Food and drink · Metro area · Ohio
Sit-down restaurants in the Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN metro area
The sit-down restaurants in the Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN metro area, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other metro areas.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 67 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #66 of 387 scored metro areas
#3 of 12 scored metro areas based in Ohio
- Listings
- 4,626
- 1,824 chain locations (39%)
- Official establishments
- 1,601
- +1.1% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $3.7B
- On food away from home · $4,096 a household
- Spending per listing
- $803K
- 21% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 51.0
- 17% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 2,312,858
- +2.7% since 2020
See the sit-down restaurants around any address in the Cincinnati metro area
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 the Cincinnati metro area. 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 the Cincinnati metro area spend about $3.7B a year on food away from home, or $4,096 per household, in line with the U.S. average. Spread across 4,626 sit-down restaurants, that is $803K per restaurant, 21% above the U.S. figure of $664K. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants.
The Cincinnati metro area has 4,626 sit-down restaurants on map listings as of September 2026. 1,824 of them (39%) are chain locations, against 29% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 51.0, 17% below the U.S. rate of 61.3.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in the Cincinnati metro area was 1,601 in 2023, up 1.1% from 2019. That is one for every 566 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Official counts also show 256 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 104 SBA-backed loans worth $42.2M have gone to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in the Cincinnati metro area.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of the Cincinnati metro area grew 2.7%, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for sit-down restaurants in the Cincinnati metro area is 67 (upper middle), #66 of 387 scored metro areas and #3 of 12 scored metro areas based in Ohio. That puts it in the top quarter of metro areas.
How the Cincinnati metro area compares
The same measures for Ohio 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 | Cincinnati metro area | Ohio | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 51.0 | 48.9 | 61.3 |
| Spending per listing | $803K | $783K | $664K |
| Households per official establishment | 566 | 632 | 500 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +1.1% | +0.3% | +1.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.7% | +0.9% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $4,096 | $3,829 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $81,120 | $71,389 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 67 | 65 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 1,601+1.1% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 43,114
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $1B
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 256Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 4,6261,824 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 5,596The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 104
- Amount
- $42.2M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in the Cincinnati metro area, 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 the Cincinnati metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 2,312,858+2.7% since 2020
- Households
- 906,675
- Median age
- 39.5
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 68%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 4,385 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 518
- Median household income
- $81,120
- Average household income
- $110,407
- Median home value
- $258,600
- Jobs located here
- 1,109,713
- Daytime population
- 2,288,397Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Cincinnati metro area?
These figures cover the whole metro area. 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 the Cincinnati metro area. 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 Ohio
Every Ohio market ranked →The highest-scoring metro areas in Ohio for sit-down restaurants, numbered among those based in Ohio (a market based in another state is listed without a number), with the Cincinnati metro area marked.
Top metro areas in Ohio
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Columbus, OH | 75 | 4,590 | 53.1 | $786K | +4.7% | #28 of 387 |
| 2Dayton-Kettering-Beavercreek, OH | 71 | 1,572 | 45.6 | $834K | +1.5% | #42 of 387 |
| 3Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN | 67 | 4,626 | 51.0 | $803K | +2.7% | #66 of 387 |
| 4Springfield, OH | 65 | 219 | 39.1 | $895K | −0.4% | #76 of 387 |
| 5Akron, OH | 63 | 1,460 | 49.2 | $782K | 0.0% | #94 of 387 |
| 6Mansfield, OH | 59 | 207 | 41.3 | $814K | −0.1% | #115 of 387 |
| 7Canton-Massillon, OH | 58 | 769 | 46.0 | $787K | −0.2% | #123 of 387 |
| Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH | 54 | 639 | 42.0 | $799K | −2.6% | #150 of 387 |
| 8Cleveland, OH | 50 | 4,958 | 53.2 | $724K | −0.8% | #188 of 387 |
| 9Lima, OH | 49 | 199 | 48.2 | $727K | −1.2% | #196 of 387 |
Other business types in the Cincinnati metro area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes65
- Sit-down restaurants67
- Fast food and sandwich shops54
- Pizza54
- Coffee shops and cafes70
- Bakeries and dessert shops64
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 the Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN metro area?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 4,626 sit-down restaurants in the Cincinnati metro area. 1,824 of them (39%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 1,601 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023, up 1.1% from 2019. Another 256 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in the Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN metro area spend on food away from home?
About $3.7B a year, or $4,096 per household. That is in line with the U.S. average (an index of 101, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 4,626 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $803K 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 906,675 households in the Cincinnati metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN metro area compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?
The Cincinnati metro area has 51.0 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 17% below the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $803K, 21% above the U.S. figure of $664K. At the U.S. ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, the Cincinnati metro area would have about 5,596, against 4,626 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 566 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. The official count rose 1.1% from 2019 to 2023, against +1.5% for the U.S.
How fast is the Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Cincinnati metro area at 2,312,858 people in 2025, up 2.7% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 906,675 households. Median household income in the Cincinnati metro area is $81,120, in line with the U.S. median of $80,734.
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. The Cincinnati metro area scores 67 for sit-down restaurants (upper middle), #66 of 387 scored metro areas.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Cincinnati metro area. 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 the Cincinnati metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Cincinnati metro area?
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 the Cincinnati metro area. 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.