Market rankings · South Carolina
Sit-down restaurants in South Carolina
Markets across South Carolina ranked by the Groundwork market score for sit-down restaurants, with competitor counts and household spending for each.
- Listings
- 12,688
- 4,233 chain locations (33%)
- Official establishments
- 4,583
- +5.5% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $7.8B
- On food away from home
- Listings per 10k households
- 59.9
- 2% below the U.S.
- Spending per listing
- $611K
- 8% below the U.S.
- Rank among states
- #38 of 51
- Market score 39 · Lower middle
A site report maps the sit-down restaurants on map listings around any address in South Carolina by name and distance, and the spending within reach.
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 12,688 sit-down restaurants in South Carolina. Chain locations make up 33% of them, against 29% across the U.S. That is 59.9 per 10,000 households, 2% below the U.S. rate of 61.3.
Household spending on food away from home in South Carolina comes to about $7.8B a year: $3,660 per household, 10% below the U.S. average. That works out to $611K per restaurant, 8% 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 South Carolina was 4,583 in 2023, up 5.5% from 2019. That is one for every 462 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, 157 SBA-backed loans worth $115.3M have gone to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in South Carolina.
Among the 50 states and DC, South Carolina ranks #38 for sit-down restaurants, with a Groundwork market score of 39 (lower middle). Of the 10 scored metro areas in or partly in South Carolina, the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia metro area scores highest (65). Of the 6 scored small-town markets in or partly in South Carolina, the Seneca area scores highest (70).
Every market in South Carolina for sit-down restaurants
Download the ranking (CSV)Numbered by Groundwork market score among the markets based in South Carolina, 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
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC | 65 | 5,831 | 54.2 | $758K | +10.1% | #81 of 387 |
| Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC | 56 | 1,227 | 52.9 | $691K | +4.7% | #139 of 387 |
| 1Columbia, SC | 49 | 1,786 | 52.6 | $690K | +6.0% | #197 of 387 |
| 2Sumter, SC | 48 | 186 | 45.3 | $721K | −0.3% | #209 of 387 |
| 3Spartanburg, SC | 47 | 751 | 52.4 | $659K | +14.3% | #215 of 387 |
| 4Charleston-North Charleston, SC | 42 | 2,334 | 69.5 | $591K | +10.7% | #266 of 387 |
| 5Greenville-Anderson-Greer, SC | 39 | 2,321 | 60.5 | $611K | +9.0% | #283 of 387 |
| 6Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal, SC | 36 | 785 | 82.2 | $501K | +12.0% | #305 of 387 |
| 7Florence, SC | 25 | 414 | 52.8 | $619K | +0.9% | #360 of 387 |
| 8Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, SC | 25 | 1,512 | 95.2 | $368K | +20.9% | #365 of 387 |
Small-town markets
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Seneca, SC | 70 | 142 | 41.1 | $850K | +6.3% | #73 of 538 |
| 2Newberry, SC | 53 | 66 | 43.1 | $757K | +4.8% | #232 of 538 |
| 3Gaffney, SC | 51 | 102 | 46.2 | $656K | +3.7% | #258 of 538 |
| 4Greenwood, SC | 46 | 183 | 48.6 | $657K | +1.7% | #315 of 538 |
| 5Murrells Inlet, SC | 34 | 236 | 87.0 | $423K | +3.8% | #438 of 538 |
| 6Orangeburg, SC | 22 | 202 | 61.1 | $487K | −0.9% | #517 of 538 |
Counties
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Berkeley County, SC | 80 | 402 | 42.9 | $918K | +18.7% | #131 of 2,405 |
| 2Lancaster County, SC | 79 | 168 | 41.9 | $940K | +18.3% | #152 of 2,405 |
| 3Edgefield County, SC | 77 | 40 | 41.0 | $873K | +16.1% | #201 of 2,405 |
| 4Kershaw County, SC | 76 | 90 | 33.5 | $1.1M | +11.6% | #222 of 2,405 |
| 5York County, SC | 76 | 497 | 43.7 | $966K | +8.1% | #225 of 2,405 |
| 6Dorchester County, SC | 73 | 301 | 47.6 | $817K | +10.1% | #308 of 2,405 |
| 7Calhoun County, SC | 69 | 14 | 22.7 | $1.5M | +0.6% | #391 of 2,405 |
| 8Laurens County, SC | 68 | 92 | 34.1 | $929K | +6.2% | #432 of 2,405 |
| 9Saluda County, SC | 62 | 31 | 40.4 | $785K | +4.1% | #678 of 2,405 |
| 10Oconee County, SC | 61 | 142 | 41.1 | $850K | +6.3% | #706 of 2,405 |
| 11Aiken County, SC | 61 | 348 | 49.8 | $736K | +7.3% | #719 of 2,405 |
| 12Fairfield County, SC | 58 | 27 | 30.2 | $1M | −2.6% | #799 of 2,405 |
| 13Abbeville County, SC | 57 | 40 | 41.0 | $809K | +2.3% | #860 of 2,405 |
| 14Union County, SC | 55 | 33 | 28.4 | $1M | −1.4% | #930 of 2,405 |
| 15Lexington County, SC | 55 | 648 | 53.1 | $713K | +7.7% | #961 of 2,405 |
| 16Chester County, SC | 54 | 53 | 40.3 | $750K | +2.2% | #994 of 2,405 |
| 17Darlington County, SC | 51 | 93 | 36.4 | $857K | +0.1% | #1,122 of 2,405 |
| 18Spartanburg County, SC | 50 | 718 | 54.5 | $643K | +15.6% | #1,185 of 2,405 |
| 19Chesterfield County, SC | 49 | 73 | 41.6 | $725K | +3.4% | #1,225 of 2,405 |
| 20Sumter County, SC | 49 | 186 | 45.3 | $721K | −0.3% | #1,228 of 2,405 |
