Groundwork

Food and drink · County · Indiana

Restaurants and cafes in Dearborn County, IN

Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for restaurants and cafes in Dearborn County, IN, set against other counties and the U.S.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 72 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #347 of 2,405 scored counties
#17 of 86 scored counties in Indiana

Listings
165
65 chain locations (39%)
Official establishments
69
+13.1% since 2019
Household spending a year
$80.6M
On food away from home · $3,975 a household
Spending per listing
$489K
32% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
81.4
26% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
51,609
+1.7% since 2020

See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Dearborn 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 Dearborn 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

Households in Dearborn County spend about $80.6M a year on food away from home, or $3,975 per household, 2% below the U.S. average. Spread across 165 restaurants and cafes, that is $489K per restaurant, 32% above the U.S. figure of $371K.

There are 165 restaurants and cafes on map listings in Dearborn County as of September 2026. Of those, 65 are chain locations, or 39%, against 34% across the U.S. That comes to 81.4 for every 10,000 households, 26% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.

The official count of businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in Dearborn County was 69 in 2023, up 13.1% from 2019. That is one for every 294 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Another 11 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 6 SBA-backed loans worth $1.5M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Dearborn County.

Population estimates put the population change in Dearborn County from 2020 to 2025 at +1.7%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). Dearborn County scores 72 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes, ranking #347 of 2,405 scored counties and #17 of 86 scored counties in Indiana. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.

How Dearborn 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 Dearborn County, IN compared with Indiana and the U.S.
MeasureDearborn CountyIndianaU.S.
Listings per 10k households81.492.4109.8
Spending per listing$489K$412K$371K
Households per official establishment294235209
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+13.1%+7.3%+6.0%
Population growth, 2020–2025+1.7%+2.7%+3.1%
Spending per household on food away from home$3,975$3,802$4,070
Median household income$84,735$71,957$80,734
Groundwork market score7262

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
61 → 69+13.1% over the period
Employees, 2023
1,569
Annual payroll, 2023
$29.6M
One-person businesses, 2023
11Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
16565 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
217The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
6
Amount
$1.5M

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

Population, 2025 estimate
51,609+1.7% since 2020
Households
20,282
Median age
43.8
Homes lived in by their owners
85%
Vehicles per household
2.1
Land area
305 sq. mi.
People per square mile
167
Median household income
$84,735+23.4% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$99,812
Median home value
$243,400
Jobs located here
13,887
Daytime population
39,625Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Dearborn 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 Dearborn 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 Dearborn 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
17Dearborn County, IN7216581.4$489K+1.7%#347 of 2,405

Other business types in Dearborn County

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

Questions

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

As of September 2026, map listings count 165 restaurants and cafes in Dearborn County. 65 of them (39%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 69 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 13.1% from 2019. Official counts list 11 one-person businesses without payroll.

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

About $80.6M a year, or $3,975 per household. That is 2% below the U.S. average (an index of 98, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 165 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $489K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 20,282 households in Dearborn County and national spending patterns by income.

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

Dearborn County has 81.4 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 26% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $489K, 32% above the U.S. figure of $371K. At the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Dearborn County would have about 217, against 165 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 294 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 13.1% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.

How fast is Dearborn County, IN growing?

Population estimates put Dearborn County at 51,609 people in 2025, up 1.7% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 20,282 households. Median household income in Dearborn County is $84,735, 5% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 23.4%, 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. Dearborn County scores 72 for restaurants and cafes (upper middle), #347 of 2,405 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

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

Screening a site or an acquisition in Dearborn 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 Dearborn 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.