Food and drink · County · Indiana
Restaurants and cafes in Delaware County, IN
How Delaware County, IN compares with other counties and the U.S. for restaurants and cafes: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 45 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,387 of 2,405 scored counties
#66 of 86 scored counties in Indiana
- Listings
- 385
- 194 chain locations (50%)
- Official establishments
- 184
- 0.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $151.2M
- On food away from home · $3,270 a household
- Spending per listing
- $393K
- 6% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 83.2
- 24% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 113,106
- +1.2% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Delaware 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 Delaware 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 385 restaurants and cafes in Delaware County. Chain locations make up 50% of them, against 34% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 83.2, 24% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.
Household spending on food away from home in Delaware County comes to about $151.2M a year: $3,270 per household, 20% below the U.S. average. Spread across 385 restaurants and cafes, that is $393K per restaurant, 6% above the U.S. figure of $371K.
Official counts show 184 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in Delaware County in 2023, unchanged from 2019. That is one for every 251 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Official counts also show 32 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 3 SBA-backed loans worth $425K have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Delaware County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Delaware County grew 1.2%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). For restaurants and cafes, Delaware County has a Groundwork market score of 45 (lower middle): #1,387 of 2,405 scored counties and #66 of 86 scored counties in Indiana.
How Delaware 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 | Delaware County | Indiana | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 83.2 | 92.4 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $393K | $412K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 251 | 235 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | 0.0% | +7.3% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +1.2% | +2.7% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,270 | $3,802 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $58,127 | $71,957 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 45 | 62 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 184 → 1840.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 4,773
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $78.4M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 32Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 385194 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 408The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 3
- Amount
- $425K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Delaware 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 Delaware County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 113,106+1.2% since 2020
- Households
- 46,256
- Median age
- 38.6
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 66%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 392 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 286
- Median household income
- $58,127+33.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $73,454
- Median home value
- $139,400
- Jobs located here
- 44,237
- Daytime population
- 112,299Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Delaware 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 Delaware 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 Delaware 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 |
| 66Delaware County, IN | 45 | 385 | 83.2 | $393K | +1.2% | #1,387 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Delaware County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes45
- Sit-down restaurants49
- Fast food and sandwich shops31
- Pizza33
- Coffee shops and cafes54
- Bakeries and dessert shops45
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 Delaware County, IN?
Delaware County has 385 restaurants and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. 194 of them (50%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 184 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, unchanged from 2019. Another 32 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Delaware County, IN spend on food away from home?
About $151.2M a year, or $3,270 per household. That is 20% below the U.S. average (an index of 80, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 385 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $393K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 46,256 households in Delaware County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Delaware County, IN compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Delaware County has 83.2 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 24% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $393K, 6% above the U.S. figure of $371K. At the national ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Delaware County would have about 408, against 385 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 251 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count held level from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Delaware County, IN growing?
Population estimates put Delaware County at 113,106 people in 2025, up 1.2% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 46,256 households. The median household income in Delaware County is $58,127 a year, 28% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 33.6% 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. Delaware County scores 45 for restaurants and cafes (lower middle), #1,387 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Delaware 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 Delaware County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Delaware 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 Delaware 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.