Food and drink · Metro area · Ohio
Sit-down restaurants in the Columbus, OH metro area
The sit-down restaurants in the Columbus, OH metro area, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other metro areas.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 75 out of 100: High
Ranked #28 of 387 scored metro areas
#1 of 12 scored metro areas based in Ohio
- Listings
- 4,590
- 1,571 chain locations (34%)
- Official establishments
- 1,399
- +4.4% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $3.6B
- On food away from home · $4,172 a household
- Spending per listing
- $786K
- 18% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 53.1
- 13% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 2,242,028
- +4.7% since 2020
See the sit-down restaurants around any address in the Columbus 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 Columbus 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
For sit-down restaurants, the Columbus metro area has a Groundwork market score of 75 (high): #28 of 387 scored metro areas and #1 of 12 scored metro areas based in Ohio. That puts it in the top 10% of metro areas for sit-down restaurants.
Map listings as of September 2026 show 4,590 sit-down restaurants in the Columbus metro area. 1,571 of them (34%) are chain locations, against 29% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 53.1, 13% below the U.S. rate of 61.3.
At $4,172 per household (3% above the U.S. average), households in the Columbus metro area spend about $3.6B a year on food away from home. Spread across 4,590 sit-down restaurants, that is $786K per restaurant, 18% above 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 the Columbus metro area was 1,399 in 2023, up 4.4% from 2019. That is one for every 618 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 127 SBA-backed loans worth $36.2M have gone to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in the Columbus metro area. Population estimates show the Columbus metro area grew 4.7% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How the Columbus 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 | Columbus metro area | Ohio | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 53.1 | 48.9 | 61.3 |
| Spending per listing | $786K | $783K | $664K |
| Households per official establishment | 618 | 632 | 500 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +4.4% | +0.3% | +1.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +4.7% | +0.9% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $4,172 | $3,829 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $81,945 | $71,389 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 75 | 65 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 1,399+4.4% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 37,471
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $940.2M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 258Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 4,5901,571 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 5,436The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 127
- Amount
- $36.2M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in the Columbus 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 Columbus metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 2,242,028+4.7% since 2020
- Households
- 864,663
- Median age
- 38.1
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 61%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 4,798 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 454
- Median household income
- $81,945+25.8% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $110,942
- Median home value
- $300,800
- Jobs located here
- 1,129,650
- Daytime population
- 2,268,069Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Columbus 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 Columbus 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 Columbus 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 Columbus metro area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes71
- Sit-down restaurants75
- Fast food and sandwich shops59
- Pizza47
- Coffee shops and cafes71
- Bakeries and dessert shops74
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 Columbus, OH metro area?
There are 4,590 sit-down restaurants on map listings in the Columbus metro area as of September 2026. 1,571 of them (34%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 1,399 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023, up 4.4% from 2019. Official counts list 258 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Columbus, OH metro area spend on food away from home?
About $3.6B a year, or $4,172 per household. That is 3% above the U.S. average (an index of 103, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 4,590 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $786K per restaurant. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants. It is estimated from the incomes of the 864,663 households in the Columbus metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Columbus, OH metro area compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?
The Columbus metro area has 53.1 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 13% below the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $786K, 18% above the U.S. figure of $664K. At the national ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, the Columbus metro area would have about 5,436, against 4,590 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 618 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. The official count rose 4.4% from 2019 to 2023, against +1.5% for the U.S.
How fast is the Columbus, OH metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Columbus metro area at 2,242,028 people in 2025, up 4.7% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 864,663 households. The median household income in the Columbus metro area is $81,945 a year, in line with the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 25.8% 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. The Columbus metro area scores 75 for sit-down restaurants (high), #28 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 Columbus 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 Columbus metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Columbus 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 Columbus 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.