Food and drink · County · Virginia
Sit-down restaurants in Caroline County, VA
The sit-down restaurants in Caroline County, VA, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 91 out of 100: Very high
Ranked #15 of 2,405 scored counties
#3 of 115 scored counties in Virginia
- Listings
- 30
- 15 chain locations (50%)
- Official establishments
- 14
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $48.7M
- On food away from home · $4,063 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.6M
- 2.5 times the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 25.0
- 59% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 34,413
- +11.3% since 2020
See the sit-down restaurants around any address in Caroline 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 Caroline 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
Caroline County scores 91 (very high) on the Groundwork market score for sit-down restaurants, ranking #15 of 2,405 scored counties and #3 of 115 scored counties in Virginia. That puts it in the top 10% of counties for sit-down restaurants.
Household spending on food away from home in Caroline County comes to about $48.7M a year: $4,063 per household, in line with the U.S. average. That is about $1.6M of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 2.5 times the U.S. figure of $664K. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants.
Caroline County has 30 sit-down restaurants on map listings as of September 2026. 15 of them (50%) are chain locations, against 29% across the U.S. That is 25.0 per 10,000 households, 59% below the U.S. rate of 61.3.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in Caroline County was 14 in 2023. That is one for every 856 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Population estimates show Caroline County grew 11.3% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Caroline 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 | Caroline County | Virginia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 25.0 | 57.1 | 61.3 |
| Spending per listing | $1.6M | $765K | $664K |
| Households per official establishment | 856 | 470 | 500 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +2.1% | +1.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +11.3% | +2.8% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $4,063 | $4,372 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $87,407 | $93,170 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 91 | 66 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 15 → 14
- Employees, 2023
- 186
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $4.4M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 0Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 3015 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 73The 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 Caroline 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 Caroline County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 34,413+11.3% since 2020
- Households
- 11,988
- Median age
- 40.2
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 82%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.3
- Land area
- 527 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 61
- Median household income
- $87,407+34.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $103,835
- Median home value
- $307,700
- Jobs located here
- 6,321
- Daytime population
- 20,611Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Caroline 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 Caroline 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 Caroline 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 |
Other business types in Caroline County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes93
- Sit-down restaurants91
- Fast food and sandwich shops86
- Pizza91
- Coffee shops and cafes93
- Bakeries and dessert shops81
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 Caroline County, VA?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 30 sit-down restaurants in Caroline County. 15 of them (50%) 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 Caroline County, VA spend on food away from home?
About $48.7M a year, or $4,063 per household. That is in line with the U.S. average (an index of 100, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 30 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $1.6M 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 11,988 households in Caroline County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Caroline County, VA compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?
Caroline County has 25.0 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 59% below the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $1.6M, 2.5 times the U.S. figure of $664K. At the U.S. ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, Caroline County would have about 73, against 30 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 856 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S.
How fast is Caroline County, VA growing?
Population estimates put Caroline County at 34,413 people in 2025, up 11.3% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 11,988 households. Median household income in Caroline County is $87,407, 8% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 34.3%, 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. Caroline County scores 91 for sit-down restaurants (very high), #15 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Caroline 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 Caroline County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Caroline 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 Caroline 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.