Food and drink · County · Indiana
Restaurants and cafes in Brown County, IN
The restaurants and cafes in Brown County, IN, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 49 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,242 of 2,405 scored counties
#62 of 86 scored counties in Indiana
- Listings
- 74
- 13 chain locations (18%)
- Official establishments
- 29
- +45.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $26.4M
- On food away from home · $3,900 a household
- Spending per listing
- $357K
- 4% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 109.1
- In line with the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 15,777
- +1.9% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Brown 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 Brown County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardSurvey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure
What this means
As of September 2026, map listings count 74 restaurants and cafes in Brown County. Chain locations make up 18% of them, against 34% across the U.S. That comes to 109.1 for every 10,000 households, in line with the U.S. rate of 109.8.
Households in Brown County spend about $26.4M a year on food away from home, or $3,900 per household, 4% below the U.S. average. That works out to $357K per restaurant, 4% below the U.S. figure of $371K.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in Brown County was 29 in 2023, up 45.0% from 2019. That is one for every 234 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Official counts list 4 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $601K have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Brown County.
Population estimates put the population change in Brown County from 2020 to 2025 at +1.9%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). For restaurants and cafes, Brown County has a Groundwork market score of 49 (lower middle): #1,242 of 2,405 scored counties and #62 of 86 scored counties in Indiana.
How Brown 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.
| Measure | Brown County | Indiana | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 109.1 | 92.4 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $357K | $412K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 234 | 235 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +45.0% | +7.3% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +1.9% | +2.7% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,900 | $3,802 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $78,528 | $71,957 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 49 | 62 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 20 → 29+45.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 608
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $12.8M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 4Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 7413 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 71The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 2
- Amount
- $601K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Brown 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 Brown County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 15,777+1.9% since 2020
- Households
- 6,781
- Median age
- 50.2
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 87%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.3
- Land area
- 312 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 50
- Median household income
- $78,528+28.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $101,604
- Median home value
- $269,100
- Jobs located here
- 3,484
- Daytime population
- 12,549Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Brown 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 Brown County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardRestaurants 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 Brown County marked.
Top counties in Indiana
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Hancock County, IN | 88 | 229 | 68.4 | $646K | +13.5% | #36 of 2,405 |
| 2Warrick County, IN | 84 | 171 | 68.0 | $634K | +4.4% | #68 of 2,405 |
| 3Morgan County, IN | 83 | 196 | 69.3 | $579K | +4.4% | #92 of 2,405 |
| 4Boone County, IN | 78 | 276 | 96.0 | $515K | +13.5% | #177 of 2,405 |
| 5Harrison County, IN | 77 | 101 | 65.2 | $575K | +1.9% | #194 of 2,405 |
| 6Lawrence County, IN | 75 | 110 | 57.5 | $615K | +1.2% | #231 of 2,405 |
| 7Newton County, IN | 74 | 35 | 61.1 | $573K | +2.9% | #259 of 2,405 |
| 8Hamilton County, IN | 74 | 1,269 | 92.5 | $560K | +10.9% | #261 of 2,405 |
| 9Hendricks County, IN | 74 | 549 | 81.8 | $558K | +10.2% | #262 of 2,405 |
| 10LaGrange County, IN | 74 | 111 | 86.1 | $465K | +1.9% | #277 of 2,405 |
| 62Brown County, IN | 49 | 74 | 109.1 | $357K | +1.9% | #1,242 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Brown County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes49
- Sit-down restaurants56
- Fast food and sandwich shops
- Pizza
- Coffee shops and cafes34
- Bakeries and dessert shops29
Groceries and convenience
Auto
Beauty and personal care
Fitness and classes
Health care
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many restaurants and cafes are in Brown County, IN?
Brown County has 74 restaurants and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. 13 of them (18%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 29 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 45.0% from 2019. Official counts also show 4 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Brown County, IN spend on food away from home?
About $26.4M a year, or $3,900 per household. That is 4% below the U.S. average (an index of 96, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 74 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $357K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 6,781 households in Brown County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Brown County, IN compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Brown County has 109.1 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, in line with the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $357K, 4% below the U.S. figure of $371K. At the national ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Brown County would have about 71, against 74 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 234 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 45.0% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Brown County, IN growing?
Population estimates put Brown County at 15,777 people in 2025, up 1.9% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 6,781 households. The median household income in Brown County is $78,528 a year, 3% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 28.7% 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. Brown County scores 49 for restaurants and cafes (lower middle), #1,242 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Brown 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 Brown County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Brown 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 Brown 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.