Food and drink · County · New York
Sit-down restaurants in Tompkins County, NY
How Tompkins 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 36 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,801 of 2,405 scored counties
#48 of 61 scored counties in New York
- Listings
- 270
- 41 chain locations (15%)
- Official establishments
- 90
- −17.4% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $169.6M
- On food away from home · $3,919 a household
- Spending per listing
- $628K
- 5% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 62.4
- 2% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 104,047
- −1.4% since 2020
See the sit-down restaurants around any address in Tompkins 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 Tompkins 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 270 sit-down restaurants in Tompkins County. Chain locations make up 15% of them, against 29% across the U.S. That is 62.4 per 10,000 households, 2% above the U.S. rate of 61.3.
Households in Tompkins County spend about $169.6M a year on food away from home, or $3,919 per household, 4% below the U.S. average. That works out to $628K per restaurant, 5% below 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.
Official counts show 90 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in Tompkins County in 2023, down 17.4% from 2019. That is one for every 481 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Official counts list 7 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 3 SBA-backed loans worth $312K have gone to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Tompkins County.
Population estimates show Tompkins County declined 1.4% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S. Tompkins County scores 36 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for sit-down restaurants, ranking #1,801 of 2,405 scored counties and #48 of 61 scored counties in New York.
How Tompkins 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 | Tompkins County | New York | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 62.4 | 72.5 | 61.3 |
| Spending per listing | $628K | $589K | $664K |
| Households per official establishment | 481 | 392 | 500 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −17.4% | −3.4% | +1.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −1.4% | −0.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,919 | $4,270 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $74,024 | $85,974 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 36 | 21 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 109 → 90−17.4% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,586
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $41.8M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 7Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 27041 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 256The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 3
- Amount
- $312K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Tompkins 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 Tompkins County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 104,047−1.4% since 2020
- Households
- 43,263
- Median age
- 36.4
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 54%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.6
- Land area
- 475 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 220
- Median household income
- $74,024+22.9% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $102,718
- Median home value
- $290,900
- Jobs located here
- 46,926
- Daytime population
- 111,478Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Tompkins 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 Tompkins 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 Tompkins 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 |
| 48Tompkins County, NY | 36 | 270 | 62.4 | $628K | −1.4% | #1,801 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Tompkins County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes38
- Sit-down restaurants36
- Fast food and sandwich shops69
- Pizza57
- Coffee shops and cafes27
- Bakeries and dessert shops31
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 Tompkins County, NY?
There are 270 sit-down restaurants on map listings in Tompkins County as of September 2026. 41 of them (15%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 90 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023, down 17.4% from 2019. Official counts also show 7 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Tompkins County, NY spend on food away from home?
About $169.6M a year, or $3,919 per household. That is 4% below the U.S. average (an index of 96, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 270 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $628K per restaurant. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants. It is estimated from the incomes of the 43,263 households in Tompkins County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Tompkins County, NY compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?
Tompkins County has 62.4 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 2% above the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $628K, 5% below the U.S. figure of $664K. At the national ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, Tompkins County would have about 256, against 270 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 481 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. The official count fell 17.4% from 2019 to 2023, against +1.5% for the U.S.
How fast is Tompkins County, NY growing?
Population estimates put Tompkins County at 104,047 people in 2025, down 1.4% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 43,263 households. The median household income in Tompkins County is $74,024 a year, 8% below 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. Tompkins County scores 36 for sit-down restaurants (lower middle), #1,801 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Tompkins 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 Tompkins County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Tompkins 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 Tompkins 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.