Groundwork

Food and drink · County · Pennsylvania

Sit-down restaurants in Luzerne County, PA

Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for sit-down restaurants in Luzerne County, PA, set against other counties and the U.S.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 33 out of 100: Lower middle

Ranked #1,925 of 2,405 scored counties
#58 of 64 scored counties in Pennsylvania

Listings
833
166 chain locations (20%)
Official establishments
294
−0.7% since 2019
Household spending a year
$476.5M
On food away from home · $3,528 a household
Spending per listing
$572K
14% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
61.7
In line with the U.S.
Population, 2025
332,126
+2.1% since 2020

See the sit-down restaurants around any address in Luzerne 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 Luzerne County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Survey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure

What this means

Luzerne County scores 33 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for sit-down restaurants, ranking #1,925 of 2,405 scored counties and #58 of 64 scored counties in Pennsylvania. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.

At $3,528 per household (13% below the U.S. average), households in Luzerne County spend about $476.5M a year on food away from home. Spread across 833 sit-down restaurants, that is $572K per restaurant, 14% below the U.S. figure of $664K. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants.

There are 833 sit-down restaurants on map listings in Luzerne County as of September 2026. 166 of them (20%) are chain locations, against 29% across the U.S. That comes to 61.7 for every 10,000 households, in line with the U.S. rate of 61.3.

Official counts show 294 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in Luzerne County in 2023, down 0.7% from 2019. That is one for every 459 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 17 SBA-backed loans worth $5.3M have gone to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Luzerne County. Population estimates put the population change in Luzerne County from 2020 to 2025 at +2.1%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%).

How Luzerne 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.

Sit-down restaurants in Luzerne County, PA compared with Pennsylvania and the U.S.
MeasureLuzerne CountyPennsylvaniaU.S.
Listings per 10k households61.753.761.3
Spending per listing$572K$740K$664K
Households per official establishment459559500
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023−0.7%−2.3%+1.5%
Population growth, 2020–2025+2.1%+0.5%+3.1%
Spending per household on food away from home$3,528$3,973$4,070
Median household income$63,691$77,971$80,734
Groundwork market score3356

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
296 → 294−0.7% over the period
Employees, 2023
4,510
Annual payroll, 2023
$88.2M
One-person businesses, 2023
98Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
833166 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
718The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
17
Amount
$5.3M

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Luzerne 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 Luzerne County

Population, 2025 estimate
332,126+2.1% since 2020
Households
135,055
Median age
42.5
Homes lived in by their owners
68%
Vehicles per household
1.7
Land area
890 sq. mi.
People per square mile
368
Median household income
$63,691+19.1% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$86,455
Median home value
$174,100
Jobs located here
146,183
Daytime population
329,640Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Luzerne 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 Luzerne County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Sit-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 Luzerne County marked.

Top counties in Pennsylvania

Counties in Pennsylvania ranked for sit-down restaurants by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Perry County, PA795228.4$1.4M+2.1%#137 of 2,405
2Lebanon County, PA7919334.0$1.1M+2.2%#146 of 2,405
3York County, PA7977042.4$952K+3.6%#151 of 2,405
4Butler County, PA7734442.6$993K+3.2%#197 of 2,405
5Pike County, PA759840.4$987K+7.2%#244 of 2,405
6Chester County, PA741,07452.4$991K+4.2%#272 of 2,405
7Adams County, PA7316941.4$967K+3.6%#302 of 2,405
8Lancaster County, PA7292743.6$950K+1.9%#322 of 2,405
9Fulton County, PA701930.0$1.2M−0.6%#361 of 2,405
10Cumberland County, PA6855952.5$797K+6.5%#438 of 2,405
58Luzerne County, PA3383361.7$572K+2.1%#1,925 of 2,405

Other business types in Luzerne County

Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.

Questions

How many sit-down restaurants are in Luzerne County, PA?

As of September 2026, map listings count 833 sit-down restaurants in Luzerne County. 166 of them (20%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 294 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023, down 0.7% from 2019. Official counts also show 98 one-person businesses without payroll.

How much do households in Luzerne County, PA spend on food away from home?

About $476.5M a year, or $3,528 per household. That is 13% below the U.S. average (an index of 87, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 833 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $572K 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 135,055 households in Luzerne County and national spending patterns by income.

How does Luzerne County, PA compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?

Luzerne County has 61.7 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, in line with the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $572K, 14% below the U.S. figure of $664K. At the U.S. ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, Luzerne County would have about 718, against 833 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 459 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. The official count fell 0.7% from 2019 to 2023, against +1.5% for the U.S.

How fast is Luzerne County, PA growing?

Population estimates put Luzerne County at 332,126 people in 2025, up 2.1% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 135,055 households. Median household income in Luzerne County is $63,691, 21% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 19.1%, 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. Luzerne County scores 33 for sit-down restaurants (lower middle), #1,925 of 2,405 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Luzerne 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 Luzerne County

Screening a site or an acquisition in Luzerne 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 Luzerne 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.