Food and drink · County · New Hampshire
Sit-down restaurants in Strafford County, NH
The sit-down restaurants in Strafford County, NH, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 70 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #368 of 2,405 scored counties
#2 of 10 scored counties in New Hampshire
- Listings
- 224
- 49 chain locations (22%)
- Official establishments
- 98
- +5.4% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $223.2M
- On food away from home · $4,286 a household
- Spending per listing
- $996K
- 50% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 43.0
- 30% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 135,043
- +3.0% since 2020
See the sit-down restaurants around any address in Strafford 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 Strafford 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
Households in Strafford County spend about $223.2M a year on food away from home, or $4,286 per household, 5% above the U.S. average. Spread across 224 sit-down restaurants, that is $996K per restaurant, 50% above the U.S. figure of $664K. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants.
There are 224 sit-down restaurants on map listings in Strafford County as of September 2026. 49 of them (22%) are chain locations, against 29% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 43.0, 30% below the U.S. rate of 61.3.
In 2023, official counts showed 98 businesses with payroll in Strafford County classed as full-service restaurants, up 5.4% from 2019. That is one for every 531 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Official counts also show 15 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 13 SBA-backed loans worth $2.9M have gone to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Strafford County.
Population estimates put the population change in Strafford County from 2020 to 2025 at +3.0%, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). Strafford County scores 70 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for sit-down restaurants, ranking #368 of 2,405 scored counties and #2 of 10 scored counties in New Hampshire. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How Strafford County compares
The same measures for New Hampshire 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 | Strafford County | New Hampshire | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 43.0 | 55.6 | 61.3 |
| Spending per listing | $996K | $808K | $664K |
| Households per official establishment | 531 | 405 | 500 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +5.4% | +1.5% | +1.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +3.0% | +2.7% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $4,286 | $4,493 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $88,570 | $99,031 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 70 | 62 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 93 → 98+5.4% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 2,120
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $50.1M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 15Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 22449 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 336The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 13
- Amount
- $2.9M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Strafford 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 Strafford County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 135,043+3.0% since 2020
- Households
- 52,080
- Median age
- 40.5
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 67%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 368 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 361
- Median household income
- $88,570+21.4% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $114,189
- Median home value
- $362,800
- Jobs located here
- 49,807
- Daytime population
- 117,713Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Strafford 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 Strafford 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 New Hampshire
Every New Hampshire market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in New Hampshire for sit-down restaurants, numbered among those based in New Hampshire, with Strafford County marked.
Top counties in New Hampshire
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Sullivan County, NH | 72 | 64 | 38.5 | $1M | +2.1% | #318 of 2,405 |
| 2Strafford County, NH | 70 | 224 | 43.0 | $996K | +3.0% | #368 of 2,405 |
| 3Merrimack County, NH | 67 | 257 | 42.2 | $1M | +2.6% | #451 of 2,405 |
| 4Hillsborough County, NH | 63 | 844 | 50.0 | $925K | +2.5% | #615 of 2,405 |
| 5Cheshire County, NH | 58 | 153 | 50.0 | $805K | +2.3% | #822 of 2,405 |
| 6Rockingham County, NH | 52 | 875 | 68.6 | $724K | +3.0% | #1,094 of 2,405 |
| 7Belknap County, NH | 45 | 162 | 61.5 | $691K | +2.1% | #1,421 of 2,405 |
| 8Carroll County, NH | 39 | 165 | 75.5 | $546K | +5.0% | #1,701 of 2,405 |
| 9Grafton County, NH | 37 | 266 | 71.7 | $591K | +2.2% | #1,774 of 2,405 |
| 10Coos County, NH | 23 | 81 | 57.8 | $573K | +0.4% | #2,246 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Strafford County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes65
- Sit-down restaurants70
- Fast food and sandwich shops76
- Pizza67
- Coffee shops and cafes46
- Bakeries and dessert shops44
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 Strafford County, NH?
As of September 2026, map listings count 224 sit-down restaurants in Strafford County. 49 of them (22%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 98 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023, up 5.4% from 2019. Another 15 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Strafford County, NH spend on food away from home?
About $223.2M a year, or $4,286 per household. That is 5% above the U.S. average (an index of 105, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 224 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $996K 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 52,080 households in Strafford County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Strafford County, NH compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?
Strafford County has 43.0 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 30% below the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $996K, 50% above the U.S. figure of $664K. At the U.S. ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, Strafford County would have about 336, against 224 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 531 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. The official count rose 5.4% from 2019 to 2023, against +1.5% for the U.S.
How fast is Strafford County, NH growing?
Population estimates put Strafford County at 135,043 people in 2025, up 3.0% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 52,080 households. Median household income in Strafford County is $88,570, 10% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 21.4%, 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. Strafford County scores 70 for sit-down restaurants (upper middle), #368 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Strafford 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 Strafford County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Strafford 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 Strafford 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.