Market rankings · New Jersey
Sit-down restaurants in New Jersey
Markets across New Jersey ranked by the Groundwork market score for sit-down restaurants, with competitor counts and household spending for each.
- Listings
- 27,328
- 4,822 chain locations (18%)
- Official establishments
- 8,060
- +2.1% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $16.4B
- On food away from home
- Listings per 10k households
- 77.9
- 27% above the U.S.
- Spending per listing
- $601K
- 9% below the U.S.
- Rank among states
- #31 of 51
- Market score 44 · Lower middle
A site report maps the sit-down restaurants on map listings around any address in New Jersey by name and distance, and the spending within reach.
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 27,328 sit-down restaurants in New Jersey. 4,822 of them (18%) are chain locations, against 29% across the U.S. That comes to 77.9 for every 10,000 households, 27% above the U.S. rate of 61.3.
Household spending on food away from home in New Jersey comes to about $16.4B a year: $4,680 per household, 15% above the U.S. average. That works out to $601K per restaurant, 9% 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.
Official counts show 8,060 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in New Jersey in 2023, up 2.1% from 2019. That is one for every 435 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Across the U.S., the count rose 1.5% over the same years. Since fiscal 2022, 465 SBA-backed loans worth $315M have gone to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in New Jersey.
Among the 50 states and DC, New Jersey ranks #31 for sit-down restaurants, with a Groundwork market score of 44 (lower middle). Of the 6 scored metro areas in or partly in New Jersey, the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington metro area scores highest (55). Among 21 scored counties, Burlington County scores highest (73).
Every market in New Jersey for sit-down restaurants
Download the ranking (CSV)Numbered by Groundwork market score among the markets based in New Jersey, highest first; the U.S. rank compares each market with every other of its kind. A metro area that crosses a state line is listed in each state it reaches, and numbered only in the state its page is under. How the score works.
Metro areas
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | 55 | 15,176 | 61.5 | $708K | +1.4% | #146 of 387 |
| Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ | 54 | 1,926 | 56.7 | $726K | +3.0% | #156 of 387 |
| 1Trenton-Princeton, NJ | 44 | 1,092 | 75.8 | $610K | +3.3% | #240 of 387 |
| 2Vineland, NJ | 42 | 330 | 61.4 | $591K | +2.2% | #265 of 387 |
| New York-Newark-Jersey City, NY-NJ | 30 | 60,910 | 82.4 | $559K | +0.6% | #346 of 387 |
| 3Atlantic City-Hammonton, NJ | 22 | 1,898 | 122.9 | $330K | +0.8% | #373 of 387 |
Counties
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Burlington County, NJ | 73 | 989 | 55.8 | $853K | +4.3% | #307 of 2,405 |
| 2Gloucester County, NJ | 71 | 615 | 54.6 | $847K | +3.3% | #350 of 2,405 |
| 3Salem County, NJ | 71 | 123 | 49.5 | $797K | +2.3% | #352 of 2,405 |
| 4Sussex County, NJ | 67 | 302 | 52.3 | $935K | +2.9% | #460 of 2,405 |
| 5Warren County, NJ | 62 | 252 | 55.5 | $794K | +3.2% | #677 of 2,405 |
| 6Somerset County, NJ | 58 | 944 | 72.2 | $761K | +3.5% | #825 of 2,405 |
| 7Hunterdon County, NJ | 57 | 342 | 67.2 | $814K | +2.3% | #859 of 2,405 |
| 8Ocean County, NJ | 57 | 1,513 | 62.0 | $690K | +5.6% | #874 of 2,405 |
| 9Camden County, NJ | 53 | 1,348 | 66.6 | $635K | +2.4% | #1,058 of 2,405 |
| 10Morris County, NJ | 51 | 1,485 | 76.8 | $706K | +3.2% | #1,138 of 2,405 |
| 11Mercer County, NJ | 48 | 1,092 | 75.8 | $610K | +3.3% | #1,289 of 2,405 |
| 12Essex County, NJ | 47 | 2,388 | 74.7 | $568K | +4.2% | #1,338 of 2,405 |
| 13Middlesex County, NJ | 46 | 2,457 | 79.8 | $605K | +2.6% | #1,382 of 2,405 |
| 14Cumberland County, NJ | 46 | 330 | 61.4 | $591K | +2.2% | #1,387 of 2,405 |
| 15Union County, NJ | 45 | 1,681 | 82.7 | $572K | +5.0% | #1,438 of 2,405 |
| 16Hudson County, NJ | 42 | 2,343 | 78.2 | $573K | +1.8% | #1,564 of 2,405 |
| 17Bergen County, NJ | 38 | 3,419 | 96.3 | $536K | +2.4% | #1,741 of 2,405 |
| 18Monmouth County, NJ | 37 | 2,296 | 91.2 | $564K | +1.4% | #1,778 of 2,405 |
| 19Passaic County, NJ | 35 | 1,511 | 84.4 | $505K | +1.6% | #1,852 of 2,405 |
| 20Atlantic County, NJ | 28 | 1,042 | 95.1 | $416K | +1.6% | #2,137 of 2,405 |
| 21Cape May County, NJ | 22 | 856 | 190.7 | $226K | −1.7% | #2,286 of 2,405 |
Questions
How many sit-down restaurants are in New Jersey?
New Jersey has 27,328 sit-down restaurants on map listings as of September 2026. 4,822 of them (18%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 8,060 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023, up 2.1% from 2019. Official counts list 2,559 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in New Jersey spend on food away from home?
About $16.4B a year, or $4,680 per household. That is 15% above the U.S. average (an index of 115, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 27,328 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $601K per restaurant. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants. It is estimated from the incomes of the 3,507,701 households in New Jersey and national spending patterns by income.
How does New Jersey compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?
New Jersey has 77.9 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 27% above the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $601K, 9% below the U.S. figure of $664K. At the national ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, New Jersey would have about 24,738, against 27,328 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 435 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. The official count rose 2.1% from 2019 to 2023, against +1.5% for the U.S.
Which market in New Jersey has the highest market score for sit-down restaurants?
Among 6 scored metro areas in or partly in New Jersey, the Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington metro area scores highest, at 55 (upper middle). Among 21 scored counties in New Jersey, Burlington County scores highest, at 73 (upper middle). Scores compare each market with others of its kind across the U.S.
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. New Jersey scores 44 for sit-down restaurants (lower middle), #31 of the 50 states and DC.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in New Jersey. 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.
Sit-down restaurants in other states
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Top markets for sit-down restaurants across the U.S. · All business types in New Jersey
Related business types in New Jersey
- Restaurants and cafes44,231 listings
- Fast food and sandwich shops4,765 listings
- Pizza3,483 listings
- Coffee shops and cafes3,488 listings
- Bakeries and dessert shops4,660 listings
Screening a site or an acquisition in New Jersey?
A site report maps the competitors on map listings near an address and sizes the households and spending around it.
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.