Food and drink · County · South Carolina
Sit-down restaurants in Calhoun County, SC
How Calhoun County, SC 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 69 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #391 of 2,405 scored counties
#7 of 44 scored counties in South Carolina
- Listings
- 14
- 6 chain locations (43%)
- Official establishments
- 7
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $20.4M
- On food away from home · $3,306 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.5M
- 2.2 times the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 22.7
- 63% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 14,188
- +0.6% since 2020
See the sit-down restaurants around any address in Calhoun 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 Calhoun 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 14 sit-down restaurants in Calhoun County. Of those, 6 are chain locations, or 43%, against 29% across the U.S. That is 22.7 per 10,000 households, 63% below the U.S. rate of 61.3.
At $3,306 per household (19% below the U.S. average), households in Calhoun County spend about $20.4M a year on food away from home. Spread across 14 sit-down restaurants, that is $1.5M per restaurant, 2.2 times 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.
In 2023, official counts showed 7 businesses with payroll in Calhoun County classed as full-service restaurants. That is one for every 883 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $50K has gone to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Calhoun County.
Population estimates show Calhoun County grew 0.6% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). Calhoun County scores 69 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for sit-down restaurants, ranking #391 of 2,405 scored counties and #7 of 44 scored counties in South Carolina. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How Calhoun County compares
The same measures for South Carolina 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 | Calhoun County | South Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 22.7 | 59.9 | 61.3 |
| Spending per listing | $1.5M | $611K | $664K |
| Households per official establishment | 883 | 462 | 500 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +5.5% | +1.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +0.6% | +8.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,306 | $3,660 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $58,682 | $69,324 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 69 | 39 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 4 → 7
- Employees, 2023
- 52
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $399K
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 0Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 146 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 31The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $50K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Calhoun 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 Calhoun County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 14,188+0.6% since 2020
- Households
- 6,179
- Median age
- 46.3
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 85%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.2
- Land area
- 381 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 37
- Median household income
- $58,682+26.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $79,469
- Median home value
- $172,100
- Jobs located here
- 4,483
- Daytime population
- 11,943Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Calhoun 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 Calhoun 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 South Carolina
Every South Carolina market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in South Carolina for sit-down restaurants, numbered among those based in South Carolina, with Calhoun County marked.
Top counties in South Carolina
| 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 |
Other business types in Calhoun County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes72
- Sit-down restaurants69
- Fast food and sandwich shops
- Pizza
- Coffee shops and cafes27
- Bakeries and dessert shops
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 Calhoun County, SC?
Calhoun County has 14 sit-down restaurants on map listings as of September 2026. 6 of them (43%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 7 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023.
How much do households in Calhoun County, SC spend on food away from home?
About $20.4M a year, or $3,306 per household. That is 19% below the U.S. average (an index of 81, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 14 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $1.5M per restaurant. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants. It is estimated from the incomes of the 6,179 households in Calhoun County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Calhoun County, SC compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?
Calhoun County has 22.7 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 63% below the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $1.5M, 2.2 times the U.S. figure of $664K. At the national ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, Calhoun County would have about 31, against 14 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 883 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S.
How fast is Calhoun County, SC growing?
Population estimates put Calhoun County at 14,188 people in 2025, up 0.6% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 6,179 households. The median household income in Calhoun County is $58,682 a year, 27% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 26.6% 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. Calhoun County scores 69 for sit-down restaurants (upper middle), #391 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Calhoun 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 Calhoun County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Calhoun 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 Calhoun 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.