Food and drink · County · Virginia
Sit-down restaurants in Nelson County, VA
How Nelson 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 72 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #315 of 2,405 scored counties
#30 of 115 scored counties in Virginia
- Listings
- 24
- 4 chain locations (17%)
- Official establishments
- 9
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $24.9M
- On food away from home · $3,918 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1M
- 57% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 37.7
- 38% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 14,920
- +1.2% since 2020
See the sit-down restaurants around any address in Nelson 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 Nelson 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 $3,918 per household (4% below the U.S. average), households in Nelson County spend about $24.9M a year on food away from home. That is about $1M of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 57% above the U.S. figure of $664K. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants.
Nelson County has 24 sit-down restaurants on map listings as of September 2026. Of those, 4 are chain locations, or 17%, against 29% across the U.S. That is 37.7 per 10,000 households, 38% below the U.S. rate of 61.3.
In 2023, official counts showed 9 businesses with payroll in Nelson County classed as full-service restaurants. That is one for every 707 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Another 3 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Nelson County grew 1.2%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for sit-down restaurants in Nelson County is 72 (upper middle), #315 of 2,405 scored counties and #30 of 115 scored counties in Virginia. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How Nelson 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 | Nelson County | Virginia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 37.7 | 57.1 | 61.3 |
| Spending per listing | $1M | $765K | $664K |
| Households per official establishment | 707 | 470 | 500 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +2.1% | +1.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +1.2% | +2.8% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,918 | $4,372 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $72,589 | $93,170 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 72 | 66 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 10 → 9
- Employees, 2023
- 220
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $9.8M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 3Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 244 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 38The 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 Nelson 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 Nelson County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 14,920+1.2% since 2020
- Households
- 6,364
- Median age
- 49.5
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 80%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.1
- Land area
- 471 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 31
- Median household income
- $72,589+12.9% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $104,122
- Median home value
- $321,700
- Jobs located here
- 3,841
- Daytime population
- 12,142Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Nelson 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 Nelson 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 Nelson 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 |
| 30Nelson County, VA | 72 | 24 | 37.7 | $1M | +1.2% | #315 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Nelson County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes62
- Sit-down restaurants72
- Fast food and sandwich shops
- Pizza
- Coffee shops and cafes45
- 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 Nelson County, VA?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 24 sit-down restaurants in Nelson County. 4 of them (17%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 9 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023. Official counts list 3 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Nelson County, VA spend on food away from home?
About $24.9M a year, or $3,918 per household. That is 4% below the U.S. average (an index of 96, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 24 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $1M 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 6,364 households in Nelson County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Nelson County, VA compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?
Nelson County has 37.7 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 38% below the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $1M, 57% above the U.S. figure of $664K. At the U.S. ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, Nelson County would have about 38, against 24 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 707 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S.
How fast is Nelson County, VA growing?
Population estimates put Nelson County at 14,920 people in 2025, up 1.2% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 6,364 households. Median household income in Nelson County is $72,589, 10% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 12.9%, 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. Nelson County scores 72 for sit-down restaurants (upper middle), #315 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Nelson 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 Nelson County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Nelson 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 Nelson 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.