Food and drink · County · New Jersey
Sit-down restaurants in Sussex County, NJ
The sit-down restaurants in Sussex County, NJ, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 67 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #460 of 2,405 scored counties
#4 of 21 scored counties in New Jersey
- Listings
- 302
- 40 chain locations (13%)
- Official establishments
- 114
- 0.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $282.2M
- On food away from home · $4,886 a household
- Spending per listing
- $935K
- 41% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 52.3
- 15% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 148,063
- +2.9% since 2020
See the sit-down restaurants around any address in Sussex 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 Sussex 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 302 sit-down restaurants in Sussex County. 40 of them (13%) are chain locations, against 29% across the U.S. That is 52.3 per 10,000 households, 15% below the U.S. rate of 61.3.
Household spending on food away from home in Sussex County comes to about $282.2M a year: $4,886 per household, 20% above the U.S. average. That works out to $935K per restaurant, 41% 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.
In 2023, official counts showed 114 businesses with payroll in Sussex County classed as full-service restaurants, unchanged from 2019. That is one for every 507 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Official counts also show 21 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 6 SBA-backed loans worth $3.5M have gone to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Sussex County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Sussex County grew 2.9%, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). For sit-down restaurants, Sussex County has a Groundwork market score of 67 (upper middle): #460 of 2,405 scored counties and #4 of 21 scored counties in New Jersey. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How Sussex 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 | Sussex County | New Jersey | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 52.3 | 77.9 | 61.3 |
| Spending per listing | $935K | $601K | $664K |
| Households per official establishment | 507 | 435 | 500 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | 0.0% | +2.1% | +1.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.9% | +3.0% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $4,886 | $4,680 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $116,186 | $103,556 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 67 | 44 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 114 → 1140.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,492
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $38.4M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 21Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 30240 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 425The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 6
- Amount
- $3.5M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Sussex 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 Sussex County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 148,063+2.9% since 2020
- Households
- 57,767
- Median age
- 44.2
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 84%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 519 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 281
- Median household income
- $116,186+22.9% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $144,531
- Median home value
- $369,400
- Jobs located here
- 36,880
- Daytime population
- 105,437Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Sussex 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 Sussex 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 Sussex 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 Sussex County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes72
- Sit-down restaurants67
- Fast food and sandwich shops78
- Pizza79
- Coffee shops and cafes72
- Bakeries and dessert shops67
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 Sussex County, NJ?
There are 302 sit-down restaurants on map listings in Sussex County as of September 2026. 40 of them (13%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 114 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023, unchanged from 2019. Another 21 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Sussex County, NJ spend on food away from home?
About $282.2M a year, or $4,886 per household. That is 20% above the U.S. average (an index of 120, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 302 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $935K per restaurant. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants. It is estimated from the incomes of the 57,767 households in Sussex County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Sussex County, NJ compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?
Sussex County has 52.3 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 15% below the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $935K, 41% above the U.S. figure of $664K. At the national ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, Sussex County would have about 425, against 302 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 507 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. The official count held level from 2019 to 2023, against +1.5% for the U.S.
How fast is Sussex County, NJ growing?
Population estimates put Sussex County at 148,063 people in 2025, up 2.9% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 57,767 households. The median household income in Sussex County is $116,186 a year, 44% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 22.9% 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. Sussex County scores 67 for sit-down restaurants (upper middle), #460 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Sussex 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 Sussex County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Sussex 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 Sussex 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.