Food and drink · County · West Virginia
Sit-down restaurants in Fayette County, WV
How Fayette County, WV 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 25 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #2,190 of 2,405 scored counties
#36 of 43 scored counties in West Virginia
- Listings
- 76
- 36 chain locations (47%)
- Official establishments
- 29
- −9.4% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $49M
- On food away from home · $3,073 a household
- Spending per listing
- $645K
- 3% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 47.7
- 22% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 38,165
- −5.6% since 2020
See the sit-down restaurants around any address in Fayette 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 Fayette 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
Fayette County scores 25 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for sit-down restaurants, ranking #2,190 of 2,405 scored counties and #36 of 43 scored counties in West Virginia. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
As of September 2026, map listings count 76 sit-down restaurants in Fayette County. 36 of them (47%) are chain locations, against 29% across the U.S. That is 47.7 per 10,000 households, 22% below the U.S. rate of 61.3.
Household spending on food away from home in Fayette County comes to about $49M a year: $3,073 per household, 25% below the U.S. average. That is about $645K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 3% below 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.
In 2023, official counts showed 29 businesses with payroll in Fayette County classed as full-service restaurants, down 9.4% from 2019. That is one for every 550 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $95K has gone to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Fayette County. Population estimates put the population change in Fayette County from 2020 to 2025 at −5.6%, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How Fayette County compares
The same measures for West 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 | Fayette County | West Virginia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 47.7 | 45.8 | 61.3 |
| Spending per listing | $645K | $730K | $664K |
| Households per official establishment | 550 | 590 | 500 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −9.4% | +5.0% | +1.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −5.6% | −1.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,073 | $3,343 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $53,194 | $59,608 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 25 | 41 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 32 → 29−9.4% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 403
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $8.1M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 6Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 7636 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 74The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $95K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Fayette 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 Fayette County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 38,165−5.6% since 2020
- Households
- 15,948
- Median age
- 44.7
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 78%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 662 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 60
- Median household income
- $53,194+28.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $68,298
- Median home value
- $105,800
- Jobs located here
- 8,970
- Daytime population
- 33,530Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Fayette 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 Fayette 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 West Virginia
Every West Virginia market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in West Virginia for sit-down restaurants, numbered among those based in West Virginia, with Fayette County marked.
Top counties in West Virginia
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Berkeley County, WV | 81 | 181 | 35.5 | $1.1M | +13.7% | #111 of 2,405 |
| 2Morgan County, WV | 75 | 19 | 25.9 | $1.3M | +5.5% | #232 of 2,405 |
| 3Jefferson County, WV | 74 | 102 | 44.7 | $977K | +9.2% | #273 of 2,405 |
| 4Hampshire County, WV | 73 | 23 | 26.6 | $1.3M | +4.4% | #291 of 2,405 |
| 5Putnam County, WV | 72 | 87 | 37.4 | $1.1M | −1.0% | #314 of 2,405 |
| 6Taylor County, WV | 67 | 17 | 25.7 | $1.3M | −2.4% | #445 of 2,405 |
| 7Wayne County, WV | 63 | 40 | 25.4 | $1.3M | −4.0% | #596 of 2,405 |
| 8Mason County, WV | 62 | 27 | 26.4 | $1.2M | −2.7% | #645 of 2,405 |
| 9Preston County, WV | 62 | 49 | 38.3 | $871K | −0.6% | #660 of 2,405 |
| 10Boone County, WV | 61 | 21 | 26.5 | $1.2M | −6.9% | #693 of 2,405 |
| 36Fayette County, WV | 25 | 76 | 47.7 | $645K | −5.6% | #2,190 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Fayette County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes30
- Sit-down restaurants25
- Fast food and sandwich shops30
- Pizza23
- Coffee shops and cafes16
- Bakeries and dessert shops45
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 Fayette County, WV?
Fayette County has 76 sit-down restaurants on map listings as of September 2026. 36 of them (47%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 29 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023, down 9.4% from 2019. Official counts also show 6 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Fayette County, WV spend on food away from home?
About $49M a year, or $3,073 per household. That is 25% below the U.S. average (an index of 75, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 76 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $645K per restaurant. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants. It is estimated from the incomes of the 15,948 households in Fayette County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Fayette County, WV compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?
Fayette County has 47.7 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 22% below the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $645K, 3% below the U.S. figure of $664K. At the national ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, Fayette County would have about 74, against 76 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 550 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. The official count fell 9.4% from 2019 to 2023, against +1.5% for the U.S.
How fast is Fayette County, WV growing?
Population estimates put Fayette County at 38,165 people in 2025, down 5.6% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 15,948 households. The median household income in Fayette County is $53,194 a year, 34% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 28.5% 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. Fayette County scores 25 for sit-down restaurants (lower middle), #2,190 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Fayette 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 Fayette County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Fayette 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 Fayette 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.