Food and drink · County · Michigan
Sit-down restaurants in Kent County, MI
How Kent County, MI 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 59 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #782 of 2,405 scored counties
#28 of 75 scored counties in Michigan
- Listings
- 1,365
- 452 chain locations (33%)
- Official establishments
- 474
- 0.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $1.1B
- On food away from home · $4,120 a household
- Spending per listing
- $775K
- 17% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 53.2
- 13% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 675,232
- +2.5% since 2020
See the sit-down restaurants around any address in Kent 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 Kent 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 1,365 sit-down restaurants in Kent County. Of those, 452 are chain locations, or 33%, against 29% across the U.S. That comes to 53.2 for every 10,000 households, 13% below the U.S. rate of 61.3.
At $4,120 per household (in line with the U.S. average), households in Kent County spend about $1.1B a year on food away from home. That works out to $775K per restaurant, 17% 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 474 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in Kent County in 2023, unchanged from 2019. That is one for every 541 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Official counts list 95 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 40 SBA-backed loans worth $18.2M have gone to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Kent County.
Population estimates show Kent County grew 2.5% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). For sit-down restaurants, Kent County has a Groundwork market score of 59 (upper middle): #782 of 2,405 scored counties and #28 of 75 scored counties in Michigan.
How Kent County 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 | Kent County | Michigan | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 53.2 | 47.1 | 61.3 |
| Spending per listing | $775K | $823K | $664K |
| Households per official establishment | 541 | 566 | 500 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | 0.0% | −0.1% | +1.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.5% | +0.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $4,120 | $3,875 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $82,631 | $72,875 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 59 | 64 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 474 → 4740.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 13,034
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $329.4M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 95Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 1,365452 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 1,593The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 40
- Amount
- $18.2M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Kent 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 Kent County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 675,232+2.5% since 2020
- Households
- 256,648
- Median age
- 37.4
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 70%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 850 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 781
- Median household income
- $82,631+31.1% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $109,612
- Median home value
- $289,900
- Jobs located here
- 399,575
- Daytime population
- 767,130Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Kent 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 Kent 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 Michigan
Every Michigan market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Michigan for sit-down restaurants, numbered among those based in Michigan, with Kent County marked.
Top counties in Michigan
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Clinton County, MI | 84 | 73 | 23.1 | $1.8M | +1.6% | #68 of 2,405 |
| 2Ottawa County, MI | 84 | 398 | 35.8 | $1.2M | +3.9% | #72 of 2,405 |
| 3Livingston County, MI | 79 | 275 | 36.0 | $1.3M | +1.7% | #138 of 2,405 |
| 4Barry County, MI | 77 | 54 | 22.1 | $1.8M | +2.2% | #182 of 2,405 |
| 5Cass County, MI | 76 | 50 | 23.6 | $1.6M | +0.2% | #208 of 2,405 |
| 6Kalkaska County, MI | 76 | 20 | 25.7 | $1.3M | +4.3% | #210 of 2,405 |
| 7Newaygo County, MI | 76 | 52 | 26.5 | $1.3M | +3.1% | #212 of 2,405 |
| 8Lapeer County, MI | 76 | 106 | 30.4 | $1.3M | +1.0% | #213 of 2,405 |
| 9Midland County, MI | 75 | 128 | 36.6 | $1.1M | +0.3% | #236 of 2,405 |
| 10Montcalm County, MI | 74 | 70 | 28.6 | $1.2M | +4.1% | #259 of 2,405 |
| 28Kent County, MI | 59 | 1,365 | 53.2 | $775K | +2.5% | #782 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Kent County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes55
- Sit-down restaurants59
- Fast food and sandwich shops54
- Pizza54
- Coffee shops and cafes53
- Bakeries and dessert shops53
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 Kent County, MI?
There are 1,365 sit-down restaurants on map listings in Kent County as of September 2026. 452 of them (33%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 474 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023, unchanged from 2019. Official counts also show 95 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Kent County, MI spend on food away from home?
About $1.1B a year, or $4,120 per household. That is in line with the U.S. average (an index of 101, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 1,365 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $775K per restaurant. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants. It is estimated from the incomes of the 256,648 households in Kent County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Kent County, MI compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?
Kent County has 53.2 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 13% below the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $775K, 17% above the U.S. figure of $664K. At the national ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, Kent County would have about 1,593, against 1,365 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 541 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. The official count held level from 2019 to 2023, against +1.5% for the U.S.
How fast is Kent County, MI growing?
Population estimates put Kent County at 675,232 people in 2025, up 2.5% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 256,648 households. The median household income in Kent County is $82,631 a year, 2% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 31.1% 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. Kent County scores 59 for sit-down restaurants (upper middle), #782 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Kent 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 Kent County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Kent 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 Kent 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.