Groundwork

Food and drink · County · Maryland

Sit-down restaurants in Talbot County, MD

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

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 34 out of 100: Lower middle

Ranked #1,900 of 2,405 scored counties
#20 of 24 scored counties in Maryland

Listings
128
27 chain locations (21%)
Official establishments
52
−3.7% since 2019
Household spending a year
$68.6M
On food away from home · $4,173 a household
Spending per listing
$536K
19% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
77.9
27% above the U.S.
Population, 2025
38,238
+2.0% since 2020

See the sit-down restaurants around any address in Talbot 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 Talbot 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

Talbot County scores 34 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for sit-down restaurants, ranking #1,900 of 2,405 scored counties and #20 of 24 scored counties in Maryland. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.

As of September 2026, map listings count 128 sit-down restaurants in Talbot County. Chain locations make up 21% of them, against 29% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 77.9, 27% above the U.S. rate of 61.3.

Household spending on food away from home in Talbot County comes to about $68.6M a year: $4,173 per household, 3% above the U.S. average. That is about $536K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 19% below 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 52 businesses with payroll in Talbot County classed as full-service restaurants, down 3.7% from 2019. That is one for every 316 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Population estimates put the population change in Talbot County from 2020 to 2025 at +2.0%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%).

How Talbot 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.

Sit-down restaurants in Talbot County, MD compared with Maryland and the U.S.
MeasureTalbot CountyMarylandU.S.
Listings per 10k households77.956.261.3
Spending per listing$536K$820K$664K
Households per official establishment316621500
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023−3.7%+6.6%+1.5%
Population growth, 2020–2025+2.0%+1.4%+3.1%
Spending per household on food away from home$4,173$4,604$4,070
Median household income$84,811$103,678$80,734
Groundwork market score3480

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
54 → 52−3.7% over the period
Employees, 2023
914
Annual payroll, 2023
$27.4M
One-person businesses, 2023
0Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
12827 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
103The 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 Talbot 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 Talbot County

Population, 2025 estimate
38,238+2.0% since 2020
Households
16,433
Median age
50.1
Homes lived in by their owners
75%
Vehicles per household
1.8
Land area
269 sq. mi.
People per square mile
141
Median household income
$84,811+15.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$126,276
Median home value
$409,700
Jobs located here
17,017
Daytime population
37,878Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

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

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Sit-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 Talbot County marked.

Top counties in Maryland

Counties in Maryland ranked for sit-down restaurants by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Charles County, MD8725341.6$1.2M+5.9%#51 of 2,405
2Harford County, MD8239939.2$1.2M+2.0%#91 of 2,405
3Caroline County, MD783830.4$1.2M+2.5%#157 of 2,405
4St. Mary’s County, MD7820247.6$1M+2.4%#165 of 2,405
5Queen Anne’s County, MD7811256.3$852K+8.8%#180 of 2,405
6Calvert County, MD7615646.6$1.1M+1.7%#221 of 2,405
7Frederick County, MD7557154.6$923K+11.0%#248 of 2,405
8Prince George’s County, MD751,72349.5$910K+0.5%#249 of 2,405
9Carroll County, MD7429946.5$1.1M+2.2%#268 of 2,405
10Cecil County, MD7419848.8$861K+3.2%#282 of 2,405
20Talbot County, MD3412877.9$536K+2.0%#1,900 of 2,405

Other business types in Talbot County

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

Questions

How many sit-down restaurants are in Talbot County, MD?

Talbot County has 128 sit-down restaurants on map listings as of September 2026. 27 of them (21%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 52 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023, down 3.7% from 2019.

How much do households in Talbot County, MD spend on food away from home?

About $68.6M a year, or $4,173 per household. That is 3% above the U.S. average (an index of 103, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 128 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $536K per restaurant. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants. It is estimated from the incomes of the 16,433 households in Talbot County and national spending patterns by income.

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

Talbot County has 77.9 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 27% above the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $536K, 19% below the U.S. figure of $664K. At the national ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, Talbot County would have about 103, against 128 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 316 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. The official count fell 3.7% from 2019 to 2023, against +1.5% for the U.S.

How fast is Talbot County, MD growing?

Population estimates put Talbot County at 38,238 people in 2025, up 2.0% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 16,433 households. The median household income in Talbot County is $84,811 a year, 5% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 15.3% 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. Talbot County scores 34 for sit-down restaurants (lower middle), #1,900 of 2,405 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

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

Screening a site or an acquisition in Talbot 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 Talbot 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.