Food and drink · County · Virginia
Sit-down restaurants in Fairfax County, VA
How Fairfax 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 61 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #703 of 2,405 scored counties
#53 of 115 scored counties in Virginia
- Listings
- 2,651
- 861 chain locations (32%)
- Official establishments
- 908
- +7.5% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $2.3B
- On food away from home · $5,635 a household
- Spending per listing
- $880K
- 33% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 64.0
- 4% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 1,167,873
- +1.7% since 2020
See the sit-down restaurants around any address in Fairfax 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 Fairfax 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
At $5,635 per household (38% above the U.S. average), households in Fairfax County spend about $2.3B a year on food away from home. That works out to $880K per restaurant, 33% above the U.S. figure of $664K. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants.
Fairfax County has 2,651 sit-down restaurants on map listings as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 32% of them, against 29% across the U.S. That is 64.0 per 10,000 households, 4% above the U.S. rate of 61.3.
In 2023, official counts showed 908 businesses with payroll in Fairfax County classed as full-service restaurants, up 7.5% from 2019. That is one for every 456 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Official counts also show 315 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 64 SBA-backed loans worth $32.5M have gone to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Fairfax County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Fairfax County grew 1.7%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). For sit-down restaurants, Fairfax County has a Groundwork market score of 61 (upper middle): #703 of 2,405 scored counties and #53 of 115 scored counties in Virginia.
How Fairfax 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 | Fairfax County | Virginia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 64.0 | 57.1 | 61.3 |
| Spending per listing | $880K | $765K | $664K |
| Households per official establishment | 456 | 470 | 500 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +7.5% | +2.1% | +1.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +1.7% | +2.8% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $5,635 | $4,372 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $153,637 | $93,170 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 61 | 66 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 845 → 908+7.5% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 18,718
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $577.4M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 315Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 2,651861 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 3,516The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 64
- Amount
- $32.5M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Fairfax 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 Fairfax County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 1,167,873+1.7% since 2020
- Households
- 414,101
- Median age
- 40.1
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 69%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 391 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 2,935
- Median household income
- $153,637+23.1% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $195,941
- Median home value
- $732,800
- Jobs located here
- 683,496
- Daytime population
- 1,295,194Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Fairfax 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 Fairfax 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 Fairfax 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 |
| 53Fairfax County, VA | 61 | 2,651 | 64.0 | $880K | +1.7% | #703 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Fairfax County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes64
- Sit-down restaurants61
- Fast food and sandwich shops65
- Pizza67
- Coffee shops and cafes69
- Bakeries and dessert shops67
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 Fairfax County, VA?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 2,651 sit-down restaurants in Fairfax County. 861 of them (32%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 908 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023, up 7.5% from 2019. Another 315 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Fairfax County, VA spend on food away from home?
About $2.3B a year, or $5,635 per household. That is 38% above the U.S. average (an index of 138, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 2,651 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $880K 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 414,101 households in Fairfax County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Fairfax County, VA compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?
Fairfax County has 64.0 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 4% above the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $880K, 33% above the U.S. figure of $664K. At the U.S. ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, Fairfax County would have about 3,516, against 2,651 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 456 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. The official count rose 7.5% from 2019 to 2023, against +1.5% for the U.S.
How fast is Fairfax County, VA growing?
Population estimates put Fairfax County at 1,167,873 people in 2025, up 1.7% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 414,101 households. Median household income in Fairfax County is $153,637, 90% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 23.1%, 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. Fairfax County scores 61 for sit-down restaurants (upper middle), #703 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Fairfax 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 Fairfax County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Fairfax 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 Fairfax 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.