Food and drink · County · Indiana
Restaurants and cafes in Jay County, IN
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for restaurants and cafes in Jay County, IN, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 54 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #999 of 2,405 scored counties
#52 of 86 scored counties in Indiana
- Listings
- 57
- 22 chain locations (39%)
- Official establishments
- 21
- −12.5% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $25.2M
- On food away from home · $3,225 a household
- Spending per listing
- $442K
- 19% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 73.0
- 34% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 20,118
- −1.8% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Jay 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 Jay 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 57 restaurants and cafes in Jay County. Of those, 22 are chain locations, or 39%, against 34% across the U.S. That comes to 73.0 for every 10,000 households, 34% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.
At $3,225 per household (21% below the U.S. average), households in Jay County spend about $25.2M a year on food away from home. That is about $442K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 19% above the U.S. figure of $371K.
In 2023, official counts showed 21 businesses with payroll in Jay County classed as restaurants and other eating places, down 12.5% from 2019. That is one for every 372 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Official counts list 10 one-person businesses without payroll.
Population estimates put the population change in Jay County from 2020 to 2025 at −1.8%, against +3.1% for the U.S. Jay County scores 54 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes, ranking #999 of 2,405 scored counties and #52 of 86 scored counties in Indiana.
How Jay 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 | Jay County | Indiana | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 73.0 | 92.4 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $442K | $412K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 372 | 235 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −12.5% | +7.3% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −1.8% | +2.7% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,225 | $3,802 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $54,969 | $71,957 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 54 | 62 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 24 → 21−12.5% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 463
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $7.1M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 10Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 5722 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 68The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 0
- Amount
- $0
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Jay 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 Jay County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 20,118−1.8% since 2020
- Households
- 7,807
- Median age
- 38.4
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 80%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 384 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 53
- Median household income
- $54,969+15.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $70,490
- Median home value
- $117,500
- Jobs located here
- 6,619
- Daytime population
- 18,014Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Jay 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 Jay 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 Jay 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 |
| 52Jay County, IN | 54 | 57 | 73.0 | $442K | −1.8% | #999 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Jay County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes54
- Sit-down restaurants51
- Fast food and sandwich shops52
- Pizza52
- Coffee shops and cafes29
- Bakeries and dessert shops40
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 Jay County, IN?
Jay County has 57 restaurants and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. 22 of them (39%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 21 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, down 12.5% from 2019. Official counts also show 10 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Jay County, IN spend on food away from home?
About $25.2M a year, or $3,225 per household. That is 21% below the U.S. average (an index of 79, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 57 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $442K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 7,807 households in Jay County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Jay County, IN compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Jay County has 73.0 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 34% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $442K, 19% above the U.S. figure of $371K. At the national ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Jay County would have about 68, against 57 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 372 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count fell 12.5% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Jay County, IN growing?
Population estimates put Jay County at 20,118 people in 2025, down 1.8% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 7,807 households. The median household income in Jay County is $54,969 a year, 32% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 15.3% 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. Jay County scores 54 for restaurants and cafes (upper middle), #999 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Jay 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 Jay County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Jay 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 Jay 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.