Food and drink · County · Virginia
Sit-down restaurants in Amherst County, VA
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for sit-down restaurants in Amherst County, VA, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 73 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #293 of 2,405 scored counties
#29 of 115 scored counties in Virginia
- Listings
- 38
- 16 chain locations (42%)
- Official establishments
- 14
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $44.1M
- On food away from home · $3,476 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.2M
- 75% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 29.9
- 51% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 31,962
- +2.1% since 2020
See the sit-down restaurants around any address in Amherst 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 Amherst 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 38 sit-down restaurants in Amherst County. Of those, 16 are chain locations, or 42%, against 29% across the U.S. That comes to 29.9 for every 10,000 households, 51% below the U.S. rate of 61.3.
Households in Amherst County spend about $44.1M a year on food away from home, or $3,476 per household, 15% below the U.S. average. Spread across 38 sit-down restaurants, that is $1.2M per restaurant, 75% 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 14 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in Amherst County in 2023. That is one for every 907 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S.
Population estimates put the population change in Amherst County from 2020 to 2025 at +2.1%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). Amherst County scores 73 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for sit-down restaurants, ranking #293 of 2,405 scored counties and #29 of 115 scored counties in Virginia. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How Amherst 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 | Amherst County | Virginia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 29.9 | 57.1 | 61.3 |
| Spending per listing | $1.2M | $765K | $664K |
| Households per official establishment | 907 | 470 | 500 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +2.1% | +1.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.1% | +2.8% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,476 | $4,372 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $68,724 | $93,170 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 73 | 66 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 15 → 14
- Employees, 2023
- 186
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $4.9M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 0Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 3816 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 67The 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 Amherst 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 Amherst County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 31,962+2.1% since 2020
- Households
- 12,694
- Median age
- 44.0
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 81%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.2
- Land area
- 474 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 66
- Median household income
- $68,724+29.9% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $86,902
- Median home value
- $212,400
- Jobs located here
- 8,562
- Daytime population
- 26,580Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Amherst 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 Amherst 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 Amherst 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 |
| 29Amherst County, VA | 73 | 38 | 29.9 | $1.2M | +2.1% | #293 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Amherst County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes72
- Sit-down restaurants73
- Fast food and sandwich shops48
- Pizza58
- Coffee shops and cafes75
- Bakeries and dessert shops
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 Amherst County, VA?
Amherst County has 38 sit-down restaurants on map listings as of September 2026. 16 of them (42%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 14 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023.
How much do households in Amherst County, VA spend on food away from home?
About $44.1M a year, or $3,476 per household. That is 15% below the U.S. average (an index of 85, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 38 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 12,694 households in Amherst County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Amherst County, VA compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?
Amherst County has 29.9 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 51% below the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $1.2M, 75% above the U.S. figure of $664K. At the national ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, Amherst County would have about 67, against 38 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 907 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S.
How fast is Amherst County, VA growing?
Population estimates put Amherst County at 31,962 people in 2025, up 2.1% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 12,694 households. The median household income in Amherst County is $68,724 a year, 15% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 29.9% 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. Amherst County scores 73 for sit-down restaurants (upper middle), #293 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Amherst 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 Amherst County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Amherst 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 Amherst 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.