Food and drink · County · New York
Sit-down restaurants in Erie County, NY
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for sit-down restaurants in Erie County, NY, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 45 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,418 of 2,405 scored counties
#32 of 61 scored counties in New York
- Listings
- 2,230
- 465 chain locations (21%)
- Official establishments
- 742
- −10.2% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $1.6B
- On food away from home · $3,811 a household
- Spending per listing
- $700K
- 6% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 54.4
- 11% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 946,741
- −0.6% since 2020
See the sit-down restaurants around any address in Erie 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 Erie 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 $3,811 per household (6% below the U.S. average), households in Erie County spend about $1.6B a year on food away from home. That works out to $700K per restaurant, 6% above the U.S. figure of $664K. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants.
There are 2,230 sit-down restaurants on map listings in Erie County as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 21% of them, against 29% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 54.4, 11% below the U.S. rate of 61.3.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in Erie County was 742 in 2023, down 10.2% from 2019. That is one for every 552 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Another 118 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 47 SBA-backed loans worth $15.1M have gone to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Erie County.
Population estimates show Erie County declined 0.6% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S. For sit-down restaurants, Erie County has a Groundwork market score of 45 (lower middle): #1,418 of 2,405 scored counties and #32 of 61 scored counties in New York.
How Erie 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 | Erie County | New York | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 54.4 | 72.5 | 61.3 |
| Spending per listing | $700K | $589K | $664K |
| Households per official establishment | 552 | 392 | 500 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −10.2% | −3.4% | +1.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −0.6% | −0.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,811 | $4,270 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $72,839 | $85,974 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 45 | 21 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 826 → 742−10.2% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 16,195
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $408.3M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 118Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 2,230465 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 2,353The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 47
- Amount
- $15.1M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Erie 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 Erie County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 946,741−0.6% since 2020
- Households
- 409,665
- Median age
- 41.8
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 66%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.5
- Land area
- 1,043 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 912
- Median household income
- $72,839+25.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $97,750
- Median home value
- $233,800
- Jobs located here
- 478,475
- Daytime population
- 994,716Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Erie 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 Erie 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 Erie 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 |
| 32Erie County, NY | 45 | 2,230 | 54.4 | $700K | −0.6% | #1,418 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Erie County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes46
- Sit-down restaurants45
- Fast food and sandwich shops59
- Pizza48
- Coffee shops and cafes46
- Bakeries and dessert shops46
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 Erie County, NY?
As of September 2026, map listings count 2,230 sit-down restaurants in Erie County. 465 of them (21%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 742 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023, down 10.2% from 2019. Official counts list 118 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Erie County, NY spend on food away from home?
About $1.6B a year, or $3,811 per household. That is 6% below the U.S. average (an index of 94, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 2,230 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $700K 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 409,665 households in Erie County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Erie County, NY compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?
Erie County has 54.4 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 11% below the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $700K, 6% above the U.S. figure of $664K. At the U.S. ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, Erie County would have about 2,353, against 2,230 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 552 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. The official count fell 10.2% from 2019 to 2023, against +1.5% for the U.S.
How fast is Erie County, NY growing?
Population estimates put Erie County at 946,741 people in 2025, down 0.6% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 409,665 households. Median household income in Erie County is $72,839, 10% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 25.3%, 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. Erie County scores 45 for sit-down restaurants (lower middle), #1,418 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Erie 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 Erie County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Erie 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 Erie 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.