Food and drink · County · Virginia
Sit-down restaurants in Washington County, VA
The sit-down restaurants in Washington County, VA, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 46 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,342 of 2,405 scored counties
#73 of 115 scored counties in Virginia
- Listings
- 88
- 31 chain locations (35%)
- Official establishments
- 46
- +12.2% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $75.9M
- On food away from home · $3,435 a household
- Spending per listing
- $863K
- 30% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 39.8
- 35% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 53,898
- 0.0% since 2020
See the sit-down restaurants around any address in Washington 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 Washington 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
Map listings as of September 2026 show 88 sit-down restaurants in Washington County. 31 of them (35%) are chain locations, against 29% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 39.8, 35% below the U.S. rate of 61.3.
At $3,435 per household (16% below the U.S. average), households in Washington County spend about $75.9M a year on food away from home. That works out to $863K per restaurant, 30% 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 46 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in Washington County in 2023, up 12.2% from 2019. That is one for every 481 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Official counts list 5 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $750K have gone to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Washington County.
Population estimates put the population change in Washington County from 2020 to 2025 at 0.0%, against +3.1% for the U.S. Washington County scores 46 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for sit-down restaurants, ranking #1,342 of 2,405 scored counties and #73 of 115 scored counties in Virginia.
How Washington 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 | Washington County | Virginia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 39.8 | 57.1 | 61.3 |
| Spending per listing | $863K | $765K | $664K |
| Households per official establishment | 481 | 470 | 500 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +12.2% | +2.1% | +1.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | 0.0% | +2.8% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,435 | $4,372 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $64,552 | $93,170 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 46 | 66 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 41 → 46+12.2% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 626
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $15.3M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 5Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 8831 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 114The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 2
- Amount
- $750K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Washington 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 Washington County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 53,8980.0% since 2020
- Households
- 22,112
- Median age
- 46.5
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 76%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 561 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 96
- Median household income
- $64,552+33.1% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $91,626
- Median home value
- $214,000
- Jobs located here
- 20,447
- Daytime population
- 52,685Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Washington 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 Washington 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 Washington 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 |
| 73Washington County, VA | 46 | 88 | 39.8 | $863K | 0.0% | #1,342 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Washington County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes55
- Sit-down restaurants46
- Fast food and sandwich shops49
- Pizza43
- Coffee shops and cafes57
- Bakeries and dessert shops66
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 Washington County, VA?
There are 88 sit-down restaurants on map listings in Washington County as of September 2026. 31 of them (35%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 46 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023, up 12.2% from 2019. Official counts also show 5 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Washington County, VA spend on food away from home?
About $75.9M a year, or $3,435 per household. That is 16% below the U.S. average (an index of 84, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 88 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $863K per restaurant. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants. It is estimated from the incomes of the 22,112 households in Washington County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Washington County, VA compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?
Washington County has 39.8 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 35% below the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $863K, 30% above the U.S. figure of $664K. At the national ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, Washington County would have about 114, against 88 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 481 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. The official count rose 12.2% from 2019 to 2023, against +1.5% for the U.S.
How fast is Washington County, VA growing?
Population estimates put Washington County at 53,898 people in 2025, unchanged since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 22,112 households. The median household income in Washington County is $64,552 a year, 20% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 33.1% 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. Washington County scores 46 for sit-down restaurants (lower middle), #1,342 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Washington 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 Washington County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Washington 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 Washington 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.