Groundwork

Food and drink · Metro area · Indiana

Restaurants and cafes in the Kokomo, IN metro area

Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for restaurants and cafes in the Kokomo, IN metro area, set against other metro areas and the U.S.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 32 out of 100: Lower middle

Ranked #318 of 387 scored metro areas
#12 of 12 scored metro areas based 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 the Kokomo metro area

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 the Kokomo metro area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

Survey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure

What this means

The Kokomo metro area scores 32 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes, ranking #318 of 387 scored metro areas and #12 of 12 scored metro areas based in Indiana. That puts it in the bottom quarter of metro areas.

At $3,503 per household (14% below the U.S. average), households in the Kokomo metro area spend about $124.7M a year on food away from home. That is about $370K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, in line with the U.S. figure of $371K.

There are 337 restaurants and cafes on map listings in the Kokomo metro area as of September 2026. Of those, 141 are chain locations, or 42%, against 34% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 94.7, 14% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.

The official count of businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in the Kokomo metro area was 172 in 2023, up 9.6% from 2019. That is one for every 207 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 7 SBA-backed loans worth $8.1M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in the Kokomo metro area. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of the Kokomo metro area grew 0.4%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%).

How the Kokomo metro area 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.

Restaurants and cafes in Kokomo, IN metro area compared with Indiana and the U.S.
MeasureKokomo metro areaIndianaU.S.
Listings per 10k households94.792.4109.8
Spending per listing$370K$412K$371K
Households per official establishment207235209
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 score3262

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
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 the Kokomo metro area, 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 the Kokomo metro area

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 the Kokomo metro area?

These figures cover the whole metro area. 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 the Kokomo metro area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

Restaurants and cafes across Indiana

Every Indiana market ranked →

The highest-scoring metro areas in Indiana for restaurants and cafes, numbered among those based in Indiana (a market based in another state is listed without a number), with the Kokomo metro area marked.

Top metro areas in Indiana

Metro areas in Indiana ranked for restaurants and cafes by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Fort Wayne, IN711,58386.9$431K+3.9%#54 of 387
2Columbus, IN7131995.6$420K+4.3%#56 of 387
3Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN698,23397.7$421K+5.4%#68 of 387
Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN658,87297.9$419K+2.7%#94 of 387
Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN605,48298.2$386K+2.9%#130 of 387
4Evansville, IN541,04791.9$405K+1.6%#159 of 387
5South Bend-Mishawaka, IN-MI511,20493.7$395K+0.1%#184 of 387
6Muncie, IN5038583.2$393K+1.2%#192 of 387
7Lafayette-West Lafayette, IN4981589.9$395K+2.1%#194 of 387
8Elkhart-Goshen, IN4765991.1$403K+0.9%#206 of 387
12Kokomo, IN3233794.7$370K+0.4%#318 of 387

Other business types in the Kokomo metro area

Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.

Questions

How many restaurants and cafes are in the Kokomo, IN metro area?

As of September 2026, map listings count 337 restaurants and cafes in the Kokomo metro area. 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. Another 24 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.

How much do households in the Kokomo, IN metro area 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 the Kokomo metro area and national spending patterns by income.

How does the Kokomo, IN metro area compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?

The Kokomo metro area 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, the Kokomo metro area 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 the Kokomo, IN metro area growing?

Population estimates put the Kokomo metro area 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 the Kokomo metro area 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. The Kokomo metro area scores 32 for restaurants and cafes (lower middle), #318 of 387 scored metro areas.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Kokomo metro area. 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 the Kokomo metro area

Screening a site or an acquisition in the Kokomo metro area?

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 the Kokomo metro area. 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.