Groundwork

Market rankings · Rhode Island

Sit-down restaurants in Rhode Island

Every metro area, small-town market and county in Rhode Island, ranked by the Groundwork market score for sit-down restaurants, with competitor counts and household spending for each.

Listings
2,992
555 chain locations (19%)
Official establishments
1,153
−0.4% since 2019
Household spending a year
$1.9B
On food away from home
Listings per 10k households
67.8
11% above the U.S.
Spending per listing
$619K
7% below the U.S.
Rank among states
#47 of 51
Market score 32 · Lower middle

A site report maps the sit-down restaurants on map listings around any address in Rhode Island by name and distance, and the spending within reach.

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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

There are 2,992 sit-down restaurants on map listings in Rhode Island as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 19% of them, against 29% across the U.S. That comes to 67.8 for every 10,000 households, 11% above the U.S. rate of 61.3.

Households in Rhode Island spend about $1.9B a year on food away from home, or $4,196 per household, 3% above the U.S. average. That works out to $619K per restaurant, 7% below the U.S. figure of $664K. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants.

In 2023, official counts showed 1,153 businesses with payroll in Rhode Island classed as full-service restaurants, down 0.4% from 2019. That is one for every 383 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Across the U.S., the count rose 1.5% over the same years. Since fiscal 2022, 86 SBA-backed loans worth $36.1M have gone to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Rhode Island.

Among the 50 states and DC, Rhode Island ranks #47 for sit-down restaurants, with a Groundwork market score of 32 (lower middle). The one scored metro area in or partly in Rhode Island, the Providence-Warwick metro area, scores 45. Among 5 scored counties, Kent County scores highest (53).

Every market in Rhode Island for sit-down restaurants

Download the ranking (CSV)

Numbered by Groundwork market score among the markets based in Rhode Island, highest first; the U.S. rank compares each market with every other of its kind. A metro area that crosses a state line is listed in each state it reaches, and numbered only in the state its page is under. How the score works.

Metro areas

Metro areas reaching Rhode Island, ranked for sit-down restaurants by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Providence-Warwick, RI-MA454,06860.2$695K+2.1%#228 of 387

Counties

Counties in Rhode Island, ranked for sit-down restaurants by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Kent County, RI5341557.0$761K+1.8%#1,039 of 2,405
2Bristol County, RI4313064.7$753K−1.5%#1,483 of 2,405
3Washington County, RI3938473.1$645K0.0%#1,687 of 2,405
4Providence County, RI391,76067.9$581K+2.8%#1,695 of 2,405
5Newport County, RI2830382.2$561K−2.9%#2,114 of 2,405

Questions

How many sit-down restaurants are in Rhode Island?

As of September 2026, map listings count 2,992 sit-down restaurants in Rhode Island. 555 of them (19%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 1,153 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023, down 0.4% from 2019. Official counts also show 164 one-person businesses without payroll.

How much do households in Rhode Island spend on food away from home?

About $1.9B a year, or $4,196 per household. That is 3% above the U.S. average (an index of 103, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 2,992 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $619K 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 441,570 households in Rhode Island and national spending patterns by income.

How does Rhode Island compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?

Rhode Island has 67.8 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 11% above the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $619K, 7% below the U.S. figure of $664K. At the U.S. ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, Rhode Island would have about 2,792, against 2,992 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 383 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. The official count fell 0.4% from 2019 to 2023, against +1.5% for the U.S.

Which market in Rhode Island has the highest market score for sit-down restaurants?

The one scored metro area in or partly in Rhode Island is the Providence-Warwick metro area, at 45 (lower middle). Among 5 scored counties in Rhode Island, Kent County scores highest, at 53 (upper middle). Scores compare each market with others of its kind across the U.S.

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. Rhode Island scores 32 for sit-down restaurants (lower middle), #47 of the 50 states and DC.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Rhode Island. 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.

Sit-down restaurants in other states

All 51 states

Top markets for sit-down restaurants across the U.S. · All business types in Rhode Island

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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.