Food and drink · County · Pennsylvania
Sit-down restaurants in Dauphin County, PA
The sit-down restaurants in Dauphin County, PA, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 48 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,284 of 2,405 scored counties
#38 of 64 scored counties in Pennsylvania
- Listings
- 728
- 165 chain locations (23%)
- Official establishments
- 221
- −3.1% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $468.4M
- On food away from home · $3,859 a household
- Spending per listing
- $643K
- 3% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 60.0
- 2% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 293,351
- +2.3% since 2020
See the sit-down restaurants around any address in Dauphin 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 Dauphin 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
Map listings as of September 2026 show 728 sit-down restaurants in Dauphin County. Of those, 165 are chain locations, or 23%, against 29% across the U.S. That is 60.0 per 10,000 households, 2% below the U.S. rate of 61.3.
Household spending on food away from home in Dauphin County comes to about $468.4M a year: $3,859 per household, 5% below the U.S. average. That is about $643K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 3% below 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 Dauphin County was 221 in 2023, down 3.1% from 2019. That is one for every 549 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Official counts also show 49 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 9 SBA-backed loans worth $8.1M have gone to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Dauphin County.
Population estimates put the population change in Dauphin County from 2020 to 2025 at +2.3%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). Dauphin County scores 48 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for sit-down restaurants, ranking #1,284 of 2,405 scored counties and #38 of 64 scored counties in Pennsylvania.
How Dauphin County compares
The same measures for Pennsylvania 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 | Dauphin County | Pennsylvania | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 60.0 | 53.7 | 61.3 |
| Spending per listing | $643K | $740K | $664K |
| Households per official establishment | 549 | 559 | 500 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −3.1% | −2.3% | +1.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.3% | +0.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,859 | $3,973 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $76,242 | $77,971 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 48 | 56 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 228 → 221−3.1% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 4,529
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $105M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 49Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 728165 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 706The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 9
- Amount
- $8.1M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Dauphin 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 Dauphin County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 293,351+2.3% since 2020
- Households
- 121,358
- Median age
- 39.9
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 63%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.7
- Land area
- 525 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 552
- Median household income
- $76,242+25.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $101,388
- Median home value
- $236,400
- Jobs located here
- 201,933
- Daytime population
- 355,122Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Dauphin 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 Dauphin 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 Pennsylvania
Every Pennsylvania market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Pennsylvania for sit-down restaurants, numbered among those based in Pennsylvania, with Dauphin County marked.
Top counties in Pennsylvania
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Perry County, PA | 79 | 52 | 28.4 | $1.4M | +2.1% | #137 of 2,405 |
| 2Lebanon County, PA | 79 | 193 | 34.0 | $1.1M | +2.2% | #146 of 2,405 |
| 3York County, PA | 79 | 770 | 42.4 | $952K | +3.6% | #151 of 2,405 |
| 4Butler County, PA | 77 | 344 | 42.6 | $993K | +3.2% | #197 of 2,405 |
| 5Pike County, PA | 75 | 98 | 40.4 | $987K | +7.2% | #244 of 2,405 |
| 6Chester County, PA | 74 | 1,074 | 52.4 | $991K | +4.2% | #272 of 2,405 |
| 7Adams County, PA | 73 | 169 | 41.4 | $967K | +3.6% | #302 of 2,405 |
| 8Lancaster County, PA | 72 | 927 | 43.6 | $950K | +1.9% | #322 of 2,405 |
| 9Fulton County, PA | 70 | 19 | 30.0 | $1.2M | −0.6% | #361 of 2,405 |
| 10Cumberland County, PA | 68 | 559 | 52.5 | $797K | +6.5% | #438 of 2,405 |
| 38Dauphin County, PA | 48 | 728 | 60.0 | $643K | +2.3% | #1,284 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Dauphin County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes48
- Sit-down restaurants48
- Fast food and sandwich shops56
- Pizza49
- Coffee shops and cafes65
- 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 Dauphin County, PA?
There are 728 sit-down restaurants on map listings in Dauphin County as of September 2026. 165 of them (23%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 221 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023, down 3.1% from 2019. Another 49 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Dauphin County, PA spend on food away from home?
About $468.4M a year, or $3,859 per household. That is 5% below the U.S. average (an index of 95, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 728 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $643K per restaurant. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants. It is estimated from the incomes of the 121,358 households in Dauphin County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Dauphin County, PA compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?
Dauphin County has 60.0 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 2% below the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $643K, 3% below the U.S. figure of $664K. At the national ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, Dauphin County would have about 706, against 728 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 549 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. The official count fell 3.1% from 2019 to 2023, against +1.5% for the U.S.
How fast is Dauphin County, PA growing?
Population estimates put Dauphin County at 293,351 people in 2025, up 2.3% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 121,358 households. The median household income in Dauphin County is $76,242 a year, 6% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 25.6% 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. Dauphin County scores 48 for sit-down restaurants (lower middle), #1,284 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Dauphin 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 Dauphin County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Dauphin 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 Dauphin 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.