Food and drink · County · New York
Sit-down restaurants in Suffolk County, NY
How Suffolk County, NY compares with other counties and the U.S. for sit-down restaurants: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 44 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,465 of 2,405 scored counties
#34 of 61 scored counties in New York
- Listings
- 3,940
- 711 chain locations (18%)
- Official establishments
- 1,393
- −2.4% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $2.6B
- On food away from home · $5,231 a household
- Spending per listing
- $656K
- In line with the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 79.7
- 30% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 1,546,090
- +1.6% since 2020
See the sit-down restaurants around any address in Suffolk 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 Suffolk 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
As of September 2026, map listings count 3,940 sit-down restaurants in Suffolk County. Of those, 711 are chain locations, or 18%, against 29% across the U.S. That comes to 79.7 for every 10,000 households, 30% above the U.S. rate of 61.3.
At $5,231 per household (29% above the U.S. average), households in Suffolk County spend about $2.6B a year on food away from home. That is about $656K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, in line with 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 Suffolk County was 1,393 in 2023, down 2.4% from 2019. That is one for every 355 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Official counts list 217 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 74 SBA-backed loans worth $48.5M have gone to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Suffolk County.
Population estimates put the population change in Suffolk County from 2020 to 2025 at +1.6%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for sit-down restaurants in Suffolk County is 44 (lower middle), #1,465 of 2,405 scored counties and #34 of 61 scored counties in New York.
How Suffolk 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 | Suffolk County | New York | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 79.7 | 72.5 | 61.3 |
| Spending per listing | $656K | $589K | $664K |
| Households per official establishment | 355 | 392 | 500 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −2.4% | −3.4% | +1.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +1.6% | −0.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $5,231 | $4,270 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $130,686 | $85,974 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 44 | 21 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 1,428 → 1,393−2.4% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 24,180
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $884.2M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 217Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 3,940711 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 3,897The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 74
- Amount
- $48.5M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Suffolk 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 Suffolk County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 1,546,090+1.6% since 2020
- Households
- 494,405
- Median age
- 42.5
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 82%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 898 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 1,620
- Median household income
- $130,686+29.4% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $167,491
- Median home value
- $578,400
- Jobs located here
- 624,016
- Daytime population
- 1,340,805Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Suffolk 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 Suffolk 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 Suffolk 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 |
| 34Suffolk County, NY | 44 | 3,940 | 79.7 | $656K | +1.6% | #1,465 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Suffolk County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes45
- Sit-down restaurants44
- Fast food and sandwich shops44
- Pizza52
- Coffee shops and cafes55
- Bakeries and dessert shops41
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 Suffolk County, NY?
Suffolk County has 3,940 sit-down restaurants on map listings as of September 2026. 711 of them (18%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 1,393 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023, down 2.4% from 2019. Official counts also show 217 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Suffolk County, NY spend on food away from home?
About $2.6B a year, or $5,231 per household. That is 29% above the U.S. average (an index of 129, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 3,940 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $656K per restaurant. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants. It is estimated from the incomes of the 494,405 households in Suffolk County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Suffolk County, NY compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?
Suffolk County has 79.7 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 30% above the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $656K, in line with the U.S. figure of $664K. At the national ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, Suffolk County would have about 3,897, against 3,940 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 355 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. The official count fell 2.4% from 2019 to 2023, against +1.5% for the U.S.
How fast is Suffolk County, NY growing?
Population estimates put Suffolk County at 1,546,090 people in 2025, up 1.6% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 494,405 households. The median household income in Suffolk County is $130,686 a year, 62% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 29.4% 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. Suffolk County scores 44 for sit-down restaurants (lower middle), #1,465 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Suffolk 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 Suffolk County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Suffolk 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 Suffolk 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.