Groundwork

Food and drink · County · Indiana

Restaurants and cafes in Allen County, IN

The restaurants and cafes in Allen County, IN, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 60 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #764 of 2,405 scored counties
#42 of 86 scored counties in Indiana

Listings
1,389
586 chain locations (42%)
Official establishments
663
+10.0% since 2019
Household spending a year
$586.1M
On food away from home · $3,744 a household
Spending per listing
$422K
14% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
88.7
19% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
402,329
+4.2% since 2020

See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Allen County

The site report maps the restaurants and cafes 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 Allen 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

Household spending on food away from home in Allen County comes to about $586.1M a year: $3,744 per household, 8% below the U.S. average. That works out to $422K per restaurant, 14% above the U.S. figure of $371K.

There are 1,389 restaurants and cafes on map listings in Allen County as of September 2026. Of those, 586 are chain locations, or 42%, against 34% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 88.7, 19% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.

The official count of businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in Allen County was 663 in 2023, up 10.0% from 2019. That is one for every 236 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Official counts also show 125 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 44 SBA-backed loans worth $23.7M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Allen County.

Population estimates put the population change in Allen County from 2020 to 2025 at +4.2%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). Allen County scores 60 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes, ranking #764 of 2,405 scored counties and #42 of 86 scored counties in Indiana.

How Allen County compares

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

Restaurants and cafes in Allen County, IN compared with Indiana and the U.S.
MeasureAllen CountyIndianaU.S.
Listings per 10k households88.792.4109.8
Spending per listing$422K$412K$371K
Households per official establishment236235209
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+10.0%+7.3%+6.0%
Population growth, 2020–2025+4.2%+2.7%+3.1%
Spending per household on food away from home$3,744$3,802$4,070
Median household income$70,737$71,957$80,734
Groundwork market score6062

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
603 → 663+10.0% over the period
Employees, 2023
15,899
Annual payroll, 2023
$312.3M
One-person businesses, 2023
125Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
1,389586 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
1,581The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
44
Amount
$23.7M

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Allen 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 Allen County

Population, 2025 estimate
402,329+4.2% since 2020
Households
156,570
Median age
37.1
Homes lived in by their owners
69%
Vehicles per household
1.8
Land area
657 sq. mi.
People per square mile
597
Median household income
$70,737+29.0% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$93,582
Median home value
$214,900
Jobs located here
204,663
Daytime population
410,535Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Allen 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 restaurants and cafes on map listings by name and distance.

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

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Restaurants and cafes across Indiana

Every Indiana market ranked →

The highest-scoring counties in Indiana for restaurants and cafes, numbered among those based in Indiana, with Allen County marked.

Top counties in Indiana

Counties in Indiana ranked for restaurants and cafes by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Hancock County, IN8822968.4$646K+13.5%#36 of 2,405
2Warrick County, IN8417168.0$634K+4.4%#68 of 2,405
3Morgan County, IN8319669.3$579K+4.4%#92 of 2,405
4Boone County, IN7827696.0$515K+13.5%#177 of 2,405
5Harrison County, IN7710165.2$575K+1.9%#194 of 2,405
6Lawrence County, IN7511057.5$615K+1.2%#231 of 2,405
7Newton County, IN743561.1$573K+2.9%#259 of 2,405
8Hamilton County, IN741,26992.5$560K+10.9%#261 of 2,405
9Hendricks County, IN7454981.8$558K+10.2%#262 of 2,405
10LaGrange County, IN7411186.1$465K+1.9%#277 of 2,405
42Allen County, IN601,38988.7$422K+4.2%#764 of 2,405

Other business types in Allen County

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

Questions

How many restaurants and cafes are in Allen County, IN?

As of September 2026, map listings count 1,389 restaurants and cafes in Allen County. 586 of them (42%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 663 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 10.0% from 2019. Another 125 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.

How much do households in Allen County, IN spend on food away from home?

About $586.1M a year, or $3,744 per household. That is 8% below the U.S. average (an index of 92, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 1,389 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $422K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 156,570 households in Allen County and national spending patterns by income.

How does Allen County, IN compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?

Allen County has 88.7 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 19% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $422K, 14% above the U.S. figure of $371K. At the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Allen County would have about 1,581, against 1,389 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 236 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 10.0% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.

How fast is Allen County, IN growing?

Population estimates put Allen County at 402,329 people in 2025, up 4.2% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 156,570 households. Median household income in Allen County is $70,737, 12% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 29.0%, 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. Allen County scores 60 for restaurants and cafes (upper middle), #764 of 2,405 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Allen County. It maps the restaurants and cafes 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 restaurants and cafes · All 56 business types in Allen County

Screening a site or an acquisition in Allen 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 Allen 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.