Food and drink · Metro area · Oregon
Sit-down restaurants in the Salem, OR metro area
The sit-down restaurants in the Salem, OR metro area, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other metro areas.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 48 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #208 of 387 scored metro areas
#4 of 8 scored metro areas based in Oregon
- Listings
- 865
- 214 chain locations (25%)
- Official establishments
- 330
- +4.1% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $623.9M
- On food away from home · $3,903 a household
- Spending per listing
- $721K
- 9% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 54.1
- 12% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 445,814
- +2.7% since 2020
See the sit-down restaurants around any address in the Salem 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 Salem 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 $3,903 per household (4% below the U.S. average), households in the Salem metro area spend about $623.9M a year on food away from home. That is about $721K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 9% above the U.S. figure of $664K. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants.
The Salem metro area has 865 sit-down restaurants on map listings as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 25% of them, against 29% across the U.S. That is 54.1 per 10,000 households, 12% below the U.S. rate of 61.3.
Official counts show 330 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in the Salem metro area in 2023, up 4.1% from 2019. That is one for every 484 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Official counts list 51 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 16 SBA-backed loans worth $4M have gone to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in the Salem metro area.
Population estimates put the population change in the Salem metro area from 2020 to 2025 at +2.7%, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). The Salem metro area scores 48 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for sit-down restaurants, ranking #208 of 387 scored metro areas and #4 of 8 scored metro areas based in Oregon.
How the Salem metro area compares
The same measures for Oregon 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 | Salem metro area | Oregon | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 54.1 | 64.9 | 61.3 |
| Spending per listing | $721K | $627K | $664K |
| Households per official establishment | 484 | 405 | 500 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +4.1% | −5.3% | +1.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.7% | +0.7% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,903 | $4,070 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $78,900 | $83,011 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 48 | 31 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 330+4.1% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 4,866
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $127.1M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 51Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 865214 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 940The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 16
- Amount
- $4M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in the Salem 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 Salem metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 445,814+2.7% since 2020
- Households
- 159,856
- Median age
- 38.6
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 63%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 1,922 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 228
- Median household income
- $78,900+31.1% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $101,988
- Median home value
- $424,100
- Jobs located here
- 191,982
- Daytime population
- 440,002Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Salem 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 Salem 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 Oregon
Every Oregon market ranked →The highest-scoring metro areas in Oregon for sit-down restaurants, numbered among those based in Oregon, with the Salem metro area marked.
Top metro areas in Oregon
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Albany, OR | 67 | 224 | 44.2 | $825K | +3.0% | #64 of 387 |
| 2Corvallis, OR | 57 | 209 | 54.2 | $732K | +4.4% | #134 of 387 |
| 3Bend, OR | 49 | 667 | 63.8 | $665K | +7.0% | #201 of 387 |
| 4Salem, OR | 48 | 865 | 54.1 | $721K | +2.7% | #208 of 387 |
| 5Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA | 42 | 6,676 | 66.1 | $673K | +1.0% | #259 of 387 |
| 6Grants Pass, OR | 32 | 178 | 48.5 | $716K | −0.4% | #324 of 387 |
| 7Eugene-Springfield, OR | 30 | 885 | 55.2 | $662K | −0.7% | #343 of 387 |
| 8Medford, OR | 24 | 551 | 59.9 | $622K | −0.9% | #366 of 387 |
Other business types in the Salem metro area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes40
- Sit-down restaurants48
- Fast food and sandwich shops57
- Pizza64
- Coffee shops and cafes33
- 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 the Salem, OR metro area?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 865 sit-down restaurants in the Salem metro area. 214 of them (25%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 330 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023, up 4.1% from 2019. Official counts also show 51 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Salem, OR metro area spend on food away from home?
About $623.9M a year, or $3,903 per household. That is 4% below the U.S. average (an index of 96, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 865 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $721K 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 159,856 households in the Salem metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Salem, OR metro area compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?
The Salem metro area has 54.1 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 12% below the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $721K, 9% above the U.S. figure of $664K. At the U.S. ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, the Salem metro area would have about 940, against 865 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 484 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. The official count rose 4.1% from 2019 to 2023, against +1.5% for the U.S.
How fast is the Salem, OR metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Salem metro area at 445,814 people in 2025, up 2.7% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 159,856 households. Median household income in the Salem metro area is $78,900, 2% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 31.1%, 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 Salem metro area scores 48 for sit-down restaurants (lower middle), #208 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 Salem 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 Salem metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Salem 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 Salem 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.