Food and drink · County · Maine
Sit-down restaurants in Penobscot County, ME
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for sit-down restaurants in Penobscot County, ME, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 61 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #704 of 2,405 scored counties
#6 of 16 scored counties in Maine
- Listings
- 274
- 73 chain locations (27%)
- Official establishments
- 113
- +1.8% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $234.6M
- On food away from home · $3,597 a household
- Spending per listing
- $856K
- 29% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 42.0
- 31% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 157,967
- +3.8% since 2020
See the sit-down restaurants around any address in Penobscot 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 Penobscot 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 274 sit-down restaurants in Penobscot County. 73 of them (27%) are chain locations, against 29% across the U.S. That is 42.0 per 10,000 households, 31% below the U.S. rate of 61.3.
At $3,597 per household (12% below the U.S. average), households in Penobscot County spend about $234.6M a year on food away from home. That works out to $856K per restaurant, 29% 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 Penobscot County was 113 in 2023, up 1.8% from 2019. That is one for every 577 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Official counts also show 15 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 6 SBA-backed loans worth $1.7M have gone to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Penobscot County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Penobscot County grew 3.8%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for sit-down restaurants in Penobscot County is 61 (upper middle), #704 of 2,405 scored counties and #6 of 16 scored counties in Maine.
How Penobscot County 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 | Penobscot County | Maine | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 42.0 | 56.7 | 61.3 |
| Spending per listing | $856K | $677K | $664K |
| Households per official establishment | 577 | 413 | 500 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +1.8% | −2.5% | +1.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +3.8% | +3.7% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,597 | $3,835 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $66,356 | $74,733 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 61 | 37 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 111 → 113+1.8% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 2,484
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $62.7M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 15Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 27473 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 354The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 6
- Amount
- $1.7M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Penobscot 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 Penobscot County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 157,967+3.8% since 2020
- Households
- 65,221
- Median age
- 43.4
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 71%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 3,397 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 46
- Median household income
- $66,356+30.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $88,290
- Median home value
- $214,100
- Jobs located here
- 73,466
- Daytime population
- 158,403Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Penobscot 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 Penobscot 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 Maine
Every Maine market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Maine for sit-down restaurants, numbered among those based in Maine, with Penobscot County marked.
Top counties in Maine
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Waldo County, ME | 69 | 61 | 34.9 | $1M | +2.6% | #397 of 2,405 |
| 2Sagadahoc County, ME | 66 | 64 | 38.9 | $1M | +3.4% | #479 of 2,405 |
| 3Androscoggin County, ME | 66 | 203 | 43.2 | $822K | +4.8% | #497 of 2,405 |
| 4Somerset County, ME | 63 | 77 | 33.2 | $979K | +2.3% | #608 of 2,405 |
| 5Kennebec County, ME | 62 | 236 | 43.5 | $831K | +3.5% | #668 of 2,405 |
| 6Penobscot County, ME | 61 | 274 | 42.0 | $856K | +3.8% | #704 of 2,405 |
| 7Oxford County, ME | 58 | 102 | 42.3 | $807K | +4.2% | #821 of 2,405 |
| 8Aroostook County, ME | 49 | 103 | 34.4 | $950K | −0.7% | #1,196 of 2,405 |
| 9York County, ME | 47 | 579 | 63.3 | $653K | +4.8% | #1,329 of 2,405 |
| 10Piscataquis County, ME | 45 | 34 | 40.5 | $818K | +3.5% | #1,396 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Penobscot County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes61
- Sit-down restaurants61
- Fast food and sandwich shops69
- Pizza69
- Coffee shops and cafes48
- Bakeries and dessert shops43
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 Penobscot County, ME?
There are 274 sit-down restaurants on map listings in Penobscot County as of September 2026. 73 of them (27%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 113 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023, up 1.8% from 2019. Another 15 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Penobscot County, ME spend on food away from home?
About $234.6M a year, or $3,597 per household. That is 12% below the U.S. average (an index of 88, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 274 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $856K per restaurant. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants. It is estimated from the incomes of the 65,221 households in Penobscot County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Penobscot County, ME compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?
Penobscot County has 42.0 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 31% below the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $856K, 29% above the U.S. figure of $664K. At the national ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, Penobscot County would have about 354, against 274 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 577 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. The official count rose 1.8% from 2019 to 2023, against +1.5% for the U.S.
How fast is Penobscot County, ME growing?
Population estimates put Penobscot County at 157,967 people in 2025, up 3.8% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 65,221 households. The median household income in Penobscot County is $66,356 a year, 18% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 30.6% 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. Penobscot County scores 61 for sit-down restaurants (upper middle), #704 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Penobscot 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 Penobscot County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Penobscot 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 Penobscot 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.