Food and drink · County · West Virginia
Sit-down restaurants in Mason County, WV
How Mason 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 62 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #645 of 2,405 scored counties
#8 of 43 scored counties in West Virginia
- Listings
- 27
- 13 chain locations (48%)
- Official establishments
- 6
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $31.4M
- On food away from home · $3,071 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.2M
- 75% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 26.4
- 57% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 24,707
- −2.7% since 2020
See the sit-down restaurants around any address in Mason 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 Mason 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 27 sit-down restaurants in Mason County. Chain locations make up 48% of them, against 29% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 26.4, 57% below the U.S. rate of 61.3.
At $3,071 per household (25% below the U.S. average), households in Mason County spend about $31.4M a year on food away from home. That works out to $1.2M per restaurant, 75% 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.
In 2023, official counts showed 6 businesses with payroll in Mason County classed as full-service restaurants. That is one for every 1,702 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S.
Population estimates put the population change in Mason County from 2020 to 2025 at −2.7%, against +3.1% for the U.S. The Groundwork market score for sit-down restaurants in Mason County is 62 (upper middle), #645 of 2,405 scored counties and #8 of 43 scored counties in West Virginia.
How Mason 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 | Mason County | West Virginia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 26.4 | 45.8 | 61.3 |
| Spending per listing | $1.2M | $730K | $664K |
| Households per official establishment | 1,702 | 590 | 500 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +5.0% | +1.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −2.7% | −1.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,071 | $3,343 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $49,761 | $59,608 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 62 | 41 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 5 → 6
- Employees, 2023
- 137
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $1.9M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 0Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 2713 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 47The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 0
- Amount
- $0
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Mason 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 Mason County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 24,707−2.7% since 2020
- Households
- 10,211
- Median age
- 44.8
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 82%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 431 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 58
- Median household income
- $49,761+8.0% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $70,616
- Median home value
- $120,300
- Jobs located here
- 5,376
- Daytime population
- 21,537Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Mason 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 Mason 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 Mason 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 |
Other business types in Mason County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes60
- Sit-down restaurants62
- Fast food and sandwich shops56
- Pizza38
- Coffee shops and cafes44
- Bakeries and dessert shops41
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 Mason County, WV?
There are 27 sit-down restaurants on map listings in Mason County as of September 2026. 13 of them (48%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 6 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023.
How much do households in Mason County, WV spend on food away from home?
About $31.4M a year, or $3,071 per household. That is 25% below the U.S. average (an index of 75, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 27 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $1.2M per restaurant. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants. It is estimated from the incomes of the 10,211 households in Mason County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Mason County, WV compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?
Mason County has 26.4 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 57% below the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $1.2M, 75% above the U.S. figure of $664K. At the national ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, Mason County would have about 47, against 27 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,702 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S.
How fast is Mason County, WV growing?
Population estimates put Mason County at 24,707 people in 2025, down 2.7% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 10,211 households. The median household income in Mason County is $49,761 a year, 38% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 8.0% 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. Mason County scores 62 for sit-down restaurants (upper middle), #645 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Mason 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 Mason County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Mason 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 Mason 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.