Food and drink · County · Texas
Sit-down restaurants in Denton County, TX
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for sit-down restaurants in Denton County, TX, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 73 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #306 of 2,405 scored counties
#16 of 162 scored counties in Texas
- Listings
- 2,028
- 778 chain locations (38%)
- Official establishments
- 672
- +22.2% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $1.7B
- On food away from home · $4,812 a household
- Spending per listing
- $855K
- 29% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 56.3
- 8% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 1,069,346
- +16.9% since 2020
See the sit-down restaurants around any address in Denton 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 Denton 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 Denton County spend about $1.7B a year on food away from home, or $4,812 per household, 18% above the U.S. average. That works out to $855K per restaurant, 29% above the U.S. figure of $664K. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants.
There are 2,028 sit-down restaurants on map listings in Denton County as of September 2026. 778 of them (38%) are chain locations, against 29% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 56.3, 8% below the U.S. rate of 61.3.
In 2023, official counts showed 672 businesses with payroll in Denton County classed as full-service restaurants, up 22.2% from 2019. That is one for every 536 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Official counts list 223 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 93 SBA-backed loans worth $70.7M have gone to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Denton County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Denton County grew 16.9%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for sit-down restaurants in Denton County is 73 (upper middle), #306 of 2,405 scored counties and #16 of 162 scored counties in Texas. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How Denton County compares
The same measures for Texas 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 | Denton County | Texas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 56.3 | 69.0 | 61.3 |
| Spending per listing | $855K | $575K | $664K |
| Households per official establishment | 536 | 528 | 500 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +22.2% | +9.9% | +1.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +16.9% | +8.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $4,812 | $3,970 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $111,498 | $78,476 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 73 | 46 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 550 → 672+22.2% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 13,546
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $346.5M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 223Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 2,028778 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 2,613The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 93
- Amount
- $70.7M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Denton 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 Denton County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 1,069,346+16.9% since 2020
- Households
- 360,392
- Median age
- 38.2
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 65%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 878 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 1,115
- Median household income
- $111,498+28.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $145,847
- Median home value
- $437,200
- Jobs located here
- 321,359
- Daytime population
- 759,111Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Denton 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 Denton 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 Texas
Every Texas market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Texas for sit-down restaurants, numbered among those based in Texas, with Denton County marked.
Top counties in Texas
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Guadalupe County, TX | 88 | 263 | 40.2 | $1M | +15.8% | #44 of 2,405 |
| 2Wilson County, TX | 86 | 79 | 43.4 | $975K | +12.2% | #58 of 2,405 |
| 3San Jacinto County, TX | 83 | 26 | 23.9 | $1.4M | +7.1% | #82 of 2,405 |
| 4Johnson County, TX | 83 | 300 | 45.8 | $878K | +20.5% | #89 of 2,405 |
| 5Parker County, TX | 82 | 274 | 48.5 | $938K | +23.5% | #98 of 2,405 |
| 6Clay County, TX | 81 | 16 | 37.3 | $1M | +5.0% | #116 of 2,405 |
| 7Randall County, TX | 81 | 227 | 40.0 | $993K | +7.9% | #118 of 2,405 |
| 8Wise County, TX | 80 | 128 | 50.9 | $828K | +21.5% | #132 of 2,405 |
| 9Kaufman County, TX | 79 | 266 | 52.2 | $788K | +42.2% | #154 of 2,405 |
| 10Hardin County, TX | 78 | 92 | 41.4 | $926K | +4.2% | #175 of 2,405 |
| 16Denton County, TX | 73 | 2,028 | 56.3 | $855K | +16.9% | #306 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Denton County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes70
- Sit-down restaurants73
- Fast food and sandwich shops67
- Pizza72
- Coffee shops and cafes68
- Bakeries and dessert shops58
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 Denton County, TX?
As of September 2026, map listings count 2,028 sit-down restaurants in Denton County. 778 of them (38%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 672 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023, up 22.2% from 2019. Official counts also show 223 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Denton County, TX spend on food away from home?
About $1.7B a year, or $4,812 per household. That is 18% above the U.S. average (an index of 118, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 2,028 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $855K 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 360,392 households in Denton County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Denton County, TX compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?
Denton County has 56.3 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 8% below the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $855K, 29% above the U.S. figure of $664K. At the U.S. ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, Denton County would have about 2,613, against 2,028 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 536 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. The official count rose 22.2% from 2019 to 2023, against +1.5% for the U.S.
How fast is Denton County, TX growing?
Population estimates put Denton County at 1,069,346 people in 2025, up 16.9% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 360,392 households. Median household income in Denton County is $111,498, 38% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 28.3%, 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. Denton County scores 73 for sit-down restaurants (upper middle), #306 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Denton 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 Denton County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Denton 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 Denton 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.