There were 4,442 more restaurants in the U.S. in fall 2012 than there were in fall 2011, according to a recent U.S. restaurant census conducted by The NPD Group, a leading global information company.

The total number of U.S. restaurants is now 616,008, a 0.7 percent increase over last year, based on NPD’s “Fall 2012 ReCount,” which is a count of commercial restaurant locations in the United States compiled in the spring and fall each year.

The “Fall 2012 ReCount,” which includes restaurants open as of September 30, 2012, shows that most of the increase in units were in the quick-service restaurant segment. The segment showed a 1 percent increase in units, or an additional 4,037 units. 

Full-service restaurant units, which include casual-dining, midscale/family-dining, and fine-dining restaurants, remained relatively stable from the “Fall 2011ReCount.”   

The total chain restaurant count grew to 276,238, or a 1.1 percent increase compared to last year’s count. 

Independent restaurant units remained stable at a total count of 339,770, a slight increase of 0.4 percent, which is the second consecutive increase for independents since 2009, NPD reports.

According to The NPD Group’s “CREST,” which tracks consumer use of commercial and noncommercial foodservice outlets daily, total restaurant traffic was up 1 percent for the year ending November 2012, compared to the same period last year.

U.S. consumers made 60 billion restaurant visits during the period. 

“The changes in spending, consumer visits, and unit growth, while slight, are, at least, on the positive side,” says Greg Starzynski, director of product management, NPD Foodservice. “I expected a cautious approach to unit expansion as consumer visits improved, and I have no reason to suspect that will change in the foreseeable future.”