Groundwork

Food and drink · County · Iowa

Pizza places in Lee County, IA

The pizza places in Lee County, IA, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 34 out of 100: Lower middle

Ranked #1,678 of 2,090 scored counties
#53 of 64 scored counties in Iowa

Listings
19
16 chain locations (84%)
Official establishments
18
All limited-service restaurants · −10.0% since 2019
Household spending a year
$49.2M
On food away from home · $3,434 a household
Spending per listing
$2.6M
49% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
13.3
66% above the U.S.
Population, 2025
32,306
−3.6% since 2020

See the pizza places around any address in Lee County

The site report maps the pizza places 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 Lee 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

The Groundwork market score for pizza places in Lee County is 34 (lower middle), #1,678 of 2,090 scored counties and #53 of 64 scored counties in Iowa. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.

As of September 2026, map listings count 19 pizza places in Lee County. Chain locations make up 84% of them, against 58% across the U.S. That is 13.3 per 10,000 households, 66% above the U.S. rate of 8.0.

At $3,434 per household (16% below the U.S. average), households in Lee County spend about $49.2M a year on food away from home. That works out to $2.6M per pizza place, 49% below the U.S. figure of $5.1M. That spending covers all food away from home, which pizza places share with other businesses in the trade.

Official counts show 18 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in Lee County in 2023, down 10.0% from 2019. That is one for every 796 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S. The official count takes in all limited-service restaurants, not only pizza places: fast food and sandwich shops are counted too. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $370K has gone to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in Lee County. Population estimates put the population change in Lee County from 2020 to 2025 at −3.6%, against +3.1% for the U.S.

How Lee County compares

The same measures for Iowa and the whole U.S. Spending per listing divides a year of household spending on all food away from home by the pizza places counted, so it measures the demand for each competitor, not any business’s revenue. Households per establishment does the same with the official count.

Pizza in Lee County, IA compared with Iowa and the U.S.
MeasureLee CountyIowaU.S.
Listings per 10k households13.311.78.0
Spending per listing$2.6M$3.3M$5.1M
Households per official establishment (all limited-service restaurants)796628478
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023−10.0%−0.9%+6.1%
Population growth, 2020–2025−3.6%+1.5%+3.1%
Spending per household on food away from home$3,434$3,880$4,070
Median household income$62,382$75,059$80,734
Groundwork market score3439

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
20 → 18All limited-service restaurants · −10.0% over the period
Employees, 2023
475
Annual payroll, 2023
$8.3M
One-person businesses, 2023
7All limited-service restaurants with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
1916 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
10The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
1
Amount
$370K

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in Lee 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. These official figures cover all limited-service restaurants, not only pizza places.

Population and households in Lee County

Population, 2025 estimate
32,306−3.6% since 2020
Households
14,323
Median age
42.9
Homes lived in by their owners
76%
Vehicles per household
2.0
Land area
518 sq. mi.
People per square mile
64
Median household income
$62,382+25.9% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$79,169
Median home value
$141,400
Jobs located here
13,626
Daytime population
31,700Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Lee 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 pizza places on map listings by name and distance.

Or open the report at the center of Lee County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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The highest-scoring counties in Iowa for pizza places, numbered among those based in Iowa, with Lee County marked.

Top counties in Iowa

Counties in Iowa ranked for pizza places by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Dallas County, IA77409.4$5.1M+17.8%#147 of 2,090
2Madison County, IA71710.5$4M+3.8%#293 of 2,090
3Boone County, IA641110.1$4M+0.4%#522 of 2,090
4Warren County, IA643115.0$2.9M+9.0%#527 of 2,090
5Benton County, IA611312.7$3.2M+1.8%#630 of 2,090
6Winneshiek County, IA6078.6$4.5M−1.6%#652 of 2,090
7Polk County, IA5921010.2$4.1M+4.8%#695 of 2,090
8Johnson County, IA576610.4$3.9M+4.6%#768 of 2,090
9Sioux County, IA571511.8$3.5M+2.5%#770 of 2,090
10Jackson County, IA5689.7$3.9M−0.8%#808 of 2,090
53Lee County, IA341913.3$2.6M−3.6%#1,678 of 2,090

Other business types in Lee County

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

Questions

How many pizza places are in Lee County, IA?

Lee County has 19 pizza places on map listings as of September 2026. 16 of them (84%) are chain locations. The listings count pizza restaurants. Official counts show 18 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in 2023, down 10.0% from 2019. That count covers all limited-service restaurants (fast food and sandwich shops included), not only pizza places. Official counts also show 7 one-person businesses without payroll.

How much do households in Lee County, IA spend on food away from home?

About $49.2M a year, or $3,434 per household. That is 16% below the U.S. average (an index of 84, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 19 pizza places on map listings, it comes to $2.6M per pizza place. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only pizza places. It is estimated from the incomes of the 14,323 households in Lee County and national spending patterns by income.

How does Lee County, IA compare with the U.S. for pizza places?

Lee County has 13.3 pizza places per 10,000 households, 66% above the U.S. rate of 8.0. Spending per pizza place is $2.6M, 49% below the U.S. figure of $5.1M. At the national ratio of pizza places to household spending, Lee County would have about 10, against 19 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 796 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S. The official count fell 10.0% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.1% for the U.S.

How fast is Lee County, IA growing?

Population estimates put Lee County at 32,306 people in 2025, down 3.6% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 14,323 households. The median household income in Lee County is $62,382 a year, 23% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 25.9% 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. Lee County scores 34 for pizza places (lower middle), #1,678 of 2,090 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Lee County. It maps the pizza places 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 pizza places · All 56 business types in Lee County

Screening a site or an acquisition in Lee 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 Lee 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.