Food and drink · County · New York
Sit-down restaurants in Cortland County, NY
The sit-down restaurants in Cortland 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 #1,579 of 2,405 scored counties
#41 of 61 scored counties in New York
- Listings
- 93
- 28 chain locations (30%)
- Official establishments
- 36
- −2.7% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $68.3M
- On food away from home · $3,595 a household
- Spending per listing
- $734K
- 11% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 48.9
- 20% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 45,850
- −1.9% since 2020
See the sit-down restaurants around any address in Cortland 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 Cortland 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
At $3,595 per household (12% below the U.S. average), households in Cortland County spend about $68.3M a year on food away from home. That works out to $734K per restaurant, 11% above the U.S. figure of $664K. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants.
Cortland County has 93 sit-down restaurants on map listings as of September 2026. 28 of them (30%) are chain locations, against 29% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 48.9, 20% below the U.S. rate of 61.3.
Official counts show 36 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in Cortland County in 2023, down 2.7% from 2019. That is one for every 528 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Official counts list 8 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 3 SBA-backed loans worth $587K have gone to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Cortland County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Cortland County declined 1.9%, against +3.1% for the U.S. For sit-down restaurants, Cortland County has a Groundwork market score of 41 (lower middle): #1,579 of 2,405 scored counties and #41 of 61 scored counties in New York.
How Cortland 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 | Cortland County | New York | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 48.9 | 72.5 | 61.3 |
| Spending per listing | $734K | $589K | $664K |
| Households per official establishment | 528 | 392 | 500 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −2.7% | −3.4% | +1.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −1.9% | −0.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,595 | $4,270 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $70,418 | $85,974 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 41 | 21 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 37 → 36−2.7% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 561
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $10.8M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 8Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 9328 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 103The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 3
- Amount
- $587K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Cortland 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 Cortland County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 45,850−1.9% since 2020
- Households
- 18,999
- Median age
- 39.1
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 66%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.7
- Land area
- 499 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 93
- Median household income
- $70,418+25.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $85,337
- Median home value
- $162,100
- Jobs located here
- 17,001
- Daytime population
- 43,892Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Cortland 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 Cortland 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 Cortland 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 |
| 41Cortland County, NY | 41 | 93 | 48.9 | $734K | −1.9% | #1,579 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Cortland County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes30
- Sit-down restaurants41
- Fast food and sandwich shops44
- Pizza41
- Coffee shops and cafes34
- Bakeries and dessert shops20
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 Cortland County, NY?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 93 sit-down restaurants in Cortland County. 28 of them (30%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 36 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023, down 2.7% from 2019. Official counts also show 8 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Cortland County, NY spend on food away from home?
About $68.3M a year, or $3,595 per household. That is 12% below the U.S. average (an index of 88, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 93 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $734K 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 18,999 households in Cortland County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Cortland County, NY compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?
Cortland County has 48.9 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 20% below the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $734K, 11% above the U.S. figure of $664K. At the U.S. ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, Cortland County would have about 103, against 93 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 528 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. The official count fell 2.7% from 2019 to 2023, against +1.5% for the U.S.
How fast is Cortland County, NY growing?
Population estimates put Cortland County at 45,850 people in 2025, down 1.9% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 18,999 households. Median household income in Cortland County is $70,418, 13% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 25.7%, 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. Cortland County scores 41 for sit-down restaurants (lower middle), #1,579 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Cortland 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 Cortland County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Cortland 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 Cortland 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.