Food and drink · County · Massachusetts
Sit-down restaurants in Essex County, MA
How Essex County, MA compares with other counties and the U.S. for sit-down restaurants: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 57 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #863 of 2,405 scored counties
#7 of 14 scored counties in Massachusetts
- Listings
- 1,820
- 315 chain locations (17%)
- Official establishments
- 696
- +6.9% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $1.4B
- On food away from home · $4,622 a household
- Spending per listing
- $795K
- 20% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 58.1
- 5% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 826,653
- +2.3% since 2020
See the sit-down restaurants around any address in Essex 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 Essex 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
At $4,622 per household (14% above the U.S. average), households in Essex County spend about $1.4B a year on food away from home. Spread across 1,820 sit-down restaurants, that is $795K per restaurant, 20% above the U.S. figure of $664K. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants.
Essex County has 1,820 sit-down restaurants on map listings as of September 2026. 315 of them (17%) are chain locations, against 29% across the U.S. That comes to 58.1 for every 10,000 households, 5% below the U.S. rate of 61.3.
In 2023, official counts showed 696 businesses with payroll in Essex County classed as full-service restaurants, up 6.9% from 2019. That is one for every 450 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Official counts list 132 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 66 SBA-backed loans worth $22.2M have gone to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Essex County.
Population estimates put the population change in Essex County from 2020 to 2025 at +2.3%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). For sit-down restaurants, Essex County has a Groundwork market score of 57 (upper middle): #863 of 2,405 scored counties and #7 of 14 scored counties in Massachusetts.
How Essex County compares
The same measures for Massachusetts 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 | Essex County | Massachusetts | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 58.1 | 60.1 | 61.3 |
| Spending per listing | $795K | $780K | $664K |
| Households per official establishment | 450 | 425 | 500 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +6.9% | +1.6% | +1.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.3% | +2.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $4,622 | $4,685 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $101,883 | $103,960 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 57 | 63 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 651 → 696+6.9% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 14,003
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $456M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 132Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 1,820315 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 2,181The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 66
- Amount
- $22.2M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Essex 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 Essex County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 826,653+2.3% since 2020
- Households
- 313,147
- Median age
- 42.2
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 64%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.7
- Land area
- 493 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 1,651
- Median household income
- $101,883+28.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $140,108
- Median home value
- $619,100
- Jobs located here
- 329,644
- Daytime population
- 736,954Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Essex 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 Essex 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 Massachusetts
Every Massachusetts market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Massachusetts for sit-down restaurants, numbered among those based in Massachusetts, with Essex County marked.
Top counties in Massachusetts
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Plymouth County, MA | 69 | 998 | 49.1 | $993K | +3.5% | #400 of 2,405 |
| 2Worcester County, MA | 69 | 1,656 | 49.3 | $900K | +3.7% | #408 of 2,405 |
| 3Bristol County, MA | 65 | 1,076 | 46.0 | $904K | +2.9% | #525 of 2,405 |
| 4Norfolk County, MA | 64 | 1,560 | 55.1 | $958K | +2.2% | #562 of 2,405 |
| 5Hampshire County, MA | 63 | 328 | 52.8 | $797K | +10.4% | #625 of 2,405 |
| 6Middlesex County, MA | 62 | 3,825 | 60.3 | $872K | +2.8% | #659 of 2,405 |
| 7Essex County, MA | 57 | 1,820 | 58.1 | $795K | +2.3% | #863 of 2,405 |
| 8Franklin County, MA | 51 | 128 | 40.5 | $932K | −0.3% | #1,115 of 2,405 |
| 9Hampden County, MA | 50 | 922 | 50.0 | $755K | +0.2% | #1,164 of 2,405 |
| 10Barnstable County, MA | 35 | 903 | 85.4 | $525K | +2.4% | #1,849 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Essex County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes59
- Sit-down restaurants57
- Fast food and sandwich shops73
- Pizza57
- Coffee shops and cafes54
- 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 Essex County, MA?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 1,820 sit-down restaurants in Essex County. 315 of them (17%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 696 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023, up 6.9% from 2019. Official counts also show 132 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Essex County, MA spend on food away from home?
About $1.4B a year, or $4,622 per household. That is 14% above the U.S. average (an index of 114, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 1,820 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $795K 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 313,147 households in Essex County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Essex County, MA compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?
Essex County has 58.1 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 5% below the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $795K, 20% above the U.S. figure of $664K. At the U.S. ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, Essex County would have about 2,181, against 1,820 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 450 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. The official count rose 6.9% from 2019 to 2023, against +1.5% for the U.S.
How fast is Essex County, MA growing?
Population estimates put Essex County at 826,653 people in 2025, up 2.3% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 313,147 households. Median household income in Essex County is $101,883, 26% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 28.5%, 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. Essex County scores 57 for sit-down restaurants (upper middle), #863 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Essex 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 Essex County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Essex 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 Essex 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.