Food and drink · County · Mississippi
Sit-down restaurants in Washington County, MS
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for sit-down restaurants in Washington County, MS, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 17 out of 100: Low
Ranked #2,355 of 2,405 scored counties
#64 of 67 scored counties in Mississippi
- Listings
- 111
- 22 chain locations (20%)
- Official establishments
- 27
- +22.7% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $48.8M
- On food away from home · $2,853 a household
- Spending per listing
- $440K
- 34% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 64.9
- 6% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 40,446
- −9.4% since 2020
See the sit-down restaurants around any address in Washington 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 Washington 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
The Groundwork market score for sit-down restaurants in Washington County is 17 (low), #2,355 of 2,405 scored counties and #64 of 67 scored counties in Mississippi. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
Map listings as of September 2026 show 111 sit-down restaurants in Washington County. Chain locations make up 20% of them, against 29% across the U.S. That is 64.9 per 10,000 households, 6% above the U.S. rate of 61.3.
Household spending on food away from home in Washington County comes to about $48.8M a year: $2,853 per household, 30% below the U.S. average. That is about $440K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 34% 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 27 businesses with payroll in Washington County classed as full-service restaurants, up 22.7% from 2019. That is one for every 634 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $329K have gone to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Washington County. Population estimates put the population change in Washington County from 2020 to 2025 at −9.4%, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How Washington County compares
The same measures for Mississippi 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 | Washington County | Mississippi | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 64.9 | 55.4 | 61.3 |
| Spending per listing | $440K | $593K | $664K |
| Households per official establishment | 634 | 654 | 500 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +22.7% | +2.1% | +1.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −9.4% | −0.1% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $2,853 | $3,288 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $42,165 | $56,447 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 17 | 33 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 22 → 27+22.7% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 334
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $6.2M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 18Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 11122 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 74The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 2
- Amount
- $329K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Washington 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 Washington County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 40,446−9.4% since 2020
- Households
- 17,113
- Median age
- 38.2
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 60%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.6
- Land area
- 724 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 59
- Median household income
- $42,165+42.0% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $60,222
- Median home value
- $104,000
- Jobs located here
- 15,180
- Daytime population
- 41,627Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Washington 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 Washington 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 Mississippi
Every Mississippi market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Mississippi for sit-down restaurants, numbered among those based in Mississippi, with Washington County marked.
Top counties in Mississippi
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Tate County, MS | 70 | 40 | 36.3 | $941K | +2.1% | #377 of 2,405 |
| 2Greene County, MS | 64 | 8 | 19.5 | $1.6M | +1.3% | #546 of 2,405 |
| 3Amite County, MS | 63 | 6 | 10.3 | $2.6M | −1.7% | #592 of 2,405 |
| 4Walthall County, MS | 63 | 17 | 32.1 | $967K | +0.4% | #609 of 2,405 |
| 5Leake County, MS | 61 | 26 | 35.1 | $846K | +1.9% | #707 of 2,405 |
| 6Itawamba County, MS | 59 | 33 | 34.3 | $952K | +1.3% | #768 of 2,405 |
| 7George County, MS | 59 | 42 | 45.2 | $747K | +8.1% | #785 of 2,405 |
| 8Rankin County, MS | 59 | 346 | 57.5 | $673K | +3.2% | #793 of 2,405 |
| 9Perry County, MS | 58 | 10 | 21.5 | $1.4M | +1.1% | #794 of 2,405 |
| 10Smith County, MS | 57 | 15 | 26.8 | $1.2M | −1.5% | #836 of 2,405 |
| 64Washington County, MS | 17 | 111 | 64.9 | $440K | −9.4% | #2,355 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Washington County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes20
- Sit-down restaurants17
- Fast food and sandwich shops21
- Pizza31
- Coffee shops and cafes47
- Bakeries and dessert shops37
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 Washington County, MS?
There are 111 sit-down restaurants on map listings in Washington County as of September 2026. 22 of them (20%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 27 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023, up 22.7% from 2019. Official counts also show 18 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Washington County, MS spend on food away from home?
About $48.8M a year, or $2,853 per household. That is 30% below the U.S. average (an index of 70, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 111 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $440K per restaurant. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants. It is estimated from the incomes of the 17,113 households in Washington County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Washington County, MS compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?
Washington County has 64.9 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 6% above the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $440K, 34% below the U.S. figure of $664K. At the national ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, Washington County would have about 74, against 111 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 634 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. The official count rose 22.7% from 2019 to 2023, against +1.5% for the U.S.
How fast is Washington County, MS growing?
Population estimates put Washington County at 40,446 people in 2025, down 9.4% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 17,113 households. The median household income in Washington County is $42,165 a year, 48% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 42.0% 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. Washington County scores 17 for sit-down restaurants (low), #2,355 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Washington 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 Washington County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Washington 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 Washington 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.