Food and drink · County · Iowa
Restaurants and cafes in Black Hawk County, IA
How Black Hawk County, IA compares with other counties and the U.S. for restaurants and cafes: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 46 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,359 of 2,405 scored counties
#45 of 72 scored counties in Iowa
- Listings
- 547
- 220 chain locations (40%)
- Official establishments
- 214
- −8.1% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $198.7M
- On food away from home · $3,641 a household
- Spending per listing
- $363K
- 2% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 100.3
- 9% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 131,532
- +0.4% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Black Hawk 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 Black Hawk 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
At $3,641 per household (11% below the U.S. average), households in Black Hawk County spend about $198.7M a year on food away from home. That is about $363K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 2% below the U.S. figure of $371K.
There are 547 restaurants and cafes on map listings in Black Hawk County as of September 2026. Of those, 220 are chain locations, or 40%, against 34% across the U.S. That is 100.3 per 10,000 households, 9% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.
In 2023, official counts showed 214 businesses with payroll in Black Hawk County classed as restaurants and other eating places, down 8.1% from 2019. That is one for every 255 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Official counts list 26 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 10 SBA-backed loans worth $4.1M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Black Hawk County.
Population estimates put the population change in Black Hawk County from 2020 to 2025 at +0.4%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). Black Hawk County scores 46 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes, ranking #1,359 of 2,405 scored counties and #45 of 72 scored counties in Iowa.
How Black Hawk County compares
The same measures for Iowa 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 | Black Hawk County | Iowa | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 100.3 | 103.1 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $363K | $377K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 255 | 245 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −8.1% | +3.4% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +0.4% | +1.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,641 | $3,880 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $66,417 | $75,059 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 46 | 57 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 233 → 214−8.1% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 4,874
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $87M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 26Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 547220 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 536The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 10
- Amount
- $4.1M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Black Hawk 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 Black Hawk County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 131,532+0.4% since 2020
- Households
- 54,563
- Median age
- 37.0
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 66%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 566 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 232
- Median household income
- $66,417+24.1% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $89,158
- Median home value
- $188,900
- Jobs located here
- 75,052
- Daytime population
- 146,507Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Black Hawk 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 Black Hawk 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 Iowa
Every Iowa market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Iowa for restaurants and cafes, numbered among those based in Iowa, with Black Hawk County marked.
Top counties in Iowa
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Warren County, IA | 87 | 168 | 81.2 | $535K | +9.0% | #46 of 2,405 |
| 2Benton County, IA | 84 | 57 | 55.9 | $734K | +1.8% | #66 of 2,405 |
| 3Madison County, IA | 81 | 57 | 85.1 | $490K | +3.8% | #127 of 2,405 |
| 4Dallas County, IA | 80 | 401 | 94.4 | $504K | +17.8% | #142 of 2,405 |
| 5Mills County, IA | 78 | 47 | 87.1 | $489K | +2.6% | #181 of 2,405 |
| 6Boone County, IA | 76 | 83 | 75.9 | $528K | +0.4% | #220 of 2,405 |
| 7Butler County, IA | 74 | 34 | 58.0 | $648K | −2.0% | #255 of 2,405 |
| 8Buchanan County, IA | 73 | 61 | 73.9 | $510K | +1.3% | #308 of 2,405 |
| 9Grundy County, IA | 73 | 42 | 82.1 | $493K | +0.2% | #315 of 2,405 |
| 10Hancock County, IA | 70 | 24 | 51.4 | $693K | −2.2% | #389 of 2,405 |
| 45Black Hawk County, IA | 46 | 547 | 100.3 | $363K | +0.4% | #1,359 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Black Hawk County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes46
- Sit-down restaurants54
- Fast food and sandwich shops44
- Pizza41
- Coffee shops and cafes51
- Bakeries and dessert shops44
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 Black Hawk County, IA?
As of September 2026, map listings count 547 restaurants and cafes in Black Hawk County. 220 of them (40%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 214 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, down 8.1% from 2019. Official counts also show 26 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Black Hawk County, IA spend on food away from home?
About $198.7M a year, or $3,641 per household. That is 11% below the U.S. average (an index of 89, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 547 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $363K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 54,563 households in Black Hawk County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Black Hawk County, IA compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Black Hawk County has 100.3 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 9% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $363K, 2% below the U.S. figure of $371K. At the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Black Hawk County would have about 536, against 547 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 255 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count fell 8.1% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Black Hawk County, IA growing?
Population estimates put Black Hawk County at 131,532 people in 2025, up 0.4% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 54,563 households. Median household income in Black Hawk County is $66,417, 18% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 24.1%, 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. Black Hawk County scores 46 for restaurants and cafes (lower middle), #1,359 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Black Hawk 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 Black Hawk County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Black Hawk 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 Black Hawk 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.