Food and drink · Metro area · Michigan
Sit-down restaurants in the Jackson, MI metro area
How the Jackson, MI metro area compares with other metro areas and the U.S. for sit-down restaurants: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 69 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #52 of 387 scored metro areas
#5 of 15 scored metro areas based in Michigan
- Listings
- 220
- 77 chain locations (35%)
- Official establishments
- 86
- +2.4% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $228.5M
- On food away from home · $3,653 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1M
- 56% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 35.2
- 43% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 159,552
- −0.4% since 2020
See the sit-down restaurants around any address in the Jackson metro area
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 the Jackson metro area. 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 220 sit-down restaurants in the Jackson metro area. Of those, 77 are chain locations, or 35%, against 29% across the U.S. That comes to 35.2 for every 10,000 households, 43% below the U.S. rate of 61.3.
At $3,653 per household (10% below the U.S. average), households in the Jackson metro area spend about $228.5M a year on food away from home. Spread across 220 sit-down restaurants, that is $1M per restaurant, 56% 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 86 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in the Jackson metro area in 2023, up 2.4% from 2019. That is one for every 727 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Another 4 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 6 SBA-backed loans worth $2.8M have gone to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in the Jackson metro area.
Population estimates show the Jackson metro area declined 0.4% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S. The Groundwork market score for sit-down restaurants in the Jackson metro area is 69 (upper middle), #52 of 387 scored metro areas and #5 of 15 scored metro areas based in Michigan. That puts it in the top quarter of metro areas.
How the Jackson metro area compares
The same measures for Michigan 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 | Jackson metro area | Michigan | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 35.2 | 47.1 | 61.3 |
| Spending per listing | $1M | $823K | $664K |
| Households per official establishment | 727 | 566 | 500 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +2.4% | −0.1% | +1.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −0.4% | +0.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,653 | $3,875 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $66,073 | $72,875 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 69 | 64 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 86+2.4% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,970
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $41.8M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 4Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 22077 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 344The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 6
- Amount
- $2.8M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in the Jackson metro area, 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 the Jackson metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 159,552−0.4% since 2020
- Households
- 62,540
- Median age
- 41.4
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 75%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 702 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 228
- Median household income
- $66,073+23.1% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $88,666
- Median home value
- $193,700
- Jobs located here
- 59,579
- Daytime population
- 159,707Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Jackson metro area?
These figures cover the whole metro area. 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 the Jackson metro area. 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 Michigan
Every Michigan market ranked →The highest-scoring metro areas in Michigan for sit-down restaurants, numbered among those based in Michigan, with the Jackson metro area marked.
Top metro areas in Michigan
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Midland, MI | 79 | 128 | 36.6 | $1.1M | +0.3% | #15 of 387 |
| 2Monroe, MI | 77 | 227 | 36.0 | $1.1M | +0.7% | #20 of 387 |
| 3Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, MI | 76 | 1,962 | 44.6 | $919K | +2.8% | #25 of 387 |
| 4Lansing-East Lansing, MI | 70 | 895 | 46.1 | $826K | +1.4% | #49 of 387 |
| 5Jackson, MI | 69 | 220 | 35.2 | $1M | −0.4% | #52 of 387 |
| 6Flint, MI | 64 | 635 | 37.9 | $932K | −1.1% | #85 of 387 |
| 7Battle Creek, MI | 62 | 222 | 41.6 | $846K | −0.6% | #100 of 387 |
| 8Muskegon-Norton Shores, MI | 62 | 282 | 41.6 | $837K | +1.8% | #101 of 387 |
| 9Bay City, MI | 58 | 149 | 33.0 | $1M | −1.6% | #120 of 387 |
| 10Ann Arbor, MI | 58 | 826 | 54.9 | $805K | −0.4% | #121 of 387 |
Other business types in the Jackson metro area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes70
- Sit-down restaurants69
- Fast food and sandwich shops55
- Pizza53
- Coffee shops and cafes54
- Bakeries and dessert shops45
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 the Jackson, MI metro area?
The Jackson metro area has 220 sit-down restaurants on map listings as of September 2026. 77 of them (35%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 86 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023, up 2.4% from 2019. Official counts list 4 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Jackson, MI metro area spend on food away from home?
About $228.5M a year, or $3,653 per household. That is 10% below the U.S. average (an index of 90, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 220 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $1M per restaurant. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants. It is estimated from the incomes of the 62,540 households in the Jackson metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Jackson, MI metro area compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?
The Jackson metro area has 35.2 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 43% below the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $1M, 56% above the U.S. figure of $664K. At the national ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, the Jackson metro area would have about 344, against 220 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 727 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 the Jackson, MI metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Jackson metro area at 159,552 people in 2025, down 0.4% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 62,540 households. The median household income in the Jackson metro area is $66,073 a year, 18% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 23.1% 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. The Jackson metro area scores 69 for sit-down restaurants (upper middle), #52 of 387 scored metro areas.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Jackson metro area. 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 the Jackson metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Jackson metro area?
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 the Jackson metro area. 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.