Joseph 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 Indiana
Every Indiana market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Indiana for sit-down restaurants, numbered among those based in Indiana, with St. Joseph County marked.
Top counties in Indiana
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Hancock County, IN | 88 | 115 | 34.4 | $1.3M | +13.5% | #39 of 2,405 |
| 2Warrick County, IN | 85 | 96 | 38.2 | $1.1M | +4.4% | #62 of 2,405 |
| 3Morgan County, IN | 79 | 108 | 38.2 | $1.1M | +4.4% | #148 of 2,405 |
| 4Harrison County, IN | 78 | 52 | 33.6 | $1.1M | +1.9% | #159 of 2,405 |
| 5Wells County, IN | 77 | 40 | 34.6 | $1M | +2.6% | #192 of 2,405 |
| 6Lawrence County, IN | 76 | 56 | 29.3 | $1.2M | +1.2% | #216 of 2,405 |
| 7Hendricks County, IN | 76 | 299 | 44.6 | $1M | +10.2% | #223 of 2,405 |
| 8Boone County, IN | 76 | 150 | 52.2 | $948K | +13.5% | #226 of 2,405 |
| 9Owen County, IN | 75 | 24 | 27.8 | $1.2M | +2.6% | #233 of 2,405 |
| 10Whitley County, IN | 75 | 53 | 37.8 | $1M | +2.1% | #240 of 2,405 |
| 71St. Joseph County, IN | 42 | 582 | 54.3 | $678K | +0.1% | #1,536 of 2,405 |
Other business types in St. Joseph County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes40
- Sit-down restaurants42
- Fast food and sandwich shops35
- Pizza42
- Coffee shops and cafes47
- Bakeries and dessert shops42
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 St. Joseph County, IN?
There are 582 sit-down restaurants on map listings in St. Joseph County as of September 2026. 209 of them (36%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 202 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023, down 2.9% from 2019. Official counts also show 41 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in St. Joseph County, IN spend on food away from home?
About $394.7M a year, or $3,680 per household. That is 10% below the U.S. average (an index of 90, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 582 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $678K per restaurant. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants. It is estimated from the incomes of the 107,252 households in St. Joseph County and national spending patterns by income.
How does St. Joseph County, IN compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?
St. Joseph County has 54.3 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 11% below the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $678K, 2% above the U.S. figure of $664K. At the national ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, St. Joseph County would have about 595, against 582 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 531 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. The official count fell 2.9% from 2019 to 2023, against +1.5% for the U.S.
How fast is St. Joseph County, IN growing?
Population estimates put St. Joseph County at 272,861 people in 2025, up 0.1% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 107,252 households. The median household income in St. Joseph County is $66,868 a year, 17% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 26.7% 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. St. Joseph County scores 42 for sit-down restaurants (lower middle), #1,536 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in St. Joseph 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 St. Joseph County
Screening a site or an acquisition in St. Joseph 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 St. Joseph 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.