Food and drink · County · Virginia
Sit-down restaurants in Albemarle County, VA
How Albemarle County, VA 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 80 out of 100: High
Ranked #125 of 2,405 scored counties
#18 of 115 scored counties in Virginia
- Listings
- 177
- 60 chain locations (34%)
- Official establishments
- 76
- +5.6% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $212.5M
- On food away from home · $4,629 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.2M
- 81% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 38.6
- 37% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 118,356
- +5.1% since 2020
See the sit-down restaurants around any address in Albemarle 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 Albemarle 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
Albemarle County scores 80 (high) on the Groundwork market score for sit-down restaurants, ranking #125 of 2,405 scored counties and #18 of 115 scored counties in Virginia. That puts it in the top 10% of counties for sit-down restaurants.
Map listings as of September 2026 show 177 sit-down restaurants in Albemarle County. 60 of them (34%) are chain locations, against 29% across the U.S. That is 38.6 per 10,000 households, 37% below the U.S. rate of 61.3.
Household spending on food away from home in Albemarle County comes to about $212.5M a year: $4,629 per household, 14% above the U.S. average. That works out to $1.2M per restaurant, 81% 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.
Official counts show 76 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in Albemarle County in 2023, up 5.6% from 2019. That is one for every 604 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 4 SBA-backed loans worth $2.4M have gone to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Albemarle County. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Albemarle County grew 5.1%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Albemarle County compares
The same measures for Virginia 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 | Albemarle County | Virginia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 38.6 | 57.1 | 61.3 |
| Spending per listing | $1.2M | $765K | $664K |
| Households per official establishment | 604 | 470 | 500 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +5.6% | +2.1% | +1.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +5.1% | +2.8% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $4,629 | $4,372 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $104,392 | $93,170 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 80 | 66 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 72 → 76+5.6% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,575
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $40.3M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 22Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 17760 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 320The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 4
- Amount
- $2.4M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Albemarle 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 Albemarle County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 118,356+5.1% since 2020
- Households
- 45,912
- Median age
- 42.4
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 66%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 721 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 160
- Median household income
- $104,392+30.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $146,846
- Median home value
- $495,400
- Jobs located here
- 57,660
- Daytime population
- 124,085Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Albemarle 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 Albemarle 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 Virginia
Every Virginia market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Virginia for sit-down restaurants, numbered among those based in Virginia, with Albemarle County marked.
Top counties in Virginia
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Fluvanna County, VA | 94 | 17 | 16.5 | $2.6M | +6.2% | #6 of 2,405 |
| 2King George County, VA | 94 | 33 | 32.6 | $1.5M | +10.5% | #7 of 2,405 |
| 3Caroline County, VA | 91 | 30 | 25.0 | $1.6M | +11.3% | #15 of 2,405 |
| 4Stafford County, VA | 91 | 212 | 40.5 | $1.3M | +8.3% | #16 of 2,405 |
| 5Louisa County, VA | 90 | 47 | 30.2 | $1.3M | +13.6% | #22 of 2,405 |
| 6Goochland County, VA | 89 | 28 | 27.1 | $1.9M | +17.4% | #25 of 2,405 |
| 7Frederick County, VA | 88 | 134 | 37.9 | $1.2M | +8.8% | #42 of 2,405 |
| 8Dinwiddie County, VA | 87 | 19 | 17.8 | $2.1M | +3.6% | #45 of 2,405 |
| 9Madison County, VA | 87 | 12 | 21.9 | $1.8M | +2.7% | #46 of 2,405 |
| 10Powhatan County, VA | 87 | 31 | 27.4 | $1.7M | +7.0% | #47 of 2,405 |
| 18Albemarle County, VA | 80 | 177 | 38.6 | $1.2M | +5.1% | #125 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Albemarle County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes84
- Sit-down restaurants80
- Fast food and sandwich shops88
- Pizza90
- Coffee shops and cafes81
- Bakeries and dessert shops80
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 Albemarle County, VA?
There are 177 sit-down restaurants on map listings in Albemarle County as of September 2026. 60 of them (34%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 76 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023, up 5.6% from 2019. Another 22 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Albemarle County, VA spend on food away from home?
About $212.5M a year, or $4,629 per household. That is 14% above the U.S. average (an index of 114, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 177 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $1.2M per restaurant. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants. It is estimated from the incomes of the 45,912 households in Albemarle County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Albemarle County, VA compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?
Albemarle County has 38.6 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 37% below the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $1.2M, 81% above the U.S. figure of $664K. At the national ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, Albemarle County would have about 320, against 177 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 604 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. The official count rose 5.6% from 2019 to 2023, against +1.5% for the U.S.
How fast is Albemarle County, VA growing?
Population estimates put Albemarle County at 118,356 people in 2025, up 5.1% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 45,912 households. The median household income in Albemarle County is $104,392 a year, 29% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 30.7% 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. Albemarle County scores 80 for sit-down restaurants (high), #125 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Albemarle 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 Albemarle County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Albemarle 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 Albemarle 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.