Food and drink · County · Texas
Sit-down restaurants in Hays County, TX
The sit-down restaurants in Hays County, TX, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 70 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #389 of 2,405 scored counties
#20 of 162 scored counties in Texas
- Listings
- 593
- 207 chain locations (35%)
- Official establishments
- 145
- +8.2% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $422.1M
- On food away from home · $4,227 a household
- Spending per listing
- $712K
- 7% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 59.4
- 3% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 304,390
- +24.8% since 2020
See the sit-down restaurants around any address in Hays 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 Hays 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
As of September 2026, map listings count 593 sit-down restaurants in Hays County. 207 of them (35%) are chain locations, against 29% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 59.4, 3% below the U.S. rate of 61.3.
Households in Hays County spend about $422.1M a year on food away from home, or $4,227 per household, 4% above the U.S. average. That works out to $712K per restaurant, 7% 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 145 businesses with payroll in Hays County classed as full-service restaurants, up 8.2% from 2019. That is one for every 689 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Official counts list 60 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 9 SBA-backed loans worth $6.8M have gone to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Hays County.
Population estimates show Hays County grew 24.8% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for sit-down restaurants in Hays County is 70 (upper middle), #389 of 2,405 scored counties and #20 of 162 scored counties in Texas. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How Hays 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 | Hays County | Texas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 59.4 | 69.0 | 61.3 |
| Spending per listing | $712K | $575K | $664K |
| Households per official establishment | 689 | 528 | 500 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +8.2% | +9.9% | +1.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +24.8% | +8.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $4,227 | $3,970 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $89,097 | $78,476 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 70 | 46 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 134 → 145+8.2% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 4,615
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $116.9M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 60Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 593207 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 636The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 9
- Amount
- $6.8M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Hays 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 Hays County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 304,390+24.8% since 2020
- Households
- 99,849
- Median age
- 35.9
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 64%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 677 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 397
- Median household income
- $89,097+29.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $117,554
- Median home value
- $399,800
- Jobs located here
- 86,425
- Daytime population
- 232,827Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Hays 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 Hays 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 Hays 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 |
| 20Hays County, TX | 70 | 593 | 59.4 | $712K | +24.8% | #389 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Hays County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes60
- Sit-down restaurants70
- Fast food and sandwich shops62
- Pizza73
- Coffee shops and cafes57
- Bakeries and dessert shops52
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 Hays County, TX?
Hays County has 593 sit-down restaurants on map listings as of September 2026. 207 of them (35%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 145 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023, up 8.2% from 2019. Official counts also show 60 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Hays County, TX spend on food away from home?
About $422.1M a year, or $4,227 per household. That is 4% above the U.S. average (an index of 104, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 593 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $712K per restaurant. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants. It is estimated from the incomes of the 99,849 households in Hays County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Hays County, TX compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?
Hays County has 59.4 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 3% below the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $712K, 7% above the U.S. figure of $664K. At the national ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, Hays County would have about 636, against 593 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 689 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. The official count rose 8.2% from 2019 to 2023, against +1.5% for the U.S.
How fast is Hays County, TX growing?
Population estimates put Hays County at 304,390 people in 2025, up 24.8% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 99,849 households. The median household income in Hays County is $89,097 a year, 10% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 29.7% 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. Hays County scores 70 for sit-down restaurants (upper middle), #389 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Hays 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 Hays County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Hays 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 Hays 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.