| 21Newberry County, SC | 46 | 66 | 43.1 | $757K | +4.8% | #1,353 of 2,405 |
| 22Jasper County, SC | 46 | 75 | 57.2 | $609K | +32.2% | #1,381 of 2,405 |
| 23Anderson County, SC | 45 | 465 | 55.4 | $635K | +7.7% | #1,431 of 2,405 |
| 24Greenville County, SC | 45 | 1,468 | 66.6 | $586K | +10.6% | #1,437 of 2,405 |
| 25Cherokee County, SC | 44 | 102 | 46.2 | $656K | +3.7% | #1,466 of 2,405 |
Show all 46 counties
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26Colleton County, SC | 44 | 80 | 48.8 | $647K | +2.2% | #1,468 of 2,405 |
| 27Richland County, SC | 44 | 976 | 58.1 | $617K | +4.6% | #1,474 of 2,405 |
| 28Barnwell County, SC | 43 | 38 | 46.8 | $642K | +0.4% | #1,501 of 2,405 |
| 29Marlboro County, SC | 42 | 36 | 36.8 | $712K | −3.8% | #1,524 of 2,405 |
| 30Pickens County, SC | 42 | 296 | 56.5 | $600K | +5.7% | #1,556 of 2,405 |
| 31Lee County, SC | 40 | 25 | 39.4 | $685K | −5.0% | #1,627 of 2,405 |
| 32Williamsburg County, SC | 39 | 51 | 41.5 | $687K | −4.0% | #1,676 of 2,405 |
| 33Beaufort County, SC | 39 | 710 | 86.2 | $489K | +8.9% | #1,705 of 2,405 |
| 34Charleston County, SC | 38 | 1,631 | 91.1 | $468K | +6.4% | #1,745 of 2,405 |
| 35Marion County, SC | 35 | 49 | 40.2 | $652K | −2.9% | #1,827 of 2,405 |
| 36Clarendon County, SC | 35 | 68 | 55.0 | $556K | +0.7% | #1,846 of 2,405 |
| 37Greenwood County, SC | 33 | 143 | 51.3 | $614K | +1.5% | #1,922 of 2,405 |
| 38Hampton County, SC | 32 | 38 | 52.6 | $541K | −1.9% | #1,980 of 2,405 |
| 39Horry County, SC | 31 | 1,512 | 95.2 | $368K | +20.9% | #2,023 of 2,405 |
| 40Bamberg County, SC | 29 | 22 | 47.4 | $594K | −3.5% | #2,078 of 2,405 |
| 41Dillon County, SC | 28 | 53 | 48.9 | $592K | −2.9% | #2,107 of 2,405 |
| 42Florence County, SC | 28 | 321 | 60.7 | $550K | +1.2% | #2,116 of 2,405 |
| 43Georgetown County, SC | 28 | 236 | 87.0 | $423K | +3.8% | #2,135 of 2,405 |
| 44Orangeburg County, SC | 20 | 202 | 61.1 | $487K | −0.9% | #2,309 of 2,405 |
| McCormick County, SC | Not scored | 17 | 40.5 | $769K | +7.3% | |
| Allendale County, SC | Not scored | 12 | 37.1 | $722K | −7.4% |
Markets with fewer than 5 sit-down restaurants on map listings, and counties under 10,000 people, aren’t scored; they’re listed last in each table.
Questions
How many sit-down restaurants are in South Carolina?
South Carolina has 12,688 sit-down restaurants on map listings as of September 2026. 4,233 of them (33%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 4,583 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023, up 5.5% from 2019. Another 986 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in South Carolina spend on food away from home?
About $7.8B a year, or $3,660 per household. That is 10% below the U.S. average (an index of 90, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 12,688 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $611K per restaurant. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants. It is estimated from the incomes of the 2,117,989 households in South Carolina and national spending patterns by income.
How does South Carolina compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?
South Carolina has 59.9 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 2% below the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $611K, 8% below the U.S. figure of $664K. At the national ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, South Carolina would have about 11,681, against 12,688 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 462 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. The official count rose 5.5% from 2019 to 2023, against +1.5% for the U.S.
Which market in South Carolina has the highest market score for sit-down restaurants?
Among 10 scored metro areas in or partly in South Carolina, the Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia metro area scores highest, at 65 (upper middle). Among 6 scored small-town markets in or partly in South Carolina, the Seneca area scores highest, at 70 (upper middle). Among 44 scored counties in South Carolina, Berkeley County scores highest, at 80 (high). 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. South Carolina scores 39 for sit-down restaurants (lower middle), #38 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 South Carolina. 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
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Top markets for sit-down restaurants across the U.S. · All business types in South Carolina
Related business types in South Carolina
- Restaurants and cafes21,961 listings
- Fast food and sandwich shops3,144 listings
- Pizza1,608 listings
- Coffee shops and cafes1,778 listings
- Bakeries and dessert shops1,697 listings
Screening a site or an acquisition in South Carolina?
A site report maps the competitors on map listings near an address and sizes the households and spending around it.
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.