Food and drink · County · Iowa
Restaurants and cafes in Buena Vista County, IA
How Buena Vista 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 48 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,290 of 2,405 scored counties
#41 of 72 scored counties in Iowa
- Listings
- 85
- 27 chain locations (32%)
- Official establishments
- 22
- −12.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $28.5M
- On food away from home · $3,782 a household
- Spending per listing
- $336K
- 9% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 112.6
- 3% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 20,449
- −1.7% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Buena Vista 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 Buena Vista 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 85 restaurants and cafes in Buena Vista County. Of those, 27 are chain locations, or 32%, against 34% across the U.S. That is 112.6 per 10,000 households, 3% above the U.S. rate of 109.8.
Household spending on food away from home in Buena Vista County comes to about $28.5M a year: $3,782 per household, 7% below the U.S. average. That works out to $336K per restaurant, 9% below the U.S. figure of $371K.
Official counts show 22 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in Buena Vista County in 2023, down 12.0% from 2019. That is one for every 343 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Official counts list 11 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $715K has gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Buena Vista County.
Population estimates show Buena Vista County declined 1.7% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S. For restaurants and cafes, Buena Vista County has a Groundwork market score of 48 (lower middle): #1,290 of 2,405 scored counties and #41 of 72 scored counties in Iowa.
How Buena Vista 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 | Buena Vista County | Iowa | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 112.6 | 103.1 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $336K | $377K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 343 | 245 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −12.0% | +3.4% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −1.7% | +1.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,782 | $3,880 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $71,719 | $75,059 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 48 | 57 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 25 → 22−12.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 391
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $6.2M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 11Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 8527 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 77The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $715K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Buena Vista 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 Buena Vista County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 20,449−1.7% since 2020
- Households
- 7,546
- Median age
- 36.5
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 73%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.1
- Land area
- 575 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 36
- Median household income
- $71,719+25.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $94,361
- Median home value
- $159,500
- Jobs located here
- 11,467
- Daytime population
- 22,374Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Buena Vista 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 Buena Vista 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 Buena Vista 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 |
| 41Buena Vista County, IA | 48 | 85 | 112.6 | $336K | −1.7% | #1,290 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Buena Vista County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes48
- Sit-down restaurants44
- Fast food and sandwich shops66
- Pizza46
- Coffee shops and cafes40
- Bakeries and dessert shops55
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 Buena Vista County, IA?
Buena Vista County has 85 restaurants and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. 27 of them (32%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 22 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, down 12.0% from 2019. Official counts also show 11 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Buena Vista County, IA spend on food away from home?
About $28.5M a year, or $3,782 per household. That is 7% below the U.S. average (an index of 93, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 85 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $336K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 7,546 households in Buena Vista County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Buena Vista County, IA compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Buena Vista County has 112.6 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 3% above the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $336K, 9% below the U.S. figure of $371K. At the national ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Buena Vista County would have about 77, against 85 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 343 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count fell 12.0% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Buena Vista County, IA growing?
Population estimates put Buena Vista County at 20,449 people in 2025, down 1.7% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 7,546 households. The median household income in Buena Vista County is $71,719 a year, 11% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 25.6% 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. Buena Vista County scores 48 for restaurants and cafes (lower middle), #1,290 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Buena Vista 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 Buena Vista County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Buena Vista 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 Buena Vista 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.