Food and drink · County · Pennsylvania
Sit-down restaurants in Lackawanna County, PA
How Lackawanna County, PA 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 28 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #2,112 of 2,405 scored counties
#63 of 64 scored counties in Pennsylvania
- Listings
- 556
- 101 chain locations (18%)
- Official establishments
- 216
- −6.5% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $316.3M
- On food away from home · $3,584 a household
- Spending per listing
- $569K
- 14% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 63.0
- 3% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 216,502
- +0.5% since 2020
See the sit-down restaurants around any address in Lackawanna 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 Lackawanna 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
For sit-down restaurants, Lackawanna County has a Groundwork market score of 28 (lower middle): #2,112 of 2,405 scored counties and #63 of 64 scored counties in Pennsylvania. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
Map listings as of September 2026 show 556 sit-down restaurants in Lackawanna County. Of those, 101 are chain locations, or 18%, against 29% across the U.S. That comes to 63.0 for every 10,000 households, 3% above the U.S. rate of 61.3.
Households in Lackawanna County spend about $316.3M a year on food away from home, or $3,584 per household, 12% below the U.S. average. Spread across 556 sit-down restaurants, that is $569K per restaurant, 14% 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 Lackawanna County was 216 in 2023, down 6.5% from 2019. That is one for every 409 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 18 SBA-backed loans worth $5.4M have gone to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Lackawanna County. Population estimates put the population change in Lackawanna County from 2020 to 2025 at +0.5%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Lackawanna 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 | Lackawanna County | Pennsylvania | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 63.0 | 53.7 | 61.3 |
| Spending per listing | $569K | $740K | $664K |
| Households per official establishment | 409 | 559 | 500 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −6.5% | −2.3% | +1.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +0.5% | +0.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,584 | $3,973 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $66,223 | $77,971 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 28 | 56 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 231 → 216−6.5% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 3,187
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $61.8M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 49Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 556101 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 477The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 18
- Amount
- $5.4M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Lackawanna 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 Lackawanna County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 216,502+0.5% since 2020
- Households
- 88,263
- Median age
- 42.4
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 65%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.6
- Land area
- 459 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 471
- Median household income
- $66,223+25.4% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $89,204
- Median home value
- $201,800
- Jobs located here
- 97,186
- Daytime population
- 217,834Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Lackawanna 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 Lackawanna 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 Lackawanna 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 |
| 63Lackawanna County, PA | 28 | 556 | 63.0 | $569K | +0.5% | #2,112 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Lackawanna County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes28
- Sit-down restaurants28
- Fast food and sandwich shops39
- Pizza32
- Coffee shops and cafes53
- Bakeries and dessert shops31
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 Lackawanna County, PA?
There are 556 sit-down restaurants on map listings in Lackawanna County as of September 2026. 101 of them (18%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 216 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023, down 6.5% from 2019. Official counts list 49 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Lackawanna County, PA spend on food away from home?
About $316.3M a year, or $3,584 per household. That is 12% below the U.S. average (an index of 88, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 556 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $569K per restaurant. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants. It is estimated from the incomes of the 88,263 households in Lackawanna County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Lackawanna County, PA compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?
Lackawanna County has 63.0 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 3% above the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $569K, 14% below the U.S. figure of $664K. At the national ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, Lackawanna County would have about 477, against 556 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 409 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. The official count fell 6.5% from 2019 to 2023, against +1.5% for the U.S.
How fast is Lackawanna County, PA growing?
Population estimates put Lackawanna County at 216,502 people in 2025, up 0.5% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 88,263 households. The median household income in Lackawanna County is $66,223 a year, 18% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 25.4% 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. Lackawanna County scores 28 for sit-down restaurants (lower middle), #2,112 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Lackawanna 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 Lackawanna County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Lackawanna 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 Lackawanna 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.