Food and drink · County · Texas
Sit-down restaurants in Ellis County, TX
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for sit-down restaurants in Ellis County, TX, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 74 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #286 of 2,405 scored counties
#14 of 162 scored counties in Texas
- Listings
- 400
- 150 chain locations (38%)
- Official establishments
- 111
- +27.6% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $312.3M
- On food away from home · $4,352 a household
- Spending per listing
- $781K
- 18% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 55.7
- 9% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 240,867
- +24.0% since 2020
See the sit-down restaurants around any address in Ellis 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 Ellis 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
Map listings as of September 2026 show 400 sit-down restaurants in Ellis County. Chain locations make up 38% of them, against 29% across the U.S. That is 55.7 per 10,000 households, 9% below the U.S. rate of 61.3.
Households in Ellis County spend about $312.3M a year on food away from home, or $4,352 per household, 7% above the U.S. average. That is about $781K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 18% 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.
In 2023, official counts showed 111 businesses with payroll in Ellis County classed as full-service restaurants, up 27.6% from 2019. That is one for every 646 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Official counts also show 38 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 8 SBA-backed loans worth $4.1M have gone to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Ellis County.
Population estimates show Ellis County grew 24.0% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for sit-down restaurants in Ellis County is 74 (upper middle), #286 of 2,405 scored counties and #14 of 162 scored counties in Texas. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How Ellis 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 | Ellis County | Texas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 55.7 | 69.0 | 61.3 |
| Spending per listing | $781K | $575K | $664K |
| Households per official establishment | 646 | 528 | 500 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +27.6% | +9.9% | +1.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +24.0% | +8.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $4,352 | $3,970 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $99,595 | $78,476 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 74 | 46 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 87 → 111+27.6% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,979
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $47.4M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 38Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 400150 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 471The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 8
- Amount
- $4.1M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Ellis 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 Ellis County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 240,867+24.0% since 2020
- Households
- 71,759
- Median age
- 36.9
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 76%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.1
- Land area
- 936 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 228
- Median household income
- $99,595+29.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $117,930
- Median home value
- $348,600
- Jobs located here
- 60,835
- Daytime population
- 167,890Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Ellis 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 Ellis 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 Ellis 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 |
| 14Ellis County, TX | 74 | 400 | 55.7 | $781K | +24.0% | #286 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Ellis County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes68
- Sit-down restaurants74
- Fast food and sandwich shops50
- Pizza73
- Coffee shops and cafes65
- Bakeries and dessert shops59
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 Ellis County, TX?
There are 400 sit-down restaurants on map listings in Ellis County as of September 2026. 150 of them (38%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 111 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023, up 27.6% from 2019. Another 38 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Ellis County, TX spend on food away from home?
About $312.3M a year, or $4,352 per household. That is 7% above the U.S. average (an index of 107, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 400 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $781K per restaurant. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants. It is estimated from the incomes of the 71,759 households in Ellis County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Ellis County, TX compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?
Ellis County has 55.7 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 9% below the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $781K, 18% above the U.S. figure of $664K. At the national ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, Ellis County would have about 471, against 400 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 646 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. The official count rose 27.6% from 2019 to 2023, against +1.5% for the U.S.
How fast is Ellis County, TX growing?
Population estimates put Ellis County at 240,867 people in 2025, up 24.0% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 71,759 households. The median household income in Ellis County is $99,595 a year, 23% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 29.6% 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. Ellis County scores 74 for sit-down restaurants (upper middle), #286 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Ellis 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 Ellis County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Ellis 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 Ellis 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.