Food and drink · County · Ohio
Sit-down restaurants in Darke County, OH
How Darke County, OH 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 61 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #701 of 2,405 scored counties
#44 of 88 scored counties in Ohio
- Listings
- 84
- 23 chain locations (27%)
- Official establishments
- 25
- −7.4% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $75M
- On food away from home · $3,520 a household
- Spending per listing
- $892K
- 34% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 39.4
- 36% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 51,520
- −0.7% since 2020
See the sit-down restaurants around any address in Darke 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 Darke 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
At $3,520 per household (14% below the U.S. average), households in Darke County spend about $75M a year on food away from home. That works out to $892K per restaurant, 34% above the U.S. figure of $664K. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants.
There are 84 sit-down restaurants on map listings in Darke County as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 27% of them, against 29% across the U.S. That is 39.4 per 10,000 households, 36% below the U.S. rate of 61.3.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in Darke County was 25 in 2023, down 7.4% from 2019. That is one for every 852 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Official counts list 5 one-person businesses without payroll.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Darke County declined 0.7%, against +3.1% for the U.S. The Groundwork market score for sit-down restaurants in Darke County is 61 (upper middle), #701 of 2,405 scored counties and #44 of 88 scored counties in Ohio.
How Darke County 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 | Darke County | Ohio | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 39.4 | 48.9 | 61.3 |
| Spending per listing | $892K | $783K | $664K |
| Households per official establishment | 852 | 632 | 500 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −7.4% | +0.3% | +1.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −0.7% | +0.9% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,520 | $3,829 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $64,486 | $71,389 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 61 | 65 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 27 → 25−7.4% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 439
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $8.9M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 5Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 8423 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 113The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 0
- Amount
- $0
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Darke 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 Darke County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 51,520−0.7% since 2020
- Households
- 21,297
- Median age
- 41.9
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 72%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 598 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 86
- Median household income
- $64,486+15.9% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $83,884
- Median home value
- $173,200
- Jobs located here
- 17,845
- Daytime population
- 43,574Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Darke 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 Darke 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 Ohio
Every Ohio market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Ohio for sit-down restaurants, numbered among those based in Ohio, with Darke County marked.
Top counties in Ohio
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Union County, OH | 95 | 83 | 34.3 | $1.4M | +16.5% | #5 of 2,405 |
| 2Pickaway County, OH | 89 | 58 | 26.5 | $1.5M | +7.4% | #27 of 2,405 |
| 3Morrow County, OH | 88 | 28 | 20.8 | $1.9M | +3.7% | #34 of 2,405 |
| 4Fairfield County, OH | 85 | 218 | 36.1 | $1.2M | +6.5% | #60 of 2,405 |
| 5Madison County, OH | 85 | 65 | 41.4 | $1M | +7.1% | #67 of 2,405 |
| 6Warren County, OH | 84 | 368 | 40.0 | $1.2M | +5.7% | #71 of 2,405 |
| 7Clermont County, OH | 81 | 318 | 37.4 | $1.1M | +3.9% | #109 of 2,405 |
| 8Holmes County, OH | 78 | 42 | 31.4 | $1.3M | +1.7% | #156 of 2,405 |
| 9Knox County, OH | 78 | 82 | 34.9 | $1.1M | +1.9% | #160 of 2,405 |
| 10Lorain County, OH | 78 | 486 | 38.1 | $1M | +3.1% | #166 of 2,405 |
| 44Darke County, OH | 61 | 84 | 39.4 | $892K | −0.7% | #701 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Darke County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes61
- Sit-down restaurants61
- Fast food and sandwich shops61
- Pizza47
- Coffee shops and cafes55
- Bakeries and dessert shops48
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 Darke County, OH?
As of September 2026, map listings count 84 sit-down restaurants in Darke County. 23 of them (27%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 25 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023, down 7.4% from 2019. Official counts also show 5 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Darke County, OH spend on food away from home?
About $75M a year, or $3,520 per household. That is 14% below the U.S. average (an index of 86, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 84 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $892K 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 21,297 households in Darke County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Darke County, OH compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?
Darke County has 39.4 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 36% below the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $892K, 34% above the U.S. figure of $664K. At the U.S. ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, Darke County would have about 113, against 84 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 852 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. The official count fell 7.4% from 2019 to 2023, against +1.5% for the U.S.
How fast is Darke County, OH growing?
Population estimates put Darke County at 51,520 people in 2025, down 0.7% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 21,297 households. Median household income in Darke County is $64,486, 20% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 15.9%, 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. Darke County scores 61 for sit-down restaurants (upper middle), #701 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Darke 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 Darke County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Darke 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 Darke 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.