Food and drink · County · Utah
Sit-down restaurants in Salt Lake County, UT
How Salt Lake County, UT 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 57 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #872 of 2,405 scored counties
#15 of 21 scored counties in Utah
- Listings
- 2,691
- 899 chain locations (33%)
- Official establishments
- 761
- +5.1% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $1.9B
- On food away from home · $4,422 a household
- Spending per listing
- $700K
- 6% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 63.1
- 3% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 1,220,916
- +2.9% since 2020
See the sit-down restaurants around any address in Salt Lake 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 Salt Lake 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 2,691 sit-down restaurants in Salt Lake County. 899 of them (33%) are chain locations, against 29% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 63.1, 3% above the U.S. rate of 61.3.
At $4,422 per household (9% above the U.S. average), households in Salt Lake County spend about $1.9B a year on food away from home. Spread across 2,691 sit-down restaurants, that is $700K per restaurant, 6% 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.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in Salt Lake County was 761 in 2023, up 5.1% from 2019. That is one for every 560 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Official counts list 162 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 67 SBA-backed loans worth $41.4M have gone to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Salt Lake County.
Population estimates show Salt Lake County grew 2.9% from 2020 to 2025, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for sit-down restaurants in Salt Lake County is 57 (upper middle), #872 of 2,405 scored counties and #15 of 21 scored counties in Utah.
How Salt Lake County compares
The same measures for Utah 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 | Salt Lake County | Utah | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 63.1 | 57.4 | 61.3 |
| Spending per listing | $700K | $756K | $664K |
| Households per official establishment | 560 | 625 | 500 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +5.1% | +6.9% | +1.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.9% | +7.8% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $4,422 | $4,339 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $97,494 | $95,166 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 57 | 83 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 724 → 761+5.1% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 16,728
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $450.2M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 162Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 2,691899 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 2,840The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 67
- Amount
- $41.4M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Salt Lake 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 Salt Lake County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 1,220,916+2.9% since 2020
- Households
- 426,245
- Median age
- 35.0
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 66%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 753 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 1,590
- Median household income
- $97,494+30.2% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $124,987
- Median home value
- $525,700
- Jobs located here
- 775,993
- Daytime population
- 1,357,402Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Salt Lake 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 Salt Lake 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 Utah
Every Utah market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Utah for sit-down restaurants, numbered among those based in Utah, with Salt Lake County marked.
Top counties in Utah
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Morgan County, UT | 96 | 9 | 23.8 | $2.2M | +8.1% | #2 of 2,405 |
| 2Tooele County, UT | 91 | 95 | 39.7 | $1.1M | +19.2% | #19 of 2,405 |
| 3Box Elder County, UT | 89 | 64 | 32.7 | $1.2M | +12.7% | #30 of 2,405 |
| 4Davis County, UT | 88 | 483 | 41.7 | $1.1M | +4.8% | #43 of 2,405 |
| 5Cache County, UT | 84 | 186 | 41.9 | $943K | +8.5% | #80 of 2,405 |
| 6Utah County, UT | 82 | 1,101 | 54.2 | $828K | +14.5% | #99 of 2,405 |
| 7Emery County, UT | 78 | 13 | 37.6 | $971K | +3.4% | #171 of 2,405 |
| 8Wasatch County, UT | 77 | 76 | 59.0 | $846K | +9.9% | #203 of 2,405 |
| 9Weber County, UT | 76 | 471 | 50.0 | $827K | +5.8% | #228 of 2,405 |
| 10Sanpete County, UT | 75 | 40 | 45.0 | $792K | +10.3% | #254 of 2,405 |
| 15Salt Lake County, UT | 57 | 2,691 | 63.1 | $700K | +2.9% | #872 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Salt Lake County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes54
- Sit-down restaurants57
- Fast food and sandwich shops52
- Pizza65
- Coffee shops and cafes48
- 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 Salt Lake County, UT?
Salt Lake County has 2,691 sit-down restaurants on map listings as of September 2026. 899 of them (33%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 761 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023, up 5.1% from 2019. Official counts also show 162 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Salt Lake County, UT spend on food away from home?
About $1.9B a year, or $4,422 per household. That is 9% above the U.S. average (an index of 109, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 2,691 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $700K per restaurant. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants. It is estimated from the incomes of the 426,245 households in Salt Lake County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Salt Lake County, UT compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?
Salt Lake County has 63.1 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 3% above the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $700K, 6% above the U.S. figure of $664K. At the national ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, Salt Lake County would have about 2,840, against 2,691 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 560 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. The official count rose 5.1% from 2019 to 2023, against +1.5% for the U.S.
How fast is Salt Lake County, UT growing?
Population estimates put Salt Lake County at 1,220,916 people in 2025, up 2.9% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 426,245 households. The median household income in Salt Lake County is $97,494 a year, 21% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 30.2% 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. Salt Lake County scores 57 for sit-down restaurants (upper middle), #872 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Salt Lake 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 Salt Lake County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Salt Lake 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 Salt Lake 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.