Food and drink · County · Massachusetts
Sit-down restaurants in Middlesex County, MA
The sit-down restaurants in Middlesex County, MA, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 62 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #659 of 2,405 scored counties
#6 of 14 scored counties in Massachusetts
- Listings
- 3,825
- 737 chain locations (19%)
- Official establishments
- 1,425
- +2.4% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $3.3B
- On food away from home · $5,261 a household
- Spending per listing
- $872K
- 31% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 60.3
- 2% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 1,669,979
- +2.8% since 2020
See the sit-down restaurants around any address in Middlesex 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 Middlesex 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 3,825 sit-down restaurants in Middlesex County. Of those, 737 are chain locations, or 19%, against 29% across the U.S. That is 60.3 per 10,000 households, 2% below the U.S. rate of 61.3.
Households in Middlesex County spend about $3.3B a year on food away from home, or $5,261 per household, 29% above the U.S. average. Spread across 3,825 sit-down restaurants, that is $872K per restaurant, 31% 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.
Official counts show 1,425 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in Middlesex County in 2023, up 2.4% from 2019. That is one for every 445 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Another 197 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 94 SBA-backed loans worth $46.2M have gone to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Middlesex County.
Population estimates put the population change in Middlesex County from 2020 to 2025 at +2.8%, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for sit-down restaurants in Middlesex County is 62 (upper middle), #659 of 2,405 scored counties and #6 of 14 scored counties in Massachusetts.
How Middlesex 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 | Middlesex County | Massachusetts | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 60.3 | 60.1 | 61.3 |
| Spending per listing | $872K | $780K | $664K |
| Households per official establishment | 445 | 425 | 500 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +2.4% | +1.6% | +1.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.8% | +2.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $5,261 | $4,685 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $130,847 | $103,960 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 62 | 63 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 1,391 → 1,425+2.4% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 29,101
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $974.4M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 197Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 3,825737 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 5,028The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 94
- Amount
- $46.2M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Middlesex 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 Middlesex County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 1,669,979+2.8% since 2020
- Households
- 634,215
- Median age
- 40.3
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 61%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.6
- Land area
- 818 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 2,003
- Median household income
- $130,847+27.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $178,065
- Median home value
- $727,800
- Jobs located here
- 949,767
- Daytime population
- 1,753,217Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Middlesex 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 Middlesex 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 Middlesex 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 Middlesex County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes65
- Sit-down restaurants62
- Fast food and sandwich shops77
- Pizza66
- Coffee shops and cafes55
- Bakeries and dessert shops57
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 Middlesex County, MA?
There are 3,825 sit-down restaurants on map listings in Middlesex County as of September 2026. 737 of them (19%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 1,425 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023, up 2.4% from 2019. Official counts list 197 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Middlesex County, MA spend on food away from home?
About $3.3B a year, or $5,261 per household. That is 29% above the U.S. average (an index of 129, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 3,825 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $872K per restaurant. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants. It is estimated from the incomes of the 634,215 households in Middlesex County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Middlesex County, MA compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?
Middlesex County has 60.3 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 2% below the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $872K, 31% above the U.S. figure of $664K. At the national ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, Middlesex County would have about 5,028, against 3,825 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 445 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. The official count rose 2.4% from 2019 to 2023, against +1.5% for the U.S.
How fast is Middlesex County, MA growing?
Population estimates put Middlesex County at 1,669,979 people in 2025, up 2.8% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 634,215 households. The median household income in Middlesex County is $130,847 a year, 62% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 27.5% 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. Middlesex County scores 62 for sit-down restaurants (upper middle), #659 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Middlesex 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 Middlesex County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Middlesex 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 Middlesex 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.