Groundwork

Food and drink · County · Maine

Sit-down restaurants in Washington County, ME

Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for sit-down restaurants in Washington County, ME, set against other counties and the U.S.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 36 out of 100: Lower middle

Ranked #1,792 of 2,405 scored counties
#12 of 16 scored counties in Maine

Listings
64
3 chain locations (5%)
Official establishments
29
+3.6% since 2019
Household spending a year
$46M
On food away from home · $3,241 a household
Spending per listing
$718K
8% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
45.1
26% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
31,334
+0.8% since 2020

See the sit-down restaurants around any address in Washington 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 Washington County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Survey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure

What this means

At $3,241 per household (20% below the U.S. average), households in Washington County spend about $46M a year on food away from home. That is about $718K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 8% above the U.S. figure of $664K. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants.

Washington County has 64 sit-down restaurants on map listings as of September 2026. Of those, 3 are chain locations, or 5%, against 29% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 45.1, 26% below the U.S. rate of 61.3.

The official count of businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in Washington County was 29 in 2023, up 3.6% from 2019. That is one for every 489 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Official counts list 3 one-person businesses without payroll.

Population estimates show Washington County grew 0.8% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for sit-down restaurants in Washington County is 36 (lower middle), #1,792 of 2,405 scored counties and #12 of 16 scored counties in Maine.

How Washington 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.

Sit-down restaurants in Washington County, ME compared with Maine and the U.S.
MeasureWashington CountyMaineU.S.
Listings per 10k households45.156.761.3
Spending per listing$718K$677K$664K
Households per official establishment489413500
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+3.6%−2.5%+1.5%
Population growth, 2020–2025+0.8%+3.7%+3.1%
Spending per household on food away from home$3,241$3,835$4,070
Median household income$56,024$74,733$80,734
Groundwork market score3637

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
28 → 29+3.6% over the period
Employees, 2023
206
Annual payroll, 2023
$5.7M
One-person businesses, 2023
3Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
643 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
69The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
0
Amount
$0

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Washington 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 Washington County

Population, 2025 estimate
31,334+0.8% since 2020
Households
14,187
Median age
48.1
Homes lived in by their owners
80%
Vehicles per household
1.8
Land area
2,563 sq. mi.
People per square mile
12
Median household income
$56,024+35.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$74,471
Median home value
$161,800
Jobs located here
9,559
Daytime population
29,732Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Washington 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 Washington County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Sit-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 Washington County marked.

Top counties in Maine

Counties in Maine ranked for sit-down restaurants by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Waldo County, ME696134.9$1M+2.6%#397 of 2,405
2Sagadahoc County, ME666438.9$1M+3.4%#479 of 2,405
3Androscoggin County, ME6620343.2$822K+4.8%#497 of 2,405
4Somerset County, ME637733.2$979K+2.3%#608 of 2,405
5Kennebec County, ME6223643.5$831K+3.5%#668 of 2,405
6Penobscot County, ME6127442.0$856K+3.8%#704 of 2,405
7Oxford County, ME5810242.3$807K+4.2%#821 of 2,405
8Aroostook County, ME4910334.4$950K−0.7%#1,196 of 2,405
9York County, ME4757963.3$653K+4.8%#1,329 of 2,405
10Piscataquis County, ME453440.5$818K+3.5%#1,396 of 2,405
12Washington County, ME366445.1$718K+0.8%#1,792 of 2,405

Other business types in Washington County

Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.

Questions

How many sit-down restaurants are in Washington County, ME?

Map listings as of September 2026 show 64 sit-down restaurants in Washington County. 3 of them (5%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 29 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023, up 3.6% from 2019. Official counts also show 3 one-person businesses without payroll.

How much do households in Washington County, ME spend on food away from home?

About $46M a year, or $3,241 per household. That is 20% below the U.S. average (an index of 80, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 64 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $718K 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 14,187 households in Washington County and national spending patterns by income.

How does Washington County, ME compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?

Washington County has 45.1 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 26% below the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $718K, 8% above the U.S. figure of $664K. At the U.S. ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, Washington County would have about 69, against 64 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 489 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. The official count rose 3.6% from 2019 to 2023, against +1.5% for the U.S.

How fast is Washington County, ME growing?

Population estimates put Washington County at 31,334 people in 2025, up 0.8% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 14,187 households. Median household income in Washington County is $56,024, 31% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 35.5%, 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. Washington County scores 36 for sit-down restaurants (lower middle), #1,792 of 2,405 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Washington 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 Washington County

Screening a site or an acquisition in Washington 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 Washington 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.