Food and drink · Metro area · Louisiana
Sit-down restaurants in the New Orleans-Metairie, LA metro area
The sit-down restaurants in the New Orleans-Metairie, LA metro area, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other metro areas.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 9 out of 100: Very low
Ranked #386 of 387 scored metro areas
#10 of 10 scored metro areas based in Louisiana
- Listings
- 3,190
- 671 chain locations (21%)
- Official establishments
- 1,012
- +4.7% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $1.4B
- On food away from home · $3,552 a household
- Spending per listing
- $444K
- 33% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 80.0
- 31% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 970,849
- −3.4% since 2020
See the sit-down restaurants around any address in the New Orleans-Metairie metro 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 New Orleans-Metairie metro 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
For sit-down restaurants, the New Orleans-Metairie metro area has a Groundwork market score of 9 (very low): #386 of 387 scored metro areas and #10 of 10 scored metro areas based in Louisiana. That puts it in the bottom quarter of metro areas.
At $3,552 per household (13% below the U.S. average), households in the New Orleans-Metairie metro area spend about $1.4B a year on food away from home. That is about $444K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 33% below the U.S. figure of $664K. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants.
There are 3,190 sit-down restaurants on map listings in the New Orleans-Metairie metro area as of September 2026. Of those, 671 are chain locations, or 21%, against 29% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 80.0, 31% above the U.S. rate of 61.3.
Official counts show 1,012 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in the New Orleans-Metairie metro area in 2023, up 4.7% from 2019. That is one for every 394 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 38 SBA-backed loans worth $27M have gone to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in the New Orleans-Metairie metro area. Population estimates show the New Orleans-Metairie metro area declined 3.4% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How the New Orleans-Metairie metro area compares
The same measures for Louisiana 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 | New Orleans-Metairie metro area | Louisiana | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 80.0 | 60.1 | 61.3 |
| Spending per listing | $444K | $577K | $664K |
| Households per official establishment | 394 | 585 | 500 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +4.7% | +2.8% | +1.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −3.4% | −0.7% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,552 | $3,469 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $62,655 | $60,756 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 9 | 25 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 1,012+4.7% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 21,895
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $643.5M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 345Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 3,190671 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 2,133The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 38
- Amount
- $27M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in the New Orleans-Metairie metro 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 New Orleans-Metairie metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 970,849−3.4% since 2020
- Households
- 398,564
- Median age
- 40.0
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 61%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.5
- Land area
- 2,359 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 416
- Median household income
- $62,655
- Average household income
- $91,916
- Median home value
- $260,200
- Jobs located here
- 463,433
- Daytime population
- 1,032,273Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the New Orleans-Metairie metro area?
These figures cover the whole metro area. 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 New Orleans-Metairie metro 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 Louisiana
Every Louisiana market ranked →The highest-scoring metro areas in Louisiana for sit-down restaurants, numbered among those based in Louisiana, with the New Orleans-Metairie metro area marked.
Top metro areas in Louisiana
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Baton Rouge, LA | 50 | 1,895 | 57.0 | $653K | +2.1% | #191 of 387 |
| 2Alexandria, LA | 49 | 255 | 45.2 | $739K | −2.5% | #193 of 387 |
| 3Houma-Bayou Cane-Thibodaux, LA | 48 | 377 | 47.2 | $735K | −3.5% | #206 of 387 |
| 4Slidell-Mandeville-Covington, LA | 39 | 715 | 68.0 | $591K | +5.3% | #284 of 387 |
| 5Lake Charles, LA | 35 | 551 | 59.9 | $602K | −3.8% | #312 of 387 |
| 6Monroe, LA | 33 | 437 | 50.2 | $639K | −1.9% | #321 of 387 |
| 7Lafayette, LA | 33 | 1,025 | 62.4 | $556K | +3.8% | #323 of 387 |
| 8Hammond, LA | 32 | 283 | 54.4 | $608K | +5.8% | #327 of 387 |
| 9Shreveport-Bossier City, LA | 31 | 884 | 56.3 | $589K | −2.3% | #341 of 387 |
| 10New Orleans-Metairie, LA | 9 | 3,190 | 80.0 | $444K | −3.4% | #386 of 387 |
Other business types in the New Orleans-Metairie metro area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes9
- Sit-down restaurants9
- Fast food and sandwich shops21
- Pizza35
- Coffee shops and cafes13
- Bakeries and dessert shops14
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 New Orleans-Metairie, LA metro area?
As of September 2026, map listings count 3,190 sit-down restaurants in the New Orleans-Metairie metro area. 671 of them (21%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 1,012 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023, up 4.7% from 2019. Official counts list 345 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the New Orleans-Metairie, LA metro area spend on food away from home?
About $1.4B a year, or $3,552 per household. That is 13% below the U.S. average (an index of 87, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 3,190 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $444K 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 398,564 households in the New Orleans-Metairie metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the New Orleans-Metairie, LA metro area compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?
The New Orleans-Metairie metro area has 80.0 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 31% above the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $444K, 33% below the U.S. figure of $664K. At the U.S. ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, the New Orleans-Metairie metro area would have about 2,133, against 3,190 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 394 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. The official count rose 4.7% from 2019 to 2023, against +1.5% for the U.S.
How fast is the New Orleans-Metairie, LA metro area growing?
Population estimates put the New Orleans-Metairie metro area at 970,849 people in 2025, down 3.4% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 398,564 households. Median household income in the New Orleans-Metairie metro area is $62,655, 22% below the U.S. median of $80,734.
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. The New Orleans-Metairie metro area scores 9 for sit-down restaurants (very low), #386 of 387 scored metro areas.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the New Orleans-Metairie metro 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 New Orleans-Metairie metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the New Orleans-Metairie metro 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 New Orleans-Metairie metro 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.