Food and drink · Metro area · Ohio
Sit-down restaurants in the Cleveland, OH metro area
How the Cleveland, OH metro area compares with other metro areas and the U.S. for sit-down restaurants: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 50 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #188 of 387 scored metro areas
#8 of 12 scored metro areas based in Ohio
- Listings
- 4,958
- 1,484 chain locations (30%)
- Official establishments
- 1,571
- −0.6% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $3.6B
- On food away from home · $3,852 a household
- Spending per listing
- $724K
- 9% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 53.2
- 13% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 2,165,775
- −0.8% since 2020
See the sit-down restaurants around any address in the Cleveland 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 Cleveland 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
At $3,852 per household (5% below the U.S. average), households in the Cleveland metro area spend about $3.6B a year on food away from home. That works out to $724K per restaurant, 9% above the U.S. figure of $664K. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants.
There are 4,958 sit-down restaurants on map listings in the Cleveland metro area as of September 2026. Of those, 1,484 are chain locations, or 30%, against 29% across the U.S. That is 53.2 per 10,000 households, 13% below the U.S. rate of 61.3.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in the Cleveland metro area was 1,571 in 2023, down 0.6% from 2019. That is one for every 593 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Official counts list 336 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 136 SBA-backed loans worth $44.3M have gone to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in the Cleveland metro area.
Population estimates show the Cleveland metro area declined 0.8% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S. The Cleveland metro area scores 50 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for sit-down restaurants, ranking #188 of 387 scored metro areas and #8 of 12 scored metro areas based in Ohio.
How the Cleveland 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 | Cleveland metro area | Ohio | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 53.2 | 48.9 | 61.3 |
| Spending per listing | $724K | $783K | $664K |
| Households per official establishment | 593 | 632 | 500 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −0.6% | +0.3% | +1.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −0.8% | +0.9% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,852 | $3,829 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $70,678 | $71,389 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 50 | 65 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 1,571−0.6% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 35,227
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $877.3M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 336Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 4,9581,484 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 5,406The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 136
- Amount
- $44.3M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in the Cleveland 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 Cleveland metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 2,165,775−0.8% since 2020
- Households
- 931,377
- Median age
- 42.3
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 67%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.6
- Land area
- 2,702 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 804
- Median household income
- $70,678
- Average household income
- $98,881
- Median home value
- $215,400
- Jobs located here
- 1,071,853
- Daytime population
- 2,231,827Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Cleveland 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 Cleveland 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 Cleveland 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 Cleveland metro area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes46
- Sit-down restaurants50
- Fast food and sandwich shops40
- Pizza34
- Coffee shops and cafes59
- Bakeries and dessert shops47
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 Cleveland, OH metro area?
As of September 2026, map listings count 4,958 sit-down restaurants in the Cleveland metro area. 1,484 of them (30%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 1,571 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023, down 0.6% from 2019. Official counts also show 336 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Cleveland, OH metro area spend on food away from home?
About $3.6B a year, or $3,852 per household. That is 5% below the U.S. average (an index of 95, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 4,958 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $724K 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 931,377 households in the Cleveland metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Cleveland, OH metro area compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?
The Cleveland metro area has 53.2 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 13% below the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $724K, 9% above the U.S. figure of $664K. At the U.S. ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, the Cleveland metro area would have about 5,406, against 4,958 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 593 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. The official count fell 0.6% from 2019 to 2023, against +1.5% for the U.S.
How fast is the Cleveland, OH metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Cleveland metro area at 2,165,775 people in 2025, down 0.8% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 931,377 households. Median household income in the Cleveland metro area is $70,678, 12% below 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 Cleveland metro area scores 50 for sit-down restaurants (upper middle), #188 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 Cleveland 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 Cleveland metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Cleveland 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 Cleveland 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.