Food and drink · Metro area · Maine
Sit-down restaurants in the Lewiston-Auburn, ME metro area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for sit-down restaurants in the Lewiston-Auburn, ME metro area, set against other metro areas and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 72 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #37 of 387 scored metro areas
#1 of 3 scored metro areas based in Maine
- Listings
- 203
- 57 chain locations (28%)
- Official establishments
- 66
- −13.2% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $166.8M
- On food away from home · $3,552 a household
- Spending per listing
- $822K
- 24% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 43.2
- 30% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 116,487
- +4.8% since 2020
See the sit-down restaurants around any address in the Lewiston-Auburn 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 Lewiston-Auburn 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
The Groundwork market score for sit-down restaurants in the Lewiston-Auburn metro area is 72 (upper middle), #37 of 387 scored metro areas and #1 of 3 scored metro areas based in Maine. That puts it in the top 10% of metro areas for sit-down restaurants.
Map listings as of September 2026 show 203 sit-down restaurants in the Lewiston-Auburn metro area. 57 of them (28%) are chain locations, against 29% across the U.S. That comes to 43.2 for every 10,000 households, 30% below the U.S. rate of 61.3.
At $3,552 per household (13% below the U.S. average), households in the Lewiston-Auburn metro area spend about $166.8M a year on food away from home. Spread across 203 sit-down restaurants, that is $822K per restaurant, 24% 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.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in the Lewiston-Auburn metro area was 66 in 2023, down 13.2% from 2019. That is one for every 711 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 3 SBA-backed loans worth $1.9M have gone to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in the Lewiston-Auburn metro area. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of the Lewiston-Auburn metro area grew 4.8%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How the Lewiston-Auburn metro area compares
The same measures for Maine 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 | Lewiston-Auburn metro area | Maine | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 43.2 | 56.7 | 61.3 |
| Spending per listing | $822K | $677K | $664K |
| Households per official establishment | 711 | 413 | 500 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −13.2% | −2.5% | +1.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +4.8% | +3.7% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,552 | $3,835 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $67,873 | $74,733 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 72 | 37 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 66−13.2% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,200
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $33.2M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 8Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 20357 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 251The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 3
- Amount
- $1.9M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in the Lewiston-Auburn 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 Lewiston-Auburn metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 116,487+4.8% since 2020
- Households
- 46,953
- Median age
- 41.6
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 68%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.7
- Land area
- 468 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 242
- Median household income
- $67,873+26.8% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $86,271
- Median home value
- $252,800
- Jobs located here
- 50,802
- Daytime population
- 111,740Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Lewiston-Auburn 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 Lewiston-Auburn 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 Maine
Every Maine market ranked →The highest-scoring metro areas in Maine for sit-down restaurants, numbered among those based in Maine, with the Lewiston-Auburn metro area marked.
Top metro areas in Maine
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Lewiston-Auburn, ME | 72 | 203 | 43.2 | $822K | +4.8% | #37 of 387 |
| 2Bangor, ME | 65 | 274 | 42.0 | $856K | +3.8% | #77 of 387 |
| 3Portland-South Portland, ME | 42 | 1,633 | 68.0 | $629K | +4.5% | #261 of 387 |
Other business types in the Lewiston-Auburn metro area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes66
- Sit-down restaurants72
- Fast food and sandwich shops64
- Pizza53
- Coffee shops and cafes49
- Bakeries and dessert shops35
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 Lewiston-Auburn, ME metro area?
There are 203 sit-down restaurants on map listings in the Lewiston-Auburn metro area as of September 2026. 57 of them (28%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 66 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023, down 13.2% from 2019. Official counts list 8 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Lewiston-Auburn, ME metro area spend on food away from home?
About $166.8M 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 203 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $822K per restaurant. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants. It is estimated from the incomes of the 46,953 households in the Lewiston-Auburn metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Lewiston-Auburn, ME metro area compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?
The Lewiston-Auburn metro area has 43.2 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 30% below the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $822K, 24% above the U.S. figure of $664K. At the national ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, the Lewiston-Auburn metro area would have about 251, against 203 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 711 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. The official count fell 13.2% from 2019 to 2023, against +1.5% for the U.S.
How fast is the Lewiston-Auburn, ME metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Lewiston-Auburn metro area at 116,487 people in 2025, up 4.8% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 46,953 households. The median household income in the Lewiston-Auburn metro area is $67,873 a year, 16% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 26.8% 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. The Lewiston-Auburn metro area scores 72 for sit-down restaurants (upper middle), #37 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 Lewiston-Auburn 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 Lewiston-Auburn metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Lewiston-Auburn 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 Lewiston-Auburn 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.