Food and drink · Small-town market · Texas
Sit-down restaurants in the Port Lavaca, TX area
The sit-down restaurants in the Port Lavaca, TX area, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other small-town markets.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 28 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #476 of 538 scored small-town markets
#29 of 41 scored small-town markets based in Texas
- Listings
- 61
- 18 chain locations (30%)
- Official establishments
- 28
- +21.7% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $33.3M
- On food away from home · $3,844 a household
- Spending per listing
- $546K
- 18% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 70.4
- 15% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 19,599
- −2.3% since 2020
See the sit-down restaurants around any address in the Port Lavaca 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 Port Lavaca 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
The Port Lavaca area scores 28 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for sit-down restaurants, ranking #476 of 538 scored small-town markets and #29 of 41 scored small-town markets based in Texas. That puts it in the bottom quarter of small-town markets.
Map listings as of September 2026 show 61 sit-down restaurants in the Port Lavaca area. 18 of them (30%) are chain locations, against 29% across the U.S. That comes to 70.4 for every 10,000 households, 15% above the U.S. rate of 61.3.
Households in the Port Lavaca area spend about $33.3M a year on food away from home, or $3,844 per household, 6% below the U.S. average. That is about $546K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 18% below 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 28 businesses with payroll in the Port Lavaca area classed as full-service restaurants, up 21.7% from 2019. That is one for every 310 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Population estimates show the Port Lavaca area declined 2.3% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How the Port Lavaca area 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 | Port Lavaca area | Texas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 70.4 | 69.0 | 61.3 |
| Spending per listing | $546K | $575K | $664K |
| Households per official establishment | 310 | 528 | 500 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +21.7% | +9.9% | +1.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −2.3% | +8.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,844 | $3,970 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $79,959 | $78,476 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 28 | 46 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 28+21.7% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 232
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $4.8M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 9Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 6118 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 50The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 0
- Amount
- $0
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in the Port Lavaca 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 Port Lavaca area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 19,599−2.3% since 2020
- Households
- 8,670
- Median age
- 40.1
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 77%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 507 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 39
- Median household income
- $79,959+36.0% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $102,381
- Median home value
- $171,200
- Jobs located here
- 10,873
- Daytime population
- 22,043Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Port Lavaca area?
These figures cover the whole small-town market. 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 Port Lavaca 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 Texas
Every Texas market ranked →The highest-scoring small-town markets in Texas for sit-down restaurants, numbered among those based in Texas, with the Port Lavaca area marked.
Top small-town markets in Texas
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Bonham, TX | 80 | 64 | 50.1 | $738K | +9.2% | #19 of 538 |
| 2Granbury, TX | 74 | 134 | 52.5 | $776K | +13.6% | #52 of 538 |
| 3Andrews, TX | 69 | 38 | 55.5 | $690K | +1.6% | #83 of 538 |
| 4Corsicana, TX | 64 | 108 | 56.7 | $607K | +8.2% | #128 of 538 |
| 5Jacksonville, TX | 63 | 94 | 51.7 | $657K | +5.4% | #138 of 538 |
| 6Paris, TX | 56 | 119 | 47.6 | $702K | +2.6% | #209 of 538 |
| 7Lufkin, TX | 53 | 175 | 54.2 | $615K | +1.9% | #242 of 538 |
| 8Gainesville, TX | 53 | 105 | 63.5 | $605K | +6.5% | #243 of 538 |
| 9Huntsville, TX | 51 | 130 | 50.0 | $618K | +9.5% | #260 of 538 |
| 10Kerrville, TX | 49 | 126 | 55.7 | $657K | +2.5% | #274 of 538 |
| 29Port Lavaca, TX | 28 | 61 | 70.4 | $546K | −2.3% | #476 of 538 |
Other business types in the Port Lavaca area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes37
- Sit-down restaurants28
- Fast food and sandwich shops60
- Pizza
- Coffee shops and cafes64
- Bakeries and dessert shops56
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 Port Lavaca, TX area?
There are 61 sit-down restaurants on map listings in the Port Lavaca area as of September 2026. 18 of them (30%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 28 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023, up 21.7% from 2019. Official counts list 9 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Port Lavaca, TX area spend on food away from home?
About $33.3M a year, or $3,844 per household. That is 6% below the U.S. average (an index of 94, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 61 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $546K per restaurant. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants. It is estimated from the incomes of the 8,670 households in the Port Lavaca area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Port Lavaca, TX area compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?
The Port Lavaca area has 70.4 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 15% above the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $546K, 18% below the U.S. figure of $664K. At the national ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, the Port Lavaca area would have about 50, against 61 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 310 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. The official count rose 21.7% from 2019 to 2023, against +1.5% for the U.S.
How fast is the Port Lavaca, TX area growing?
Population estimates put the Port Lavaca area at 19,599 people in 2025, down 2.3% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 8,670 households. The median household income in the Port Lavaca area is $79,959 a year, in line with the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 36.0% 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. A small-town market is a town of 10,000 to 50,000 people and the county or counties tied to it by commuting. 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 Port Lavaca area scores 28 for sit-down restaurants (lower middle), #476 of 538 scored small-town markets.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Port Lavaca 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 Port Lavaca area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Port Lavaca 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 Port Lavaca 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.