Food and drink · Metro area · South Carolina
Sit-down restaurants in the Sumter, SC metro area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for sit-down restaurants in the Sumter, SC metro area, set against other metro areas and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 48 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #209 of 387 scored metro areas
#2 of 8 scored metro areas based in South Carolina
- Listings
- 186
- 79 chain locations (42%)
- Official establishments
- 49
- −10.9% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $134.1M
- On food away from home · $3,264 a household
- Spending per listing
- $721K
- 9% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 45.3
- 26% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 105,067
- −0.3% since 2020
See the sit-down restaurants around any address in the Sumter metro 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 Sumter metro 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
Household spending on food away from home in the Sumter metro area comes to about $134.1M a year: $3,264 per household, 20% below the U.S. average. That is about $721K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 9% above the U.S. figure of $664K. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants.
The Sumter metro area has 186 sit-down restaurants on map listings as of September 2026. Of those, 79 are chain locations, or 42%, against 29% across the U.S. That comes to 45.3 for every 10,000 households, 26% below the U.S. rate of 61.3.
Official counts show 49 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in the Sumter metro area in 2023, down 10.9% from 2019. That is one for every 838 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Official counts list 11 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $186K have gone to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in the Sumter metro area.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of the Sumter metro area declined 0.3%, against +3.1% for the U.S. For sit-down restaurants, the Sumter metro area has a Groundwork market score of 48 (lower middle): #209 of 387 scored metro areas and #2 of 8 scored metro areas based in South Carolina.
How the Sumter metro 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 | Sumter metro area | South Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 45.3 | 59.9 | 61.3 |
| Spending per listing | $721K | $611K | $664K |
| Households per official establishment | 838 | 462 | 500 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −10.9% | +5.5% | +1.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −0.3% | +8.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,264 | $3,660 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $56,693 | $69,324 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 48 | 39 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 49−10.9% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,270
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $20.8M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 11Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 18679 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 202The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 2
- Amount
- $186K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in the Sumter metro 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 Sumter metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 105,067−0.3% since 2020
- Households
- 41,083
- Median age
- 38.8
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 68%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 665 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 157
- Median household income
- $56,693
- Average household income
- $74,835
- Median home value
- $165,300
- Jobs located here
- 37,301
- Daytime population
- 101,774Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Sumter metro area?
These figures cover the whole metro area. 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 Sumter metro 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 metro areas in South Carolina for sit-down restaurants, numbered among those based in South Carolina (a market based in another state is listed without a number), with the Sumter metro area marked.
Top metro areas in South Carolina
| 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 |
Other business types in the Sumter metro area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes60
- Sit-down restaurants48
- Fast food and sandwich shops33
- Pizza40
- Coffee shops and cafes63
- Bakeries and dessert shops64
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 Sumter, SC metro area?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 186 sit-down restaurants in the Sumter metro area. 79 of them (42%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 49 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023, down 10.9% from 2019. Official counts also show 11 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Sumter, SC metro area spend on food away from home?
About $134.1M a year, or $3,264 per household. That is 20% below the U.S. average (an index of 80, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 186 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $721K 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 41,083 households in the Sumter metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Sumter, SC metro area compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?
The Sumter metro area has 45.3 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 26% below the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $721K, 9% above the U.S. figure of $664K. At the U.S. ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, the Sumter metro area would have about 202, against 186 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 838 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. The official count fell 10.9% from 2019 to 2023, against +1.5% for the U.S.
How fast is the Sumter, SC metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Sumter metro area at 105,067 people in 2025, down 0.3% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 41,083 households. Median household income in the Sumter metro area is $56,693, 30% below the U.S. median of $80,734.
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. The Sumter metro area scores 48 for sit-down restaurants (lower middle), #209 of 387 scored metro areas.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Sumter metro 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 Sumter metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Sumter metro 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 Sumter metro 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.