Food and drink · County · Maryland
Sit-down restaurants in Baltimore County, MD
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for sit-down restaurants in Baltimore County, MD, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 64 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #573 of 2,405 scored counties
#14 of 24 scored counties in Maryland
- Listings
- 1,762
- 540 chain locations (31%)
- Official establishments
- 467
- +4.9% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $1.4B
- On food away from home · $4,305 a household
- Spending per listing
- $813K
- 23% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 52.9
- 14% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 847,650
- −0.7% since 2020
See the sit-down restaurants around any address in Baltimore 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 Baltimore 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
As of September 2026, map listings count 1,762 sit-down restaurants in Baltimore County. Chain locations make up 31% of them, against 29% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 52.9, 14% below the U.S. rate of 61.3.
Household spending on food away from home in Baltimore County comes to about $1.4B a year: $4,305 per household, 6% above the U.S. average. Spread across 1,762 sit-down restaurants, that is $813K per restaurant, 23% 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 467 businesses with payroll in Baltimore County classed as full-service restaurants, up 4.9% from 2019. That is one for every 713 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Another 147 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 16 SBA-backed loans worth $12M have gone to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Baltimore County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Baltimore County declined 0.7%, against +3.1% for the U.S. For sit-down restaurants, Baltimore County has a Groundwork market score of 64 (upper middle): #573 of 2,405 scored counties and #14 of 24 scored counties in Maryland. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How Baltimore County compares
The same measures for Maryland 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 | Baltimore County | Maryland | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 52.9 | 56.2 | 61.3 |
| Spending per listing | $813K | $820K | $664K |
| Households per official establishment | 713 | 621 | 500 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +4.9% | +6.6% | +1.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −0.7% | +1.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $4,305 | $4,604 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $91,768 | $103,678 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 64 | 80 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 445 → 467+4.9% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 11,327
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $295.8M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 147Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 1,762540 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 2,159The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 16
- Amount
- $12M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Baltimore 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 Baltimore County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 847,650−0.7% since 2020
- Households
- 332,801
- Median age
- 41.1
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 66%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.7
- Land area
- 598 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 1,422
- Median household income
- $91,768+19.4% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $122,863
- Median home value
- $349,300
- Jobs located here
- 385,518
- Daytime population
- 833,745Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Baltimore 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 Baltimore 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 Maryland
Every Maryland market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Maryland for sit-down restaurants, numbered among those based in Maryland, with Baltimore County marked.
Top counties in Maryland
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Charles County, MD | 87 | 253 | 41.6 | $1.2M | +5.9% | #51 of 2,405 |
| 2Harford County, MD | 82 | 399 | 39.2 | $1.2M | +2.0% | #91 of 2,405 |
| 3Caroline County, MD | 78 | 38 | 30.4 | $1.2M | +2.5% | #157 of 2,405 |
| 4St. Mary’s County, MD | 78 | 202 | 47.6 | $1M | +2.4% | #165 of 2,405 |
| 5Queen Anne’s County, MD | 78 | 112 | 56.3 | $852K | +8.8% | #180 of 2,405 |
| 6Calvert County, MD | 76 | 156 | 46.6 | $1.1M | +1.7% | #221 of 2,405 |
| 7Frederick County, MD | 75 | 571 | 54.6 | $923K | +11.0% | #248 of 2,405 |
| 8Prince George’s County, MD | 75 | 1,723 | 49.5 | $910K | +0.5% | #249 of 2,405 |
| 9Carroll County, MD | 74 | 299 | 46.5 | $1.1M | +2.2% | #268 of 2,405 |
| 10Cecil County, MD | 74 | 198 | 48.8 | $861K | +3.2% | #282 of 2,405 |
| 14Baltimore County, MD | 64 | 1,762 | 52.9 | $813K | −0.7% | #573 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Baltimore County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes60
- Sit-down restaurants64
- Fast food and sandwich shops53
- Pizza50
- Coffee shops and cafes69
- Bakeries and dessert shops58
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 Baltimore County, MD?
Baltimore County has 1,762 sit-down restaurants on map listings as of September 2026. 540 of them (31%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 467 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023, up 4.9% from 2019. Official counts list 147 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Baltimore County, MD spend on food away from home?
About $1.4B a year, or $4,305 per household. That is 6% above the U.S. average (an index of 106, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 1,762 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $813K per restaurant. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants. It is estimated from the incomes of the 332,801 households in Baltimore County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Baltimore County, MD compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?
Baltimore County has 52.9 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 14% below the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $813K, 23% above the U.S. figure of $664K. At the national ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, Baltimore County would have about 2,159, against 1,762 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 713 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. The official count rose 4.9% from 2019 to 2023, against +1.5% for the U.S.
How fast is Baltimore County, MD growing?
Population estimates put Baltimore County at 847,650 people in 2025, down 0.7% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 332,801 households. The median household income in Baltimore County is $91,768 a year, 14% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 19.4% 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. Baltimore County scores 64 for sit-down restaurants (upper middle), #573 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Baltimore 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 Baltimore County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Baltimore 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 Baltimore 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.