Food and drink · County · Texas
Sit-down restaurants in Wharton County, TX
How Wharton 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 33 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,936 of 2,405 scored counties
#118 of 162 scored counties in Texas
- Listings
- 113
- 35 chain locations (31%)
- Official establishments
- 30
- −3.2% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $57.6M
- On food away from home · $3,623 a household
- Spending per listing
- $509K
- 23% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 71.1
- 16% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 42,060
- +1.2% since 2020
See the sit-down restaurants around any address in Wharton 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 Wharton 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
For sit-down restaurants, Wharton County has a Groundwork market score of 33 (lower middle): #1,936 of 2,405 scored counties and #118 of 162 scored counties in Texas. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
Map listings as of September 2026 show 113 sit-down restaurants in Wharton County. Of those, 35 are chain locations, or 31%, against 29% across the U.S. That comes to 71.1 for every 10,000 households, 16% above the U.S. rate of 61.3.
At $3,623 per household (11% below the U.S. average), households in Wharton County spend about $57.6M a year on food away from home. Spread across 113 sit-down restaurants, that is $509K per restaurant, 23% 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.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in Wharton County was 30 in 2023, down 3.2% from 2019. That is one for every 530 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Population estimates put the population change in Wharton County from 2020 to 2025 at +1.2%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Wharton 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 | Wharton County | Texas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 71.1 | 69.0 | 61.3 |
| Spending per listing | $509K | $575K | $664K |
| Households per official establishment | 530 | 528 | 500 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −3.2% | +9.9% | +1.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +1.2% | +8.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,623 | $3,970 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $66,924 | $78,476 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 33 | 46 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 31 → 30−3.2% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 404
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $7.9M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 13Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 11335 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 87The 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 Wharton 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 Wharton County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 42,060+1.2% since 2020
- Households
- 15,890
- Median age
- 37.8
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 72%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 1,086 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 38
- Median household income
- $66,924+38.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $95,050
- Median home value
- $189,900
- Jobs located here
- 15,145
- Daytime population
- 34,718Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Wharton 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 Wharton 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 Wharton 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 |
| 118Wharton County, TX | 33 | 113 | 71.1 | $509K | +1.2% | #1,936 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Wharton County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes36
- Sit-down restaurants33
- Fast food and sandwich shops33
- Pizza60
- Coffee shops and cafes68
- Bakeries and dessert shops54
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 Wharton County, TX?
There are 113 sit-down restaurants on map listings in Wharton County as of September 2026. 35 of them (31%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 30 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023, down 3.2% from 2019. Another 13 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Wharton County, TX spend on food away from home?
About $57.6M a year, or $3,623 per household. That is 11% below the U.S. average (an index of 89, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 113 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $509K per restaurant. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants. It is estimated from the incomes of the 15,890 households in Wharton County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Wharton County, TX compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?
Wharton County has 71.1 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 16% above the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $509K, 23% below the U.S. figure of $664K. At the national ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, Wharton County would have about 87, against 113 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 530 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. The official count fell 3.2% from 2019 to 2023, against +1.5% for the U.S.
How fast is Wharton County, TX growing?
Population estimates put Wharton County at 42,060 people in 2025, up 1.2% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 15,890 households. The median household income in Wharton County is $66,924 a year, 17% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 38.5% 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. Wharton County scores 33 for sit-down restaurants (lower middle), #1,936 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Wharton 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 Wharton County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Wharton 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 Wharton 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.