Food and drink · County · Texas
Sit-down restaurants in Galveston County, TX
How Galveston County, TX 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 50 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #1,192 of 2,405 scored counties
#67 of 162 scored counties in Texas
- Listings
- 940
- 268 chain locations (29%)
- Official establishments
- 293
- +16.3% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $587.8M
- On food away from home · $4,179 a household
- Spending per listing
- $625K
- 6% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 66.8
- 9% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 372,207
- +5.9% since 2020
See the sit-down restaurants around any address in Galveston 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 Galveston 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
Household spending on food away from home in Galveston County comes to about $587.8M a year: $4,179 per household, 3% above the U.S. average. That works out to $625K per restaurant, 6% below the U.S. figure of $664K. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants.
Galveston County has 940 sit-down restaurants on map listings as of September 2026. Of those, 268 are chain locations, or 29%, against 29% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 66.8, 9% above the U.S. rate of 61.3.
Official counts show 293 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in Galveston County in 2023, up 16.3% from 2019. That is one for every 480 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Another 92 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 6 SBA-backed loans worth $6.9M have gone to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Galveston County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Galveston County grew 5.9%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). For sit-down restaurants, Galveston County has a Groundwork market score of 50 (upper middle): #1,192 of 2,405 scored counties and #67 of 162 scored counties in Texas.
How Galveston 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 | Galveston County | Texas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 66.8 | 69.0 | 61.3 |
| Spending per listing | $625K | $575K | $664K |
| Households per official establishment | 480 | 528 | 500 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +16.3% | +9.9% | +1.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +5.9% | +8.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $4,179 | $3,970 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $86,105 | $78,476 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 50 | 46 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 252 → 293+16.3% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 8,129
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $184.3M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 92Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 940268 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 886The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 6
- Amount
- $6.9M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Galveston 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 Galveston County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 372,207+5.9% since 2020
- Households
- 140,660
- Median age
- 39.6
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 68%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 379 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 946
- Median household income
- $86,105+17.4% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $114,259
- Median home value
- $314,600
- Jobs located here
- 122,596
- Daytime population
- 313,358Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Galveston 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 Galveston 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 Galveston 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 |
| 67Galveston County, TX | 50 | 940 | 66.8 | $625K | +5.9% | #1,192 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Galveston County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes50
- Sit-down restaurants50
- Fast food and sandwich shops66
- Pizza74
- Coffee shops and cafes59
- Bakeries and dessert shops47
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 Galveston County, TX?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 940 sit-down restaurants in Galveston County. 268 of them (29%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 293 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023, up 16.3% from 2019. Official counts list 92 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Galveston County, TX spend on food away from home?
About $587.8M a year, or $4,179 per household. That is 3% above the U.S. average (an index of 103, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 940 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $625K 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 140,660 households in Galveston County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Galveston County, TX compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?
Galveston County has 66.8 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 9% above the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $625K, 6% below the U.S. figure of $664K. At the U.S. ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, Galveston County would have about 886, against 940 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 480 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. The official count rose 16.3% from 2019 to 2023, against +1.5% for the U.S.
How fast is Galveston County, TX growing?
Population estimates put Galveston County at 372,207 people in 2025, up 5.9% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 140,660 households. Median household income in Galveston County is $86,105, 7% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 17.4%, 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. Galveston County scores 50 for sit-down restaurants (upper middle), #1,192 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Galveston 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 Galveston County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Galveston 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 Galveston 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.