Food and drink · County · Indiana
Restaurants and cafes in Jefferson County, IN
The restaurants and cafes in Jefferson County, IN, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 39 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,647 of 2,405 scored counties
#77 of 86 scored counties in Indiana
- Listings
- 126
- 40 chain locations (32%)
- Official establishments
- 57
- +7.6% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $45M
- On food away from home · $3,516 a household
- Spending per listing
- $357K
- 4% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 98.5
- 10% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 33,279
- +0.6% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Jefferson 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 Jefferson 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
Map listings as of September 2026 show 126 restaurants and cafes in Jefferson County. Of those, 40 are chain locations, or 32%, against 34% across the U.S. That comes to 98.5 for every 10,000 households, 10% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.
Household spending on food away from home in Jefferson County comes to about $45M a year: $3,516 per household, 14% below the U.S. average. That works out to $357K per restaurant, 4% below the U.S. figure of $371K.
Official counts show 57 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in Jefferson County in 2023, up 7.6% from 2019. That is one for every 224 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Official counts also show 11 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 4 SBA-backed loans worth $908K have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Jefferson County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Jefferson County grew 0.6%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes in Jefferson County is 39 (lower middle), #1,647 of 2,405 scored counties and #77 of 86 scored counties in Indiana.
How Jefferson 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 | Jefferson County | Indiana | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 98.5 | 92.4 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $357K | $412K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 224 | 235 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +7.6% | +7.3% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +0.6% | +2.7% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,516 | $3,802 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $64,577 | $71,957 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 39 | 62 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 53 → 57+7.6% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,004
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $19.9M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 11Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 12640 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 121The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 4
- Amount
- $908K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Jefferson 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 Jefferson County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 33,279+0.6% since 2020
- Households
- 12,790
- Median age
- 41.5
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 72%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.1
- Land area
- 361 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 91
- Median household income
- $64,577+22.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $82,160
- Median home value
- $194,600
- Jobs located here
- 12,163
- Daytime population
- 31,641Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Jefferson 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 Jefferson 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 Jefferson 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 |
| 77Jefferson County, IN | 39 | 126 | 98.5 | $357K | +0.6% | #1,647 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Jefferson County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes39
- Sit-down restaurants44
- Fast food and sandwich shops39
- Pizza36
- Coffee shops and cafes42
- Bakeries and dessert shops35
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 Jefferson County, IN?
There are 126 restaurants and cafes on map listings in Jefferson County as of September 2026. 40 of them (32%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 57 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 7.6% from 2019. Another 11 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Jefferson County, IN spend on food away from home?
About $45M a year, or $3,516 per household. That is 14% below the U.S. average (an index of 86, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 126 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $357K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 12,790 households in Jefferson County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Jefferson County, IN compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Jefferson County has 98.5 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 10% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $357K, 4% below the U.S. figure of $371K. At the national ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Jefferson County would have about 121, against 126 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 224 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 7.6% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Jefferson County, IN growing?
Population estimates put Jefferson County at 33,279 people in 2025, up 0.6% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 12,790 households. The median household income in Jefferson County is $64,577 a year, 20% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 22.5% 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. Jefferson County scores 39 for restaurants and cafes (lower middle), #1,647 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Jefferson 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 Jefferson County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Jefferson 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 Jefferson 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.