Groundwork

Food and drink · County · West Virginia

Sit-down restaurants in Jefferson County, WV

How Jefferson 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 74 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #273 of 2,405 scored counties
#3 of 43 scored counties in West Virginia

Listings
102
31 chain locations (30%)
Official establishments
44
−6.4% since 2019
Household spending a year
$99.6M
On food away from home · $4,369 a household
Spending per listing
$977K
47% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
44.7
27% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
63,102
+9.2% since 2020

See the sit-down restaurants around any address in Jefferson 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 Jefferson 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

As of September 2026, map listings count 102 sit-down restaurants in Jefferson County. Of those, 31 are chain locations, or 30%, against 29% across the U.S. That is 44.7 per 10,000 households, 27% below the U.S. rate of 61.3.

At $4,369 per household (7% above the U.S. average), households in Jefferson County spend about $99.6M a year on food away from home. That is about $977K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 47% 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.

The official count of businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in Jefferson County was 44 in 2023, down 6.4% from 2019. That is one for every 518 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Another 6 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $1.1M has gone to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Jefferson County.

Population estimates put the population change in Jefferson County from 2020 to 2025 at +9.2%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for sit-down restaurants in Jefferson County is 74 (upper middle), #273 of 2,405 scored counties and #3 of 43 scored counties in West Virginia. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.

How Jefferson 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.

Sit-down restaurants in Jefferson County, WV compared with West Virginia and the U.S.
MeasureJefferson CountyWest VirginiaU.S.
Listings per 10k households44.745.861.3
Spending per listing$977K$730K$664K
Households per official establishment518590500
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023−6.4%+5.0%+1.5%
Population growth, 2020–2025+9.2%−1.4%+3.1%
Spending per household on food away from home$4,369$3,343$4,070
Median household income$98,806$59,608$80,734
Groundwork market score7441

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
47 → 44−6.4% over the period
Employees, 2023
646
Annual payroll, 2023
$14.4M
One-person businesses, 2023
6Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
10231 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
150The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
1
Amount
$1.1M

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

Population, 2025 estimate
63,102+9.2% since 2020
Households
22,804
Median age
41.8
Homes lived in by their owners
80%
Vehicles per household
2.1
Land area
209 sq. mi.
People per square mile
283
Median household income
$98,806+22.9% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$120,421
Median home value
$350,800
Jobs located here
17,187
Daytime population
48,829Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

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

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Sit-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 Jefferson County marked.

Top counties in West Virginia

Counties in West Virginia ranked for sit-down restaurants by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Berkeley County, WV8118135.5$1.1M+13.7%#111 of 2,405
2Morgan County, WV751925.9$1.3M+5.5%#232 of 2,405
3Jefferson County, WV7410244.7$977K+9.2%#273 of 2,405
4Hampshire County, WV732326.6$1.3M+4.4%#291 of 2,405
5Putnam County, WV728737.4$1.1M−1.0%#314 of 2,405
6Taylor County, WV671725.7$1.3M−2.4%#445 of 2,405
7Wayne County, WV634025.4$1.3M−4.0%#596 of 2,405
8Mason County, WV622726.4$1.2M−2.7%#645 of 2,405
9Preston County, WV624938.3$871K−0.6%#660 of 2,405
10Boone County, WV612126.5$1.2M−6.9%#693 of 2,405

Other business types in Jefferson County

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

Funeral services

Questions

How many sit-down restaurants are in Jefferson County, WV?

Jefferson County has 102 sit-down restaurants on map listings as of September 2026. 31 of them (30%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 44 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023, down 6.4% from 2019. Official counts list 6 one-person businesses without payroll.

How much do households in Jefferson County, WV spend on food away from home?

About $99.6M a year, or $4,369 per household. That is 7% above the U.S. average (an index of 107, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 102 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $977K per restaurant. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants. It is estimated from the incomes of the 22,804 households in Jefferson County and national spending patterns by income.

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

Jefferson County has 44.7 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 27% below the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $977K, 47% above the U.S. figure of $664K. At the national ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, Jefferson County would have about 150, against 102 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 518 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. The official count fell 6.4% from 2019 to 2023, against +1.5% for the U.S.

How fast is Jefferson County, WV growing?

Population estimates put Jefferson County at 63,102 people in 2025, up 9.2% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 22,804 households. The median household income in Jefferson County is $98,806 a year, 22% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 22.9% 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. Jefferson County scores 74 for sit-down restaurants (upper middle), #273 of 2,405 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

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

Screening a site or an acquisition in Jefferson County?

A site report maps the competitors on map listings near an address and sizes the households and spending around it.

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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.