Food and drink · County · Rhode Island
Sit-down restaurants in Providence County, RI
How Providence County, RI 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 39 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,695 of 2,405 scored counties
#4 of 5 scored counties in Rhode Island
- Listings
- 1,760
- 333 chain locations (19%)
- Official establishments
- 618
- −2.2% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $1B
- On food away from home · $3,942 a household
- Spending per listing
- $581K
- 13% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 67.9
- 11% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 678,179
- +2.8% since 2020
See the sit-down restaurants around any address in Providence 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 Providence 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
As of September 2026, map listings count 1,760 sit-down restaurants in Providence County. 333 of them (19%) are chain locations, against 29% across the U.S. That comes to 67.9 for every 10,000 households, 11% above the U.S. rate of 61.3.
Households in Providence County spend about $1B a year on food away from home, or $3,942 per household, 3% below the U.S. average. That is about $581K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 13% 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 Providence County was 618 in 2023, down 2.2% from 2019. That is one for every 419 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Official counts list 136 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 44 SBA-backed loans worth $16.8M have gone to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Providence County.
Population estimates show Providence County grew 2.8% from 2020 to 2025, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). Providence County scores 39 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for sit-down restaurants, ranking #1,695 of 2,405 scored counties and #4 of 5 scored counties in Rhode Island.
How Providence County compares
The same measures for Rhode Island 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 | Providence County | Rhode Island | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 67.9 | 67.8 | 61.3 |
| Spending per listing | $581K | $619K | $664K |
| Households per official establishment | 419 | 383 | 500 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −2.2% | −0.4% | +1.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.8% | +1.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,942 | $4,196 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $78,787 | $87,796 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 39 | 32 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 632 → 618−2.2% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 11,488
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $321.4M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 136Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 1,760333 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 1,540The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 44
- Amount
- $16.8M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Providence 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 Providence County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 678,179+2.8% since 2020
- Households
- 259,210
- Median age
- 39.4
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 57%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.6
- Land area
- 410 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 1,624
- Median household income
- $78,787+33.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $103,369
- Median home value
- $373,600
- Jobs located here
- 293,972
- Daytime population
- 648,043Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Providence 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 Providence 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 Rhode Island
Every Rhode Island market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Rhode Island for sit-down restaurants, numbered among those based in Rhode Island, with Providence County marked.
Top counties in Rhode Island
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Kent County, RI | 53 | 415 | 57.0 | $761K | +1.8% | #1,039 of 2,405 |
| 2Bristol County, RI | 43 | 130 | 64.7 | $753K | −1.5% | #1,483 of 2,405 |
| 3Washington County, RI | 39 | 384 | 73.1 | $645K | 0.0% | #1,687 of 2,405 |
| 4Providence County, RI | 39 | 1,760 | 67.9 | $581K | +2.8% | #1,695 of 2,405 |
| 5Newport County, RI | 28 | 303 | 82.2 | $561K | −2.9% | #2,114 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Providence County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes39
- Sit-down restaurants39
- Fast food and sandwich shops63
- Pizza47
- Coffee shops and cafes41
- Bakeries and dessert shops36
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 Providence County, RI?
Providence County has 1,760 sit-down restaurants on map listings as of September 2026. 333 of them (19%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 618 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023, down 2.2% from 2019. Official counts also show 136 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Providence County, RI spend on food away from home?
About $1B a year, or $3,942 per household. That is 3% below the U.S. average (an index of 97, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 1,760 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $581K per restaurant. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants. It is estimated from the incomes of the 259,210 households in Providence County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Providence County, RI compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?
Providence County has 67.9 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 11% above the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $581K, 13% below the U.S. figure of $664K. At the national ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, Providence County would have about 1,540, against 1,760 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 419 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. The official count fell 2.2% from 2019 to 2023, against +1.5% for the U.S.
How fast is Providence County, RI growing?
Population estimates put Providence County at 678,179 people in 2025, up 2.8% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 259,210 households. The median household income in Providence County is $78,787 a year, 2% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 33.6% 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. Providence County scores 39 for sit-down restaurants (lower middle), #1,695 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Providence 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 Providence County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Providence 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 Providence 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.