Full-service restaurants by state, 2026 Q1
The United States has 265,527 full-service restaurants with employees, 78.1 per 100,000 residents; jobs -0.4% over the year. Hawaii is the densest market at 109 per 100,000 and Utah the thinnest at 52.8. Every state below links to its own page. Official BLS and Census figures, refreshed each quarter.
Every state, densest first
Density is full-service restaurants with employees per 100,000 residents. Rows marked n/a are suppressed by BLS for confidentiality or have no published population.
| # | State | Per 100k | Locations | Jobs | Jobs YoY | Avg weekly wage |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Hawaii | 109 | 1,576 | 32,824 | -1.6% | $815 |
| 2 | Rhode Island | 100.2 | 1,115 | 20,794 | -0.4% | $567 |
| 3 | Maine | 99.1 | 1,393 | 20,331 | -1.4% | $611 |
| 4 | Connecticut | 99 | 3,638 | 53,889 | -2.6% | $633 |
| 5 | Oregon | 97.4 | 4,161 | 59,246 | -1.4% | $627 |
| 6 | New Hampshire | 96.7 | 1,363 | 26,697 | -1.6% | $619 |
| 7 | New York | 94.1 | 18,691 | 300,944 | -1.1% | $750 |
| 8 | Wyoming | 91.2 | 536 | 9,333 | -1.4% | $526 |
| 9 | Montana | 90.7 | 1,031 | 19,697 | +2.1% | $516 |
| 10 | Delaware | 90.6 | 953 | 19,057 | -2.5% | $516 |
| 11 | Florida | 90.2 | 21,073 | 464,386 | -0.3% | $737 |
| 12 | South Carolina | 89.4 | 4,899 | 99,354 | +1.0% | $511 |
| 13 | Louisiana | 88.8 | 4,081 | 72,600 | +0.4% | $507 |
| 14 | Washington | 86.4 | 6,872 | 103,138 | -1.5% | $713 |
| 15 | Vermont | 86.2 | 559 | 9,046 | -0.1% | $585 |
| 16 | Virginia | 85.2 | 7,510 | 139,631 | -0.8% | $563 |
| 17 | Massachusetts | 84.1 | 5,998 | 123,898 | -1.4% | $661 |
| 18 | North Carolina | 82.6 | 9,122 | 175,023 | +1.5% | $496 |
| 19 | Colorado | 81.6 | 4,862 | 103,366 | -2.2% | $735 |
| 20 | New Jersey | 81.2 | 7,718 | 122,097 | -0.8% | $614 |
| 21 | Wisconsin | 79.4 | 4,731 | 85,298 | -1.4% | $429 |
| 22 | California | 79.3 | 31,270 | 593,188 | -0.8% | $718 |
| 23 | Illinois | 79.3 | 10,080 | 186,679 | -0.1% | $609 |
| 24 | Georgia | 78.9 | 8,824 | 168,003 | -0.3% | $547 |
| 25 | Nevada | 75.7 | 2,475 | 69,012 | -0.6% | $712 |
| 26 | Missouri | 75.2 | 4,699 | 96,107 | 0.0% | $537 |
| 27 | Michigan | 74.3 | 7,533 | 138,236 | +1.4% | $506 |
| 28 | Kentucky | 73.7 | 3,380 | 66,009 | +0.8% | $483 |
| 29 | Tennessee | 73.7 | 5,324 | 121,508 | -0.3% | $556 |
| 30 | Oklahoma | 73.4 | 3,004 | 61,709 | -1.2% | $451 |
| 31 | North Dakota | 73.1 | 582 | 11,787 | -1.8% | $496 |
| 32 | Arkansas | 72.5 | 2,240 | 41,414 | +0.6% | $460 |
| 33 | West Virginia | 70.6 | 1,249 | 22,073 | +1.3% | $432 |
| 34 | Kansas | 70.2 | 2,085 | 42,841 | -1.5% | $458 |
| 35 | Idaho | 70 | 1,401 | 25,433 | -0.4% | $509 |
| 36 | Iowa | 69.9 | 2,266 | 42,131 | -1.6% | $432 |
| 37 | Indiana | 69.4 | 4,804 | 101,227 | -0.6% | $475 |
| 38 | Minnesota | 69.1 | 4,004 | 82,945 | -1.8% | $540 |
| 39 | Texas | 69.1 | 21,608 | 508,332 | +0.4% | $557 |
| 40 | Nebraska | 69 | 1,383 | 27,893 | +2.8% | $473 |
| 41 | Pennsylvania | 69 | 9,019 | 183,155 | +0.6% | $490 |
| 42 | Mississippi | 67.8 | 1,994 | 35,736 | +0.1% | $452 |
| 43 | Alaska | 66.9 | 495 | 8,147 | -2.5% | $639 |
| 44 | South Dakota | 66.8 | 618 | 11,669 | -5.2% | $477 |
| 45 | Ohio | 64.8 | 7,705 | 176,443 | -0.8% | $491 |
| 46 | Maryland | 63.4 | 3,974 | 84,860 | -1.4% | $568 |
| 47 | Alabama | 63.1 | 3,252 | 66,110 | +2.1% | $512 |
| 48 | New Mexico | 56.1 | 1,195 | 28,859 | -0.6% | $538 |
| 49 | Arizona | 55.3 | 4,195 | 112,197 | -1.7% | $685 |
| 50 | Utah | 52.8 | 1,850 | 41,360 | +1.2% | $536 |
Fastest job growth
Nebraska (+2.8%), Montana (+2.1%), Alabama (+2.1%), North Carolina (+1.5%), Michigan (+1.4%). Slowest: South Dakota (-5.2%), Connecticut (-2.6%), Alaska (-2.5%).
What counts
Restaurants where customers order and are served at a table and pay after eating. Fast-casual counters and takeout are counted under quick-service. NAICS 722511. BLS counts establishments with payroll, so owner-only businesses are not in these figures.
Other business types
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, private sector, NAICS 722511, 2026 Q1; U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 1-year population estimates. All 14 business types ranked by state.