Food and drink · County · New Jersey
Sit-down restaurants in Salem County, NJ
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for sit-down restaurants in Salem County, NJ, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 71 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #352 of 2,405 scored counties
#3 of 21 scored counties in New Jersey
- Listings
- 123
- 27 chain locations (22%)
- Official establishments
- 27
- +8.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $98.1M
- On food away from home · $3,947 a household
- Spending per listing
- $797K
- 20% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 49.5
- 19% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 66,280
- +2.3% since 2020
See the sit-down restaurants around any address in Salem 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 Salem 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 123 sit-down restaurants in Salem County. 27 of them (22%) are chain locations, against 29% across the U.S. That is 49.5 per 10,000 households, 19% below the U.S. rate of 61.3.
At $3,947 per household (3% below the U.S. average), households in Salem County spend about $98.1M a year on food away from home. That is about $797K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 20% 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.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in Salem County was 27 in 2023, up 8.0% from 2019. That is one for every 920 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Official counts list 6 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $149K has gone to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Salem County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Salem County grew 2.3%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for sit-down restaurants in Salem County is 71 (upper middle), #352 of 2,405 scored counties and #3 of 21 scored counties in New Jersey. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How Salem 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.
| Measure | Salem County | New Jersey | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 49.5 | 77.9 | 61.3 |
| Spending per listing | $797K | $601K | $664K |
| Households per official establishment | 920 | 435 | 500 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +8.0% | +2.1% | +1.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.3% | +3.0% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,947 | $4,680 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $79,960 | $103,556 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 71 | 44 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 25 → 27+8.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 479
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $8.7M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 6Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 12327 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 148The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $149K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Salem 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 Salem County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 66,280+2.3% since 2020
- Households
- 24,846
- Median age
- 41.7
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 71%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 332 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 197
- Median household income
- $79,960+19.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $101,600
- Median home value
- $239,500
- Jobs located here
- 21,251
- Daytime population
- 51,699Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Salem 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 Salem 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 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 Salem County marked.
Top counties in New Jersey
| 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 |
Other business types in Salem County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes71
- Sit-down restaurants71
- Fast food and sandwich shops75
- Pizza58
- Coffee shops and cafes71
- Bakeries and dessert shops52
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 Salem County, NJ?
There are 123 sit-down restaurants on map listings in Salem County as of September 2026. 27 of them (22%) 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 8.0% from 2019. Official counts also show 6 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Salem County, NJ spend on food away from home?
About $98.1M a year, or $3,947 per household. That is 3% below the U.S. average (an index of 97, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 123 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $797K per restaurant. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants. It is estimated from the incomes of the 24,846 households in Salem County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Salem County, NJ compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?
Salem County has 49.5 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 19% below the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $797K, 20% above the U.S. figure of $664K. At the national ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, Salem County would have about 148, against 123 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 920 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. The official count rose 8.0% from 2019 to 2023, against +1.5% for the U.S.
How fast is Salem County, NJ growing?
Population estimates put Salem County at 66,280 people in 2025, up 2.3% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 24,846 households. The median household income in Salem County is $79,960 a year, in line with the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 19.6% 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. Salem County scores 71 for sit-down restaurants (upper middle), #352 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Salem 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 Salem County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Salem 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 Salem 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.