Food and drink · County · Indiana
Restaurants and cafes in St. Joseph County, IN
The restaurants and cafes in St. Joseph County, IN, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 40 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,614 of 2,405 scored counties
#76 of 86 scored counties in Indiana
- Listings
- 1,106
- 462 chain locations (42%)
- Official establishments
- 487
- +7.5% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $394.7M
- On food away from home · $3,680 a household
- Spending per listing
- $357K
- 4% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 103.1
- 6% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 272,861
- +0.1% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in St. Joseph 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 St. Joseph 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 1,106 restaurants and cafes in St. Joseph County. Of those, 462 are chain locations, or 42%, against 34% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 103.1, 6% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.
At $3,680 per household (10% below the U.S. average), households in St. Joseph County spend about $394.7M a year on food away from home. That is about $357K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 4% below the U.S. figure of $371K.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in St. Joseph County was 487 in 2023, up 7.5% from 2019. That is one for every 220 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Official counts list 74 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 11 SBA-backed loans worth $8.4M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in St. Joseph County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of St. Joseph County grew 0.1%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes in St. Joseph County is 40 (lower middle), #1,614 of 2,405 scored counties and #76 of 86 scored counties in Indiana.
How St. Joseph 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 | St. Joseph County | Indiana | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 103.1 | 92.4 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $357K | $412K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 220 | 235 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +7.5% | +7.3% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +0.1% | +2.7% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,680 | $3,802 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $66,868 | $71,957 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 40 | 62 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 453 → 487+7.5% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 10,217
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $203.1M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 74Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 1,106462 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 1,064The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 11
- Amount
- $8.4M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in St. Joseph 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 St. Joseph County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 272,861+0.1% since 2020
- Households
- 107,252
- Median age
- 38.0
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 69%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.7
- Land area
- 458 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 596
- Median household income
- $66,868+26.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $92,212
- Median home value
- $192,800
- Jobs located here
- 124,747
- Daytime population
- 277,571Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in St. Joseph 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 St. Joseph 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 St. Joseph 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 |
| 76St. Joseph County, IN | 40 | 1,106 | 103.1 | $357K | +0.1% | #1,614 of 2,405 |
Other business types in St. Joseph County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes40
- Sit-down restaurants42
- Fast food and sandwich shops35
- Pizza42
- Coffee shops and cafes47
- Bakeries and dessert shops42
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 St. Joseph County, IN?
St. Joseph County has 1,106 restaurants and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. 462 of them (42%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 487 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 7.5% from 2019. Official counts also show 74 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in St. Joseph County, IN spend on food away from home?
About $394.7M a year, or $3,680 per household. That is 10% below the U.S. average (an index of 90, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 1,106 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $357K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 107,252 households in St. Joseph County and national spending patterns by income.
How does St. Joseph County, IN compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
St. Joseph County has 103.1 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 6% 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, St. Joseph County would have about 1,064, against 1,106 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 220 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 7.5% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is St. Joseph County, IN growing?
Population estimates put St. Joseph County at 272,861 people in 2025, up 0.1% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 107,252 households. The median household income in St. Joseph County is $66,868 a year, 17% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 26.7% 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. St. Joseph County scores 40 for restaurants and cafes (lower middle), #1,614 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in St. Joseph 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 St. Joseph County
Screening a site or an acquisition in St. Joseph 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 St. Joseph 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.