Food and drink · County · Pennsylvania
Sit-down restaurants in Monroe County, PA
How Monroe 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 29 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #2,086 of 2,405 scored counties
#62 of 64 scored counties in Pennsylvania
- Listings
- 459
- 83 chain locations (18%)
- Official establishments
- 153
- −3.2% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $244.3M
- On food away from home · $3,991 a household
- Spending per listing
- $532K
- 20% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 75.0
- 22% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 167,179
- −0.7% since 2020
See the sit-down restaurants around any address in Monroe 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 Monroe 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
The Groundwork market score for sit-down restaurants in Monroe County is 29 (lower middle), #2,086 of 2,405 scored counties and #62 of 64 scored counties in Pennsylvania. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
As of September 2026, map listings count 459 sit-down restaurants in Monroe County. Chain locations make up 18% of them, against 29% across the U.S. That is 75.0 per 10,000 households, 22% above the U.S. rate of 61.3.
Household spending on food away from home in Monroe County comes to about $244.3M a year: $3,991 per household, 2% below the U.S. average. Spread across 459 sit-down restaurants, that is $532K per restaurant, 20% 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.
Official counts show 153 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in Monroe County in 2023, down 3.2% from 2019. That is one for every 400 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 7 SBA-backed loans worth $2.1M have gone to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Monroe County. Population estimates put the population change in Monroe County from 2020 to 2025 at −0.7%, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How Monroe 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 | Monroe County | Pennsylvania | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 75.0 | 53.7 | 61.3 |
| Spending per listing | $532K | $740K | $664K |
| Households per official establishment | 400 | 559 | 500 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −3.2% | −2.3% | +1.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −0.7% | +0.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,991 | $3,973 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $83,565 | $77,971 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 29 | 56 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 158 → 153−3.2% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 2,438
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $55.7M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 35Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 45983 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 368The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 7
- Amount
- $2.1M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Monroe 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 Monroe County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 167,179−0.7% since 2020
- Households
- 61,212
- Median age
- 44.0
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 80%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 608 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 275
- Median household income
- $83,565+30.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $102,906
- Median home value
- $267,600
- Jobs located here
- 50,869
- Daytime population
- 150,408Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Monroe 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 Monroe 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 Monroe 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 |
| 62Monroe County, PA | 29 | 459 | 75.0 | $532K | −0.7% | #2,086 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Monroe County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes30
- Sit-down restaurants29
- Fast food and sandwich shops49
- Pizza40
- Coffee shops and cafes41
- 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 Monroe County, PA?
Monroe County has 459 sit-down restaurants on map listings as of September 2026. 83 of them (18%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 153 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023, down 3.2% from 2019. Official counts list 35 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Monroe County, PA spend on food away from home?
About $244.3M a year, or $3,991 per household. That is 2% below the U.S. average (an index of 98, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 459 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $532K per restaurant. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants. It is estimated from the incomes of the 61,212 households in Monroe County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Monroe County, PA compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?
Monroe County has 75.0 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 22% above the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $532K, 20% below the U.S. figure of $664K. At the national ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, Monroe County would have about 368, against 459 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 400 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. The official count fell 3.2% from 2019 to 2023, against +1.5% for the U.S.
How fast is Monroe County, PA growing?
Population estimates put Monroe County at 167,179 people in 2025, down 0.7% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 61,212 households. The median household income in Monroe County is $83,565 a year, 4% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 30.7% 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. Monroe County scores 29 for sit-down restaurants (lower middle), #2,086 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Monroe 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 Monroe County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Monroe 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 Monroe 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.