Food and drink · Small-town market · Indiana
Restaurants and cafes in the Peru, IN area
The restaurants and cafes in the Peru, IN area, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other small-town markets.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 58 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #183 of 538 scored small-town markets
#17 of 25 scored small-town markets based in Indiana
- Listings
- 99
- 33 chain locations (33%)
- Official establishments
- 50
- +19.1% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $45.2M
- On food away from home · $3,392 a household
- Spending per listing
- $456K
- 23% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 74.3
- 32% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 34,487
- −3.9% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in the Peru 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 Peru area. 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 $3,392 per household (17% below the U.S. average), households in the Peru area spend about $45.2M a year on food away from home. Spread across 99 restaurants and cafes, that is $456K per restaurant, 23% above the U.S. figure of $371K.
There are 99 restaurants and cafes on map listings in the Peru area as of September 2026. Of those, 33 are chain locations, or 33%, against 34% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 74.3, 32% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.
In 2023, official counts showed 50 businesses with payroll in the Peru area classed as restaurants and other eating places, up 19.1% from 2019. That is one for every 266 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Another 11 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 3 SBA-backed loans worth $480K have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in the Peru area.
Population estimates show the Peru area declined 3.9% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S. The Peru area scores 58 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes, ranking #183 of 538 scored small-town markets and #17 of 25 scored small-town markets based in Indiana.
How the Peru 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.
| Measure | Peru area | Indiana | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 74.3 | 92.4 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $456K | $412K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 266 | 235 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +19.1% | +7.3% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −3.9% | +2.7% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,392 | $3,802 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $61,139 | $71,957 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 58 | 62 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 50+19.1% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 701
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $10.9M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 11Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 9933 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 122The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 3
- Amount
- $480K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in the Peru 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 Peru area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 34,487−3.9% since 2020
- Households
- 13,318
- Median age
- 41.8
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 76%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 374 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 96
- Median household income
- $61,139+20.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $77,345
- Median home value
- $126,200
- Jobs located here
- 8,510
- Daytime population
- 29,652Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Peru area?
These figures cover the whole small-town market. 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 Peru area. 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 small-town markets in Indiana for restaurants and cafes, numbered among those based in Indiana, with the Peru area marked.
Top small-town markets in Indiana
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Greencastle, IN | 85 | 113 | 79.9 | $472K | +3.2% | #13 of 538 |
| 2Bedford, IN | 84 | 110 | 57.5 | $615K | +1.2% | #16 of 538 |
| 3Decatur, IN | 81 | 82 | 66.1 | $537K | +2.2% | #24 of 538 |
| 4Kendallville, IN | 79 | 140 | 77.0 | $475K | +1.0% | #31 of 538 |
| 5Washington, IN | 79 | 95 | 80.4 | $452K | +2.5% | #34 of 538 |
| 6Huntington, IN | 76 | 117 | 76.0 | $467K | +1.6% | #45 of 538 |
| 7New Castle, IN | 72 | 144 | 77.2 | $443K | +0.5% | #66 of 538 |
| 8Crawfordsville, IN | 72 | 131 | 84.0 | $439K | +2.7% | #68 of 538 |
| 9Greensburg, IN | 68 | 89 | 83.1 | $453K | +0.4% | #89 of 538 |
| 10Auburn, IN | 68 | 153 | 89.5 | $414K | +2.9% | #92 of 538 |
| 17Peru, IN | 58 | 99 | 74.3 | $456K | −3.9% | #183 of 538 |
Other business types in the Peru area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes58
- Sit-down restaurants62
- Fast food and sandwich shops57
- Pizza32
- Coffee shops and cafes39
- Bakeries and dessert shops26
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 the Peru, IN area?
As of September 2026, map listings count 99 restaurants and cafes in the Peru area. 33 of them (33%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 50 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 19.1% from 2019. Official counts list 11 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Peru, IN area spend on food away from home?
About $45.2M a year, or $3,392 per household. That is 17% below the U.S. average (an index of 83, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 99 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $456K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 13,318 households in the Peru area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Peru, IN area compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
The Peru area has 74.3 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 32% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $456K, 23% above the U.S. figure of $371K. At the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, the Peru area would have about 122, against 99 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 266 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 19.1% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is the Peru, IN area growing?
Population estimates put the Peru area at 34,487 people in 2025, down 3.9% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 13,318 households. Median household income in the Peru area is $61,139, 24% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 20.7%, 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. A small-town market is a town of 10,000 to 50,000 people and the county or counties tied to it by commuting. 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 Peru area scores 58 for restaurants and cafes (upper middle), #183 of 538 scored small-town markets.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Peru 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 Peru area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Peru 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 Peru 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.