Groundwork

Food and drink · County · New Jersey

Sit-down restaurants in Morris County, NJ

The sit-down restaurants in Morris County, NJ, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 51 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #1,138 of 2,405 scored counties
#10 of 21 scored counties in New Jersey

Listings
1,485
263 chain locations (18%)
Official establishments
517
−0.4% since 2019
Household spending a year
$1B
On food away from home · $5,423 a household
Spending per listing
$706K
6% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
76.8
25% above the U.S.
Population, 2025
524,251
+3.2% since 2020

See the sit-down restaurants around any address in Morris 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 Morris County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Survey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure

What this means

At $5,423 per household (33% above the U.S. average), households in Morris County spend about $1B a year on food away from home. That is about $706K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 6% above the U.S. figure of $664K. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants.

There are 1,485 sit-down restaurants on map listings in Morris County as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 18% of them, against 29% across the U.S. That is 76.8 per 10,000 households, 25% above the U.S. rate of 61.3.

Official counts show 517 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in Morris County in 2023, down 0.4% from 2019. That is one for every 374 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Official counts list 92 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 24 SBA-backed loans worth $27.7M have gone to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Morris County.

Population estimates show Morris County grew 3.2% from 2020 to 2025, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). Morris County scores 51 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for sit-down restaurants, ranking #1,138 of 2,405 scored counties and #10 of 21 scored counties in New Jersey.

How Morris County compares

The same measures for New Jersey 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.

Sit-down restaurants in Morris County, NJ compared with New Jersey and the U.S.
MeasureMorris CountyNew JerseyU.S.
Listings per 10k households76.877.961.3
Spending per listing$706K$601K$664K
Households per official establishment374435500
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023−0.4%+2.1%+1.5%
Population growth, 2020–2025+3.2%+3.0%+3.1%
Spending per household on food away from home$5,423$4,680$4,070
Median household income$137,326$103,556$80,734
Groundwork market score5144

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
519 → 517−0.4% over the period
Employees, 2023
8,976
Annual payroll, 2023
$276.2M
One-person businesses, 2023
92Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
1,485263 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
1,579The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
24
Amount
$27.7M

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Morris 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 Morris County

Population, 2025 estimate
524,251+3.2% since 2020
Households
193,245
Median age
43.4
Homes lived in by their owners
74%
Vehicles per household
1.9
Land area
461 sq. mi.
People per square mile
1,116
Median household income
$137,326+18.9% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$186,467
Median home value
$582,500
Jobs located here
316,491
Daytime population
565,316Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Morris 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 Morris County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Sit-down restaurants across New Jersey

Every New Jersey market ranked →

The highest-scoring counties in New Jersey for sit-down restaurants, numbered among those based in New Jersey, with Morris County marked.

Top counties in New Jersey

Counties in New Jersey ranked for sit-down restaurants by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Burlington County, NJ7398955.8$853K+4.3%#307 of 2,405
2Gloucester County, NJ7161554.6$847K+3.3%#350 of 2,405
3Salem County, NJ7112349.5$797K+2.3%#352 of 2,405
4Sussex County, NJ6730252.3$935K+2.9%#460 of 2,405
5Warren County, NJ6225255.5$794K+3.2%#677 of 2,405
6Somerset County, NJ5894472.2$761K+3.5%#825 of 2,405
7Hunterdon County, NJ5734267.2$814K+2.3%#859 of 2,405
8Ocean County, NJ571,51362.0$690K+5.6%#874 of 2,405
9Camden County, NJ531,34866.6$635K+2.4%#1,058 of 2,405
10Morris County, NJ511,48576.8$706K+3.2%#1,138 of 2,405

Other business types in Morris County

Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.

Questions

How many sit-down restaurants are in Morris County, NJ?

As of September 2026, map listings count 1,485 sit-down restaurants in Morris County. 263 of them (18%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 517 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023, down 0.4% from 2019. Official counts also show 92 one-person businesses without payroll.

How much do households in Morris County, NJ spend on food away from home?

About $1B a year, or $5,423 per household. That is 33% above the U.S. average (an index of 133, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 1,485 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $706K 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 193,245 households in Morris County and national spending patterns by income.

How does Morris County, NJ compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?

Morris County has 76.8 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 25% above the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $706K, 6% above the U.S. figure of $664K. At the U.S. ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, Morris County would have about 1,579, against 1,485 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 374 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. The official count fell 0.4% from 2019 to 2023, against +1.5% for the U.S.

How fast is Morris County, NJ growing?

Population estimates put Morris County at 524,251 people in 2025, up 3.2% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 193,245 households. Median household income in Morris County is $137,326, 70% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 18.9%, 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. Morris County scores 51 for sit-down restaurants (upper middle), #1,138 of 2,405 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Morris 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 Morris County

Screening a site or an acquisition in Morris 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 Morris 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.