Groundwork

Food and drink · County · Indiana

Restaurants and cafes in Ripley County, IN

The restaurants and cafes in Ripley County, IN, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 56 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #933 of 2,405 scored counties
#51 of 86 scored counties in Indiana

Listings
110
42 chain locations (38%)
Official establishments
40
+8.1% since 2019
Household spending a year
$42.4M
On food away from home · $3,673 a household
Spending per listing
$385K
4% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
95.4
13% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
29,434
+1.6% since 2020

See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Ripley 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 Ripley County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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

What this means

Household spending on food away from home in Ripley County comes to about $42.4M a year: $3,673 per household, 10% below the U.S. average. That is about $385K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 4% above the U.S. figure of $371K.

There are 110 restaurants and cafes on map listings in Ripley County as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 38% of them, against 34% across the U.S. That comes to 95.4 for every 10,000 households, 13% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.

In 2023, official counts showed 40 businesses with payroll in Ripley County classed as restaurants and other eating places, up 8.1% from 2019. That is one for every 288 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Another 8 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $185K have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Ripley County.

Population estimates put the population change in Ripley County from 2020 to 2025 at +1.6%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes in Ripley County is 56 (upper middle), #933 of 2,405 scored counties and #51 of 86 scored counties in Indiana.

How Ripley 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.

Restaurants and cafes in Ripley County, IN compared with Indiana and the U.S.
MeasureRipley CountyIndianaU.S.
Listings per 10k households95.492.4109.8
Spending per listing$385K$412K$371K
Households per official establishment288235209
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+8.1%+7.3%+6.0%
Population growth, 2020–2025+1.6%+2.7%+3.1%
Spending per household on food away from home$3,673$3,802$4,070
Median household income$70,573$71,957$80,734
Groundwork market score5662

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
37 → 40+8.1% over the period
Employees, 2023
564
Annual payroll, 2023
$9.5M
One-person businesses, 2023
8Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
11042 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
114The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
2
Amount
$185K

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Ripley 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 Ripley County

Population, 2025 estimate
29,434+1.6% since 2020
Households
11,531
Median age
41.4
Homes lived in by their owners
77%
Vehicles per household
2.2
Land area
446 sq. mi.
People per square mile
65
Median household income
$70,573+25.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$88,934
Median home value
$222,500
Jobs located here
10,343
Daytime population
26,139Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Ripley 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 Ripley County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Restaurants 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 Ripley County marked.

Top counties in Indiana

Counties in Indiana ranked for restaurants and cafes by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Hancock County, IN8822968.4$646K+13.5%#36 of 2,405
2Warrick County, IN8417168.0$634K+4.4%#68 of 2,405
3Morgan County, IN8319669.3$579K+4.4%#92 of 2,405
4Boone County, IN7827696.0$515K+13.5%#177 of 2,405
5Harrison County, IN7710165.2$575K+1.9%#194 of 2,405
6Lawrence County, IN7511057.5$615K+1.2%#231 of 2,405
7Newton County, IN743561.1$573K+2.9%#259 of 2,405
8Hamilton County, IN741,26992.5$560K+10.9%#261 of 2,405
9Hendricks County, IN7454981.8$558K+10.2%#262 of 2,405
10LaGrange County, IN7411186.1$465K+1.9%#277 of 2,405
51Ripley County, IN5611095.4$385K+1.6%#933 of 2,405

Other business types in Ripley County

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

Questions

How many restaurants and cafes are in Ripley County, IN?

As of September 2026, map listings count 110 restaurants and cafes in Ripley County. 42 of them (38%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 40 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 8.1% from 2019. Official counts list 8 one-person businesses without payroll.

How much do households in Ripley County, IN spend on food away from home?

About $42.4M a year, or $3,673 per household. That is 10% below the U.S. average (an index of 90, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 110 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $385K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 11,531 households in Ripley County and national spending patterns by income.

How does Ripley County, IN compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?

Ripley County has 95.4 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 13% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $385K, 4% above the U.S. figure of $371K. At the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Ripley County would have about 114, against 110 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 288 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 8.1% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.

How fast is Ripley County, IN growing?

Population estimates put Ripley County at 29,434 people in 2025, up 1.6% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 11,531 households. Median household income in Ripley County is $70,573, 13% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 25.3%, 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. Ripley County scores 56 for restaurants and cafes (upper middle), #933 of 2,405 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Ripley 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 Ripley County

Screening a site or an acquisition in Ripley 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 Ripley 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.