Food and drink · County · Indiana
Restaurants and cafes in Hamilton County, IN
How Hamilton 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 74 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #261 of 2,405 scored counties
#8 of 86 scored counties in Indiana
- Listings
- 1,269
- 628 chain locations (49%)
- Official establishments
- 699
- +14.8% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $710.2M
- On food away from home · $5,175 a household
- Spending per listing
- $560K
- 51% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 92.5
- 16% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 387,036
- +10.9% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Hamilton 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 Hamilton 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 1,269 restaurants and cafes in Hamilton County. Chain locations make up 49% of them, against 34% across the U.S. That is 92.5 per 10,000 households, 16% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.
At $5,175 per household (27% above the U.S. average), households in Hamilton County spend about $710.2M a year on food away from home. Spread across 1,269 restaurants and cafes, that is $560K per restaurant, 51% above the U.S. figure of $371K.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in Hamilton County was 699 in 2023, up 14.8% from 2019. That is one for every 196 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Another 119 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 56 SBA-backed loans worth $35.3M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Hamilton County.
Population estimates put the population change in Hamilton County from 2020 to 2025 at +10.9%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). Hamilton County scores 74 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes, ranking #261 of 2,405 scored counties and #8 of 86 scored counties in Indiana. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How Hamilton 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 | Hamilton County | Indiana | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 92.5 | 92.4 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $560K | $412K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 196 | 235 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +14.8% | +7.3% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +10.9% | +2.7% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $5,175 | $3,802 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $121,530 | $71,957 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 74 | 62 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 609 → 699+14.8% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 16,965
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $372.9M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 119Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 1,269628 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 1,915The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 56
- Amount
- $35.3M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Hamilton 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 Hamilton County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 387,036+10.9% since 2020
- Households
- 137,252
- Median age
- 39.2
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 76%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 394 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 926
- Median household income
- $121,530+23.8% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $158,610
- Median home value
- $405,500
- Jobs located here
- 177,508
- Daytime population
- 354,187Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Hamilton 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 Hamilton 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 Hamilton 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 |
Other business types in Hamilton County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes74
- Sit-down restaurants75
- Fast food and sandwich shops72
- Pizza67
- Coffee shops and cafes74
- Bakeries and dessert shops74
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 Hamilton County, IN?
Hamilton County has 1,269 restaurants and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. 628 of them (49%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 699 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 14.8% from 2019. Official counts list 119 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Hamilton County, IN spend on food away from home?
About $710.2M a year, or $5,175 per household. That is 27% above the U.S. average (an index of 127, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 1,269 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $560K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 137,252 households in Hamilton County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Hamilton County, IN compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Hamilton County has 92.5 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 16% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $560K, 51% above the U.S. figure of $371K. At the national ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Hamilton County would have about 1,915, against 1,269 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 196 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 14.8% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Hamilton County, IN growing?
Population estimates put Hamilton County at 387,036 people in 2025, up 10.9% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 137,252 households. The median household income in Hamilton County is $121,530 a year, 51% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 23.8% 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. Hamilton County scores 74 for restaurants and cafes (upper middle), #261 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Hamilton 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 Hamilton County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Hamilton 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 Hamilton 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.