Food and drink · County · Virginia
Sit-down restaurants in Norfolk city, VA
The sit-down restaurants in Norfolk city, VA, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 20 out of 100: Low
Ranked #2,306 of 2,405 scored counties
#106 of 115 scored counties in Virginia
- Listings
- 689
- 199 chain locations (29%)
- Official establishments
- 230
- −1.3% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $339.3M
- On food away from home · $3,573 a household
- Spending per listing
- $492K
- 26% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 72.6
- 18% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 231,013
- −2.9% since 2020
See the sit-down restaurants around any address in Norfolk city
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 Norfolk city. 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
The Groundwork market score for sit-down restaurants in Norfolk city is 20 (low), #2,306 of 2,405 scored counties and #106 of 115 scored counties in Virginia. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
Household spending on food away from home in Norfolk city comes to about $339.3M a year: $3,573 per household, 12% below the U.S. average. That is about $492K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 26% below the U.S. figure of $664K. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants.
There are 689 sit-down restaurants on map listings in Norfolk city as of September 2026. 199 of them (29%) are chain locations, against 29% across the U.S. That comes to 72.6 for every 10,000 households, 18% above the U.S. rate of 61.3.
In 2023, official counts showed 230 businesses with payroll in Norfolk city classed as full-service restaurants, down 1.3% from 2019. That is one for every 413 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 7 SBA-backed loans worth $2.5M have gone to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Norfolk city. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Norfolk city declined 2.9%, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How Norfolk city 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 | Norfolk city | Virginia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 72.6 | 57.1 | 61.3 |
| Spending per listing | $492K | $765K | $664K |
| Households per official establishment | 413 | 470 | 500 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −1.3% | +2.1% | +1.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −2.9% | +2.8% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,573 | $4,372 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $66,109 | $93,170 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 20 | 66 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 233 → 230−1.3% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 3,755
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $90.6M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 25Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 689199 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 511The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 7
- Amount
- $2.5M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Norfolk city, 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 Norfolk city
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 231,013−2.9% since 2020
- Households
- 94,965
- Median age
- 35.1
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 46%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.6
- Land area
- 53 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 4,385
- Median household income
- $66,109+28.1% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $91,610
- Median home value
- $289,900
- Jobs located here
- 130,869
- Daytime population
- 273,887Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Norfolk city?
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 Norfolk city. 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 Norfolk city 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 |
| 106Norfolk city, VA | 20 | 689 | 72.6 | $492K | −2.9% | #2,306 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Norfolk city
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes20
- Sit-down restaurants20
- Fast food and sandwich shops22
- Pizza34
- Coffee shops and cafes34
- Bakeries and dessert shops44
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 Norfolk city, VA?
As of September 2026, map listings count 689 sit-down restaurants in Norfolk city. 199 of them (29%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 230 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023, down 1.3% from 2019. Another 25 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Norfolk city, VA spend on food away from home?
About $339.3M a year, or $3,573 per household. That is 12% below the U.S. average (an index of 88, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 689 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $492K 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 94,965 households in Norfolk city and national spending patterns by income.
How does Norfolk city, VA compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?
Norfolk city has 72.6 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 18% above the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $492K, 26% below the U.S. figure of $664K. At the U.S. ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, Norfolk city would have about 511, against 689 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 413 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. The official count fell 1.3% from 2019 to 2023, against +1.5% for the U.S.
How fast is Norfolk city, VA growing?
Population estimates put Norfolk city at 231,013 people in 2025, down 2.9% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 94,965 households. Median household income in Norfolk city is $66,109, 18% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 28.1%, 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. Norfolk city scores 20 for sit-down restaurants (low), #2,306 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Norfolk city. 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 Norfolk city
Screening a site or an acquisition in Norfolk city?
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 Norfolk city. 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.