Food and drink · County · South Carolina
Sit-down restaurants in Chester County, SC
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for sit-down restaurants in Chester County, SC, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 54 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #994 of 2,405 scored counties
#16 of 44 scored counties in South Carolina
- Listings
- 53
- 22 chain locations (42%)
- Official establishments
- 14
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $39.7M
- On food away from home · $3,020 a household
- Spending per listing
- $750K
- 13% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 40.3
- 34% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 33,001
- +2.2% since 2020
See the sit-down restaurants around any address in Chester 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 Chester 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
Households in Chester County spend about $39.7M a year on food away from home, or $3,020 per household, 26% below the U.S. average. Spread across 53 sit-down restaurants, that is $750K per restaurant, 13% above the U.S. figure of $664K. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants.
There are 53 sit-down restaurants on map listings in Chester County as of September 2026. 22 of them (42%) are chain locations, against 29% across the U.S. That is 40.3 per 10,000 households, 34% below the U.S. rate of 61.3.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in Chester County was 14 in 2023. That is one for every 940 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Official counts list 6 one-person businesses without payroll.
Population estimates show Chester County grew 2.2% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). Chester County scores 54 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for sit-down restaurants, ranking #994 of 2,405 scored counties and #16 of 44 scored counties in South Carolina.
How Chester 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 | Chester County | South Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 40.3 | 59.9 | 61.3 |
| Spending per listing | $750K | $611K | $664K |
| Households per official establishment | 940 | 462 | 500 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +5.5% | +1.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.2% | +8.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,020 | $3,660 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $52,458 | $69,324 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 54 | 39 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 19 → 14
- Employees, 2023
- 171
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $3.1M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 6Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 5322 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 60The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 0
- Amount
- $0
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Chester 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 Chester County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 33,001+2.2% since 2020
- Households
- 13,159
- Median age
- 41.9
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 78%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 581 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 55
- Median household income
- $52,458+23.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $68,310
- Median home value
- $158,300
- Jobs located here
- 10,197
- Daytime population
- 27,098Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Chester 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 Chester 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 Chester 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 |
| 16Chester County, SC | 54 | 53 | 40.3 | $750K | +2.2% | #994 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Chester County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes54
- Sit-down restaurants54
- Fast food and sandwich shops42
- Pizza53
- Coffee shops and cafes55
- Bakeries and dessert shops52
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 Chester County, SC?
As of September 2026, map listings count 53 sit-down restaurants in Chester County. 22 of them (42%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 14 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023. Official counts also show 6 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Chester County, SC spend on food away from home?
About $39.7M a year, or $3,020 per household. That is 26% below the U.S. average (an index of 74, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 53 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $750K 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 13,159 households in Chester County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Chester County, SC compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?
Chester County has 40.3 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 34% below the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $750K, 13% above the U.S. figure of $664K. At the U.S. ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, Chester County would have about 60, against 53 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 940 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S.
How fast is Chester County, SC growing?
Population estimates put Chester County at 33,001 people in 2025, up 2.2% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 13,159 households. Median household income in Chester County is $52,458, 35% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 23.6%, 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. Chester County scores 54 for sit-down restaurants (upper middle), #994 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Chester 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 Chester County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Chester 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 Chester 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.