Food and drink · County · Vermont
Sit-down restaurants in Chittenden County, VT
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for sit-down restaurants in Chittenden County, VT, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 50 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #1,167 of 2,405 scored counties
#6 of 12 scored counties in Vermont
- Listings
- 425
- 83 chain locations (20%)
- Official establishments
- 151
- −12.2% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $314.6M
- On food away from home · $4,403 a household
- Spending per listing
- $740K
- 12% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 59.5
- 3% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 169,115
- +0.4% since 2020
See the sit-down restaurants around any address in Chittenden 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 Chittenden 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
Households in Chittenden County spend about $314.6M a year on food away from home, or $4,403 per household, 8% above the U.S. average. Spread across 425 sit-down restaurants, that is $740K per restaurant, 12% above the U.S. figure of $664K. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants.
There are 425 sit-down restaurants on map listings in Chittenden County as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 20% of them, against 29% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 59.5, 3% below the U.S. rate of 61.3.
In 2023, official counts showed 151 businesses with payroll in Chittenden County classed as full-service restaurants, down 12.2% from 2019. That is one for every 473 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Another 28 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 12 SBA-backed loans worth $1.9M have gone to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Chittenden County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Chittenden County grew 0.4%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for sit-down restaurants in Chittenden County is 50 (upper middle), #1,167 of 2,405 scored counties and #6 of 12 scored counties in Vermont.
How Chittenden County compares
The same measures for Vermont 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 | Chittenden County | Vermont | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 59.5 | 54.3 | 61.3 |
| Spending per listing | $740K | $739K | $664K |
| Households per official establishment | 473 | 460 | 500 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −12.2% | −8.9% | +1.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +0.4% | +0.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $4,403 | $4,013 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $96,759 | $81,203 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 50 | 45 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 172 → 151−12.2% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 3,387
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $99.7M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 28Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 42583 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 474The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 12
- Amount
- $1.9M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Chittenden 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 Chittenden County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 169,115+0.4% since 2020
- Households
- 71,456
- Median age
- 39.7
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 64%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.7
- Land area
- 537 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 316
- Median household income
- $96,759+31.4% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $123,699
- Median home value
- $439,200
- Jobs located here
- 103,357
- Daytime population
- 189,839Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Chittenden 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 Chittenden 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 Vermont
Every Vermont market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Vermont for sit-down restaurants, numbered among those based in Vermont, with Chittenden County marked.
Top counties in Vermont
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Orange County, VT | 81 | 35 | 27.5 | $1.4M | +2.4% | #104 of 2,405 |
| 2Franklin County, VT | 76 | 67 | 33.6 | $1.2M | +2.3% | #218 of 2,405 |
| 3Addison County, VT | 74 | 51 | 34.1 | $1.2M | +1.8% | #260 of 2,405 |
| 4Caledonia County, VT | 57 | 54 | 41.2 | $887K | +0.8% | #851 of 2,405 |
| 5Orleans County, VT | 53 | 51 | 42.2 | $862K | +0.7% | #1,025 of 2,405 |
| 6Chittenden County, VT | 50 | 425 | 59.5 | $740K | +0.4% | #1,167 of 2,405 |
| 7Washington County, VT | 49 | 139 | 53.8 | $750K | −0.2% | #1,219 of 2,405 |
| 8Windsor County, VT | 43 | 139 | 55.0 | $730K | −0.7% | #1,485 of 2,405 |
| 9Bennington County, VT | 28 | 99 | 66.1 | $584K | −1.8% | #2,108 of 2,405 |
| 10Lamoille County, VT | 28 | 101 | 84.7 | $462K | +1.4% | #2,133 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Chittenden County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes45
- Sit-down restaurants50
- Fast food and sandwich shops68
- Pizza66
- Coffee shops and cafes40
- Bakeries and dessert shops30
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 Chittenden County, VT?
As of September 2026, map listings count 425 sit-down restaurants in Chittenden County. 83 of them (20%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 151 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023, down 12.2% from 2019. Official counts list 28 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Chittenden County, VT spend on food away from home?
About $314.6M a year, or $4,403 per household. That is 8% above the U.S. average (an index of 108, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 425 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $740K 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 71,456 households in Chittenden County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Chittenden County, VT compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?
Chittenden County has 59.5 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 3% below the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $740K, 12% above the U.S. figure of $664K. At the U.S. ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, Chittenden County would have about 474, against 425 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 473 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. The official count fell 12.2% from 2019 to 2023, against +1.5% for the U.S.
How fast is Chittenden County, VT growing?
Population estimates put Chittenden County at 169,115 people in 2025, up 0.4% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 71,456 households. Median household income in Chittenden County is $96,759, 20% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 31.4%, 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. Chittenden County scores 50 for sit-down restaurants (upper middle), #1,167 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Chittenden 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 Chittenden County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Chittenden 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 Chittenden 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.