Food and drink · County · Texas
Sit-down restaurants in Zapata County, TX
How Zapata 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 21 out of 100: Low
Ranked #2,299 of 2,405 scored counties
#150 of 162 scored counties in Texas
- Listings
- 41
- 8 chain locations (20%)
- Official establishments
- 7
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $12.8M
- On food away from home · $2,803 a household
- Spending per listing
- $312K
- 53% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 89.8
- 46% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 13,753
- −0.9% since 2020
See the sit-down restaurants around any address in Zapata 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 Zapata 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
Zapata County scores 21 (low) on the Groundwork market score for sit-down restaurants, ranking #2,299 of 2,405 scored counties and #150 of 162 scored counties in Texas. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
Households in Zapata County spend about $12.8M a year on food away from home, or $2,803 per household, 31% below the U.S. average. That is about $312K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 53% below the U.S. figure of $664K. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants.
Zapata County has 41 sit-down restaurants on map listings as of September 2026. Of those, 8 are chain locations, or 20%, against 29% across the U.S. That is 89.8 per 10,000 households, 46% above the U.S. rate of 61.3.
In 2023, official counts showed 7 businesses with payroll in Zapata County classed as full-service restaurants. That is one for every 652 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $50K has gone to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Zapata County. Population estimates put the population change in Zapata County from 2020 to 2025 at −0.9%, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How Zapata 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 | Zapata County | Texas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 89.8 | 69.0 | 61.3 |
| Spending per listing | $312K | $575K | $664K |
| Households per official establishment | 652 | 528 | 500 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +9.9% | +1.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −0.9% | +8.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $2,803 | $3,970 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $39,239 | $78,476 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 21 | 46 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 9 → 7
- Employees, 2023
- 65
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $727K
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 13Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 418 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 19The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $50K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Zapata 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 Zapata County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 13,753−0.9% since 2020
- Households
- 4,565
- Median age
- 33.1
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 72%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.7
- Land area
- 998 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 14
- Median household income
- $39,239+15.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $55,044
- Median home value
- $97,100
- Jobs located here
- 2,023
- Daytime population
- 10,968Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Zapata 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 Zapata 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 Zapata 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 |
| 150Zapata County, TX | 21 | 41 | 89.8 | $312K | −0.9% | #2,299 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Zapata County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes24
- Sit-down restaurants21
- Fast food and sandwich shops24
- Pizza
- Coffee shops and cafes
- Bakeries and dessert shops6
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 Zapata County, TX?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 41 sit-down restaurants in Zapata County. 8 of them (20%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 7 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023. Official counts also show 13 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Zapata County, TX spend on food away from home?
About $12.8M a year, or $2,803 per household. That is 31% below the U.S. average (an index of 69, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 41 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $312K 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 4,565 households in Zapata County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Zapata County, TX compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?
Zapata County has 89.8 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 46% above the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $312K, 53% below the U.S. figure of $664K. At the U.S. ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, Zapata County would have about 19, against 41 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 652 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S.
How fast is Zapata County, TX growing?
Population estimates put Zapata County at 13,753 people in 2025, down 0.9% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 4,565 households. Median household income in Zapata County is $39,239, 51% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 15.6%, 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. Zapata County scores 21 for sit-down restaurants (low), #2,299 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Zapata 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 Zapata County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Zapata 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 Zapata 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.