Groundwork

Food and drink · County · Indiana

Restaurants and cafes in Boone County, IN

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

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 78 out of 100: High

Ranked #177 of 2,405 scored counties
#4 of 86 scored counties in Indiana

Listings
276
145 chain locations (53%)
Official establishments
122
+8.0% since 2019
Household spending a year
$142.2M
On food away from home · $4,947 a household
Spending per listing
$515K
39% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
96.0
13% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
80,689
+13.5% since 2020

See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Boone 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 Boone 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

Boone County scores 78 (high) on the Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes, ranking #177 of 2,405 scored counties and #4 of 86 scored counties in Indiana. That puts it in the top 10% of counties for restaurants and cafes.

Map listings as of September 2026 show 276 restaurants and cafes in Boone County. 145 of them (53%) are chain locations, against 34% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 96.0, 13% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.

At $4,947 per household (22% above the U.S. average), households in Boone County spend about $142.2M a year on food away from home. That is about $515K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 39% above the U.S. figure of $371K.

In 2023, official counts showed 122 businesses with payroll in Boone County classed as restaurants and other eating places, up 8.0% from 2019. That is one for every 236 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 8 SBA-backed loans worth $3.2M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Boone County. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Boone County grew 13.5%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%).

How Boone 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 Boone County, IN compared with Indiana and the U.S.
MeasureBoone CountyIndianaU.S.
Listings per 10k households96.092.4109.8
Spending per listing$515K$412K$371K
Households per official establishment236235209
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+8.0%+7.3%+6.0%
Population growth, 2020–2025+13.5%+2.7%+3.1%
Spending per household on food away from home$4,947$3,802$4,070
Median household income$111,250$71,957$80,734
Groundwork market score7862

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
113 → 122+8.0% over the period
Employees, 2023
2,858
Annual payroll, 2023
$64.4M
One-person businesses, 2023
18Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
276145 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
383The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
8
Amount
$3.2M

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

Population, 2025 estimate
80,689+13.5% since 2020
Households
28,738
Median age
39.6
Homes lived in by their owners
79%
Vehicles per household
2.0
Land area
423 sq. mi.
People per square mile
177
Median household income
$111,250+33.9% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$154,426
Median home value
$376,200
Jobs located here
43,536
Daytime population
80,146Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Boone 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 Boone 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 Boone 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

Other business types in Boone County

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

Questions

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

There are 276 restaurants and cafes on map listings in Boone County as of September 2026. 145 of them (53%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 122 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 8.0% from 2019. Official counts also show 18 one-person businesses without payroll.

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

About $142.2M a year, or $4,947 per household. That is 22% above the U.S. average (an index of 122, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 276 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $515K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 28,738 households in Boone County and national spending patterns by income.

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

Boone County has 96.0 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 13% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $515K, 39% above the U.S. figure of $371K. At the national ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Boone County would have about 383, against 276 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 8.0% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.

How fast is Boone County, IN growing?

Population estimates put Boone County at 80,689 people in 2025, up 13.5% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 28,738 households. The median household income in Boone County is $111,250 a year, 38% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 33.9% 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. Boone County scores 78 for restaurants and cafes (high), #177 of 2,405 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Boone 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 Boone County

Screening a site or an acquisition in Boone 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 Boone 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.