Food and drink · County · South Carolina
Sit-down restaurants in Darlington County, SC
How Darlington 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 51 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #1,122 of 2,405 scored counties
#17 of 44 scored counties in South Carolina
- Listings
- 93
- 34 chain locations (37%)
- Official establishments
- 38
- 0.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $79.7M
- On food away from home · $3,119 a household
- Spending per listing
- $857K
- 29% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 36.4
- 41% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 62,888
- +0.1% since 2020
See the sit-down restaurants around any address in Darlington 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 Darlington 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 93 sit-down restaurants in Darlington County. Of those, 34 are chain locations, or 37%, against 29% across the U.S. That comes to 36.4 for every 10,000 households, 41% below the U.S. rate of 61.3.
At $3,119 per household (23% below the U.S. average), households in Darlington County spend about $79.7M a year on food away from home. That works out to $857K per restaurant, 29% above 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.
Official counts show 38 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in Darlington County in 2023, unchanged from 2019. That is one for every 673 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Official counts list 7 one-person businesses without payroll.
Population estimates show Darlington County grew 0.1% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). For sit-down restaurants, Darlington County has a Groundwork market score of 51 (upper middle): #1,122 of 2,405 scored counties and #17 of 44 scored counties in South Carolina.
How Darlington 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 | Darlington County | South Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 36.4 | 59.9 | 61.3 |
| Spending per listing | $857K | $611K | $664K |
| Households per official establishment | 673 | 462 | 500 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | 0.0% | +5.5% | +1.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +0.1% | +8.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,119 | $3,660 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $48,581 | $69,324 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 51 | 39 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 38 → 380.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 602
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $10.4M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 7Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 9334 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 120The 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 Darlington 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 Darlington County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 62,888+0.1% since 2020
- Households
- 25,561
- Median age
- 40.9
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 71%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 561 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 112
- Median household income
- $48,581+26.4% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $74,762
- Median home value
- $158,200
- Jobs located here
- 21,095
- Daytime population
- 56,282Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Darlington 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 Darlington 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 Darlington 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 |
| 17Darlington County, SC | 51 | 93 | 36.4 | $857K | +0.1% | #1,122 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Darlington County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes51
- Sit-down restaurants51
- Fast food and sandwich shops34
- Pizza47
- Coffee shops and cafes64
- Bakeries and dessert shops65
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 Darlington County, SC?
Darlington County has 93 sit-down restaurants on map listings as of September 2026. 34 of them (37%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 38 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023, unchanged from 2019. Official counts also show 7 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Darlington County, SC spend on food away from home?
About $79.7M a year, or $3,119 per household. That is 23% below the U.S. average (an index of 77, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 93 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $857K per restaurant. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants. It is estimated from the incomes of the 25,561 households in Darlington County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Darlington County, SC compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?
Darlington County has 36.4 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 41% below the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $857K, 29% above the U.S. figure of $664K. At the national ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, Darlington County would have about 120, against 93 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 673 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. The official count held level from 2019 to 2023, against +1.5% for the U.S.
How fast is Darlington County, SC growing?
Population estimates put Darlington County at 62,888 people in 2025, up 0.1% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 25,561 households. The median household income in Darlington County is $48,581 a year, 40% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 26.4% 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. Darlington County scores 51 for sit-down restaurants (upper middle), #1,122 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Darlington 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 Darlington County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Darlington 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 Darlington 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.