Food and drink · County · New York
Sit-down restaurants in Albany County, NY
The sit-down restaurants in Albany County, NY, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 41 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,597 of 2,405 scored counties
#42 of 61 scored counties in New York
- Listings
- 904
- 189 chain locations (21%)
- Official establishments
- 328
- −3.2% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $558M
- On food away from home · $4,142 a household
- Spending per listing
- $617K
- 7% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 67.1
- 9% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 321,225
- +2.2% since 2020
See the sit-down restaurants around any address in Albany 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 Albany 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 Albany County spend about $558M a year on food away from home, or $4,142 per household, 2% above the U.S. average. That is about $617K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 7% below the U.S. figure of $664K. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants.
Albany County has 904 sit-down restaurants on map listings as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 21% of them, against 29% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 67.1, 9% above the U.S. rate of 61.3.
In 2023, official counts showed 328 businesses with payroll in Albany County classed as full-service restaurants, down 3.2% from 2019. That is one for every 411 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Another 31 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 21 SBA-backed loans worth $17.3M have gone to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Albany County.
Population estimates put the population change in Albany County from 2020 to 2025 at +2.2%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for sit-down restaurants in Albany County is 41 (lower middle), #1,597 of 2,405 scored counties and #42 of 61 scored counties in New York.
How Albany County compares
The same measures for New York 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 | Albany County | New York | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 67.1 | 72.5 | 61.3 |
| Spending per listing | $617K | $589K | $664K |
| Households per official establishment | 411 | 392 | 500 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −3.2% | −3.4% | +1.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.2% | −0.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $4,142 | $4,270 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $85,333 | $85,974 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 41 | 21 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 339 → 328−3.2% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 6,236
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $171.4M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 31Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 904189 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 841The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 21
- Amount
- $17.3M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Albany 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 Albany County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 321,225+2.2% since 2020
- Households
- 134,703
- Median age
- 40.3
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 57%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.5
- Land area
- 523 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 606
- Median household income
- $85,333+28.8% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $111,519
- Median home value
- $294,600
- Jobs located here
- 249,261
- Daytime population
- 417,371Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Albany 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 Albany 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 York
Every New York market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in New York for sit-down restaurants, numbered among those based in New York, with Albany County marked.
Top counties in New York
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Orleans County, NY | 69 | 35 | 21.6 | $1.6M | −0.5% | #390 of 2,405 |
| 2Wayne County, NY | 67 | 145 | 37.8 | $980K | +0.1% | #453 of 2,405 |
| 3Schoharie County, NY | 65 | 43 | 33.4 | $1.1M | +1.4% | #514 of 2,405 |
| 4Schenectady County, NY | 65 | 328 | 49.0 | $811K | +3.0% | #536 of 2,405 |
| 5Tioga County, NY | 64 | 56 | 27.5 | $1.4M | −1.9% | #547 of 2,405 |
| 6Wyoming County, NY | 64 | 52 | 31.6 | $1.1M | −1.3% | #553 of 2,405 |
| 7Oswego County, NY | 62 | 182 | 38.5 | $940K | +1.0% | #648 of 2,405 |
| 8Saratoga County, NY | 61 | 522 | 51.2 | $889K | +2.3% | #702 of 2,405 |
| 9Putnam County, NY | 59 | 196 | 55.1 | $924K | +1.4% | #771 of 2,405 |
| 10Livingston County, NY | 57 | 103 | 42.1 | $891K | −0.2% | #849 of 2,405 |
| 42Albany County, NY | 41 | 904 | 67.1 | $617K | +2.2% | #1,597 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Albany County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes42
- Sit-down restaurants41
- Fast food and sandwich shops50
- Pizza44
- Coffee shops and cafes45
- Bakeries and dessert shops50
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 Albany County, NY?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 904 sit-down restaurants in Albany County. 189 of them (21%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 328 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023, down 3.2% from 2019. Official counts list 31 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Albany County, NY spend on food away from home?
About $558M a year, or $4,142 per household. That is 2% above the U.S. average (an index of 102, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 904 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $617K 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 134,703 households in Albany County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Albany County, NY compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?
Albany County has 67.1 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 9% above the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $617K, 7% below the U.S. figure of $664K. At the U.S. ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, Albany County would have about 841, against 904 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 411 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. The official count fell 3.2% from 2019 to 2023, against +1.5% for the U.S.
How fast is Albany County, NY growing?
Population estimates put Albany County at 321,225 people in 2025, up 2.2% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 134,703 households. Median household income in Albany County is $85,333, 6% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 28.8%, 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. Albany County scores 41 for sit-down restaurants (lower middle), #1,597 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Albany 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 Albany County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Albany 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 Albany 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.