Food and drink · Small-town market · South Carolina
Sit-down restaurants in the Gaffney, SC area
The sit-down restaurants in the Gaffney, SC area, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other small-town markets.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 51 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #258 of 538 scored small-town markets
#3 of 6 scored small-town markets based in South Carolina
- Listings
- 102
- 29 chain locations (28%)
- Official establishments
- 34
- +9.7% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $66.9M
- On food away from home · $3,034 a household
- Spending per listing
- $656K
- In line with the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 46.2
- 25% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 58,275
- +3.7% since 2020
See the sit-down restaurants around any address in the Gaffney area
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 the Gaffney area. 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 102 sit-down restaurants in the Gaffney area. Chain locations make up 28% of them, against 29% across the U.S. That is 46.2 per 10,000 households, 25% below the U.S. rate of 61.3.
Household spending on food away from home in the Gaffney area comes to about $66.9M a year: $3,034 per household, 25% below the U.S. average. That works out to $656K per restaurant, in line with 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 the Gaffney area was 34 in 2023, up 9.7% from 2019. That is one for every 649 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Another 20 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
Population estimates show the Gaffney area grew 3.7% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). For sit-down restaurants, the Gaffney area has a Groundwork market score of 51 (upper middle): #258 of 538 scored small-town markets and #3 of 6 scored small-town markets based in South Carolina.
How the Gaffney area 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 | Gaffney area | South Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 46.2 | 59.9 | 61.3 |
| Spending per listing | $656K | $611K | $664K |
| Households per official establishment | 649 | 462 | 500 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +9.7% | +5.5% | +1.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +3.7% | +8.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,034 | $3,660 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $50,288 | $69,324 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 51 | 39 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 34+9.7% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 658
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $11.7M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 20Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 10229 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 101The 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 the Gaffney area, 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 the Gaffney area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 58,275+3.7% since 2020
- Households
- 22,063
- Median age
- 39.9
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 74%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 393 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 144
- Median household income
- $50,288+36.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $67,479
- Median home value
- $142,000
- Jobs located here
- 18,680
- Daytime population
- 47,816Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Gaffney area?
These figures cover the whole small-town market. 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 the Gaffney area. 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 small-town markets in South Carolina for sit-down restaurants, numbered among those based in South Carolina, with the Gaffney area marked.
Top small-town markets in South Carolina
| 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 |
Other business types in the Gaffney area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes62
- Sit-down restaurants51
- Fast food and sandwich shops42
- Pizza61
- Coffee shops and cafes74
- Bakeries and dessert shops60
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 the Gaffney, SC area?
The Gaffney area has 102 sit-down restaurants on map listings as of September 2026. 29 of them (28%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 34 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023, up 9.7% from 2019. Official counts list 20 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Gaffney, SC area spend on food away from home?
About $66.9M a year, or $3,034 per household. That is 25% below the U.S. average (an index of 75, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 102 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $656K per restaurant. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants. It is estimated from the incomes of the 22,063 households in the Gaffney area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Gaffney, SC area compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?
The Gaffney area has 46.2 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 25% below the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $656K, in line with the U.S. figure of $664K. At the national ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, the Gaffney area would have about 101, against 102 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 649 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. The official count rose 9.7% from 2019 to 2023, against +1.5% for the U.S.
How fast is the Gaffney, SC area growing?
Population estimates put the Gaffney area at 58,275 people in 2025, up 3.7% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 22,063 households. The median household income in the Gaffney area is $50,288 a year, 38% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 36.3% 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. A small-town market is a town of 10,000 to 50,000 people and the county or counties tied to it by commuting. 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. The Gaffney area scores 51 for sit-down restaurants (upper middle), #258 of 538 scored small-town markets.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Gaffney area. 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 the Gaffney area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Gaffney area?
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 the Gaffney area. 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.