Groundwork

Food and drink · County · Virginia

Sit-down restaurants in York County, VA

How York 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 65 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #517 of 2,405 scored counties
#45 of 115 scored counties in Virginia

Listings
120
38 chain locations (32%)
Official establishments
59
+5.4% since 2019
Household spending a year
$127M
On food away from home · $4,709 a household
Spending per listing
$1.1M
59% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
44.5
27% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
71,374
+1.6% since 2020

See the sit-down restaurants around any address in York 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 York County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Survey 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 120 sit-down restaurants in York County. 38 of them (32%) are chain locations, against 29% across the U.S. That comes to 44.5 for every 10,000 households, 27% below the U.S. rate of 61.3.

At $4,709 per household (16% above the U.S. average), households in York County spend about $127M a year on food away from home. That works out to $1.1M per restaurant, 59% 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 59 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in York County in 2023, up 5.4% from 2019. That is one for every 457 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Official counts also show 5 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $754K have gone to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in York County.

Population estimates show York County grew 1.6% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). For sit-down restaurants, York County has a Groundwork market score of 65 (upper middle): #517 of 2,405 scored counties and #45 of 115 scored counties in Virginia. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.

How York 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.

Sit-down restaurants in York County, VA compared with Virginia and the U.S.
MeasureYork CountyVirginiaU.S.
Listings per 10k households44.557.161.3
Spending per listing$1.1M$765K$664K
Households per official establishment457470500
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+5.4%+2.1%+1.5%
Population growth, 2020–2025+1.6%+2.8%+3.1%
Spending per household on food away from home$4,709$4,372$4,070
Median household income$109,956$93,170$80,734
Groundwork market score6566

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
56 → 59+5.4% over the period
Employees, 2023
1,200
Annual payroll, 2023
$31.5M
One-person businesses, 2023
5Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
12038 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
191The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
2
Amount
$754K

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in York 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 York County

Population, 2025 estimate
71,374+1.6% since 2020
Households
26,968
Median age
42.0
Homes lived in by their owners
72%
Vehicles per household
2.0
Land area
105 sq. mi.
People per square mile
678
Median household income
$109,956+19.4% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$135,038
Median home value
$433,200
Jobs located here
19,993
Daytime population
64,167Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in York 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 York County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Sit-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 York County marked.

Top counties in Virginia

Counties in Virginia ranked for sit-down restaurants by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Fluvanna County, VA941716.5$2.6M+6.2%#6 of 2,405
2King George County, VA943332.6$1.5M+10.5%#7 of 2,405
3Caroline County, VA913025.0$1.6M+11.3%#15 of 2,405
4Stafford County, VA9121240.5$1.3M+8.3%#16 of 2,405
5Louisa County, VA904730.2$1.3M+13.6%#22 of 2,405
6Goochland County, VA892827.1$1.9M+17.4%#25 of 2,405
7Frederick County, VA8813437.9$1.2M+8.8%#42 of 2,405
8Dinwiddie County, VA871917.8$2.1M+3.6%#45 of 2,405
9Madison County, VA871221.9$1.8M+2.7%#46 of 2,405
10Powhatan County, VA873127.4$1.7M+7.0%#47 of 2,405
45York County, VA6512044.5$1.1M+1.6%#517 of 2,405

Other business types in York County

Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.

Questions

How many sit-down restaurants are in York County, VA?

There are 120 sit-down restaurants on map listings in York County as of September 2026. 38 of them (32%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 59 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023, up 5.4% from 2019. Another 5 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.

How much do households in York County, VA spend on food away from home?

About $127M a year, or $4,709 per household. That is 16% above the U.S. average (an index of 116, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 120 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $1.1M per restaurant. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants. It is estimated from the incomes of the 26,968 households in York County and national spending patterns by income.

How does York County, VA compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?

York County has 44.5 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 27% below the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $1.1M, 59% above the U.S. figure of $664K. At the national ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, York County would have about 191, against 120 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 457 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. The official count rose 5.4% from 2019 to 2023, against +1.5% for the U.S.

How fast is York County, VA growing?

Population estimates put York County at 71,374 people in 2025, up 1.6% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 26,968 households. The median household income in York County is $109,956 a year, 36% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 19.4% 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. York County scores 65 for sit-down restaurants (upper middle), #517 of 2,405 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in York 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 York County

Screening a site or an acquisition in York 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 York 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.