Food and drink · County · Indiana
Restaurants and cafes in Howard County, IN
How Howard 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 37 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,727 of 2,405 scored counties
#79 of 86 scored counties in Indiana
- Listings
- 337
- 141 chain locations (42%)
- Official establishments
- 172
- +9.6% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $124.7M
- On food away from home · $3,503 a household
- Spending per listing
- $370K
- In line with the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 94.7
- 14% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 83,904
- +0.4% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Howard 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 Howard 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
At $3,503 per household (14% below the U.S. average), households in Howard County spend about $124.7M a year on food away from home. Spread across 337 restaurants and cafes, that is $370K per restaurant, in line with the U.S. figure of $371K.
Howard County has 337 restaurants and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 42% of them, against 34% across the U.S. That comes to 94.7 for every 10,000 households, 14% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.
In 2023, official counts showed 172 businesses with payroll in Howard County classed as restaurants and other eating places, up 9.6% from 2019. That is one for every 207 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Another 24 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 7 SBA-backed loans worth $8.1M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Howard County.
Population estimates put the population change in Howard County from 2020 to 2025 at +0.4%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). Howard County scores 37 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes, ranking #1,727 of 2,405 scored counties and #79 of 86 scored counties in Indiana.
How Howard 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 | Howard County | Indiana | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 94.7 | 92.4 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $370K | $412K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 207 | 235 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +9.6% | +7.3% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +0.4% | +2.7% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,503 | $3,802 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $64,027 | $71,957 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 37 | 62 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 157 → 172+9.6% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 3,856
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $67.1M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 24Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 337141 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 336The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 7
- Amount
- $8.1M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Howard 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 Howard County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 83,904+0.4% since 2020
- Households
- 35,593
- Median age
- 40.9
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 71%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 293 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 286
- Median household income
- $64,027+22.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $83,020
- Median home value
- $165,000
- Jobs located here
- 35,309
- Daytime population
- 82,151Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Howard 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 Howard 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 Howard 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 |
| 79Howard County, IN | 37 | 337 | 94.7 | $370K | +0.4% | #1,727 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Howard County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes37
- Sit-down restaurants45
- Fast food and sandwich shops32
- Pizza26
- Coffee shops and cafes40
- Bakeries and dessert shops34
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 Howard County, IN?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 337 restaurants and cafes in Howard County. 141 of them (42%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 172 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 9.6% from 2019. Official counts list 24 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Howard County, IN spend on food away from home?
About $124.7M a year, or $3,503 per household. That is 14% below the U.S. average (an index of 86, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 337 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $370K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 35,593 households in Howard County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Howard County, IN compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Howard County has 94.7 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 14% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $370K, in line with the U.S. figure of $371K. At the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Howard County would have about 336, against 337 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 207 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 9.6% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Howard County, IN growing?
Population estimates put Howard County at 83,904 people in 2025, up 0.4% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 35,593 households. Median household income in Howard County is $64,027, 21% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 22.3%, 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. Howard County scores 37 for restaurants and cafes (lower middle), #1,727 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Howard 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 Howard County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Howard 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 Howard 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.