Food and drink · County · Washington
Sit-down restaurants in Whitman County, WA
The sit-down restaurants in Whitman County, WA, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 44 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,456 of 2,405 scored counties
#28 of 35 scored counties in Washington
- Listings
- 91
- 14 chain locations (15%)
- Official establishments
- 35
- −7.9% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $64.7M
- On food away from home · $3,453 a household
- Spending per listing
- $710K
- 7% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 48.6
- 21% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 48,512
- +1.5% since 2020
See the sit-down restaurants around any address in Whitman 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 Whitman 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 $3,453 per household (15% below the U.S. average), households in Whitman County spend about $64.7M a year on food away from home. Spread across 91 sit-down restaurants, that is $710K per restaurant, 7% above the U.S. figure of $664K. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants.
Whitman County has 91 sit-down restaurants on map listings as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 15% of them, against 29% across the U.S. That is 48.6 per 10,000 households, 21% below the U.S. rate of 61.3.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in Whitman County was 35 in 2023, down 7.9% from 2019. That is one for every 535 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Official counts list 9 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $399K has gone to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Whitman County.
Population estimates show Whitman County grew 1.5% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). For sit-down restaurants, Whitman County has a Groundwork market score of 44 (lower middle): #1,456 of 2,405 scored counties and #28 of 35 scored counties in Washington.
How Whitman County compares
The same measures for Washington 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 | Whitman County | Washington | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 48.6 | 54.7 | 61.3 |
| Spending per listing | $710K | $823K | $664K |
| Households per official establishment | 535 | 456 | 500 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −7.9% | +3.6% | +1.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +1.5% | +3.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,453 | $4,501 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $55,406 | $98,141 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 44 | 71 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 38 → 35−7.9% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 593
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $13.9M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 9Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 9114 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 97The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $399K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Whitman 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 Whitman County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 48,512+1.5% since 2020
- Households
- 18,721
- Median age
- 33.7
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 47%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 2,159 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 22
- Median household income
- $55,406+29.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $84,165
- Median home value
- $359,600
- Jobs located here
- 19,571
- Daytime population
- 49,541Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Whitman 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 Whitman 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 Washington
Every Washington market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Washington for sit-down restaurants, numbered among those based in Washington, with Whitman County marked.
Top counties in Washington
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Skamania County, WA | 89 | 19 | 37.9 | $1.1M | +5.2% | #33 of 2,405 |
| 2Lincoln County, WA | 84 | 17 | 35.3 | $1M | +9.7% | #78 of 2,405 |
| 3Stevens County, WA | 83 | 56 | 28.9 | $1.3M | +6.6% | #83 of 2,405 |
| 4Mason County, WA | 81 | 96 | 36.9 | $1.1M | +7.8% | #110 of 2,405 |
| 5Douglas County, WA | 78 | 66 | 41.4 | $981K | +8.0% | #170 of 2,405 |
| 6Pend Oreille County, WA | 77 | 17 | 28.6 | $1.3M | +7.1% | #184 of 2,405 |
| 7Franklin County, WA | 77 | 146 | 48.8 | $842K | +5.6% | #204 of 2,405 |
| 8Clark County, WA | 76 | 851 | 43.4 | $1M | +5.3% | #224 of 2,405 |
| 9Thurston County, WA | 74 | 496 | 41.7 | $1M | +2.8% | #271 of 2,405 |
| 10Pierce County, WA | 71 | 1,532 | 43.6 | $1M | +2.5% | #341 of 2,405 |
| 28Whitman County, WA | 44 | 91 | 48.6 | $710K | +1.5% | #1,456 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Whitman County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes44
- Sit-down restaurants44
- Fast food and sandwich shops64
- Pizza66
- Coffee shops and cafes24
- Bakeries and dessert shops38
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 Whitman County, WA?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 91 sit-down restaurants in Whitman County. 14 of them (15%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 35 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023, down 7.9% from 2019. Official counts also show 9 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Whitman County, WA spend on food away from home?
About $64.7M a year, or $3,453 per household. That is 15% below the U.S. average (an index of 85, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 91 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $710K 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 18,721 households in Whitman County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Whitman County, WA compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?
Whitman County has 48.6 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 21% below the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $710K, 7% above the U.S. figure of $664K. At the U.S. ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, Whitman County would have about 97, against 91 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 535 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. The official count fell 7.9% from 2019 to 2023, against +1.5% for the U.S.
How fast is Whitman County, WA growing?
Population estimates put Whitman County at 48,512 people in 2025, up 1.5% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 18,721 households. Median household income in Whitman County is $55,406, 31% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 29.6%, 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. Whitman County scores 44 for sit-down restaurants (lower middle), #1,456 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Whitman 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 Whitman County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Whitman 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 Whitman 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.