Food and drink · County · Iowa
Restaurants and cafes in Clayton County, IA
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for restaurants and cafes in Clayton County, IA, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 29 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #2,057 of 2,405 scored counties
#68 of 72 scored counties in Iowa
- Listings
- 78
- 11 chain locations (14%)
- Official establishments
- 42
- +10.5% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $26.9M
- On food away from home · $3,583 a household
- Spending per listing
- $345K
- 7% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 103.9
- 5% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 16,845
- −1.1% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Clayton 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 Clayton 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
The Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes in Clayton County is 29 (lower middle), #2,057 of 2,405 scored counties and #68 of 72 scored counties in Iowa. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
As of September 2026, map listings count 78 restaurants and cafes in Clayton County. Chain locations make up 14% of them, against 34% across the U.S. That comes to 103.9 for every 10,000 households, 5% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.
Households in Clayton County spend about $26.9M a year on food away from home, or $3,583 per household, 12% below the U.S. average. Spread across 78 restaurants and cafes, that is $345K per restaurant, 7% below the U.S. figure of $371K.
In 2023, official counts showed 42 businesses with payroll in Clayton County classed as restaurants and other eating places, up 10.5% from 2019. That is one for every 179 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Population estimates put the population change in Clayton County from 2020 to 2025 at −1.1%, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How Clayton 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 | Clayton County | Iowa | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 103.9 | 103.1 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $345K | $377K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 179 | 245 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +10.5% | +3.4% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −1.1% | +1.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,583 | $3,880 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $67,242 | $75,059 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 29 | 57 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 38 → 42+10.5% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 268
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $3.2M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 11Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 7811 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 73The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 0
- Amount
- $0
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Clayton 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 Clayton County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 16,845−1.1% since 2020
- Households
- 7,509
- Median age
- 46.9
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 78%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 779 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 22
- Median household income
- $67,242+26.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $86,441
- Median home value
- $168,500
- Jobs located here
- 6,129
- Daytime population
- 14,966Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Clayton 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 Clayton 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 Clayton 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 |
| 68Clayton County, IA | 29 | 78 | 103.9 | $345K | −1.1% | #2,057 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Clayton County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes29
- Sit-down restaurants38
- Fast food and sandwich shops
- Pizza43
- Coffee shops and cafes26
- Bakeries and dessert shops
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 Clayton County, IA?
Clayton County has 78 restaurants and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. 11 of them (14%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 42 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 10.5% from 2019. Official counts also show 11 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Clayton County, IA spend on food away from home?
About $26.9M a year, or $3,583 per household. That is 12% below the U.S. average (an index of 88, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 78 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $345K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 7,509 households in Clayton County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Clayton County, IA compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Clayton County has 103.9 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 5% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $345K, 7% below the U.S. figure of $371K. At the national ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Clayton County would have about 73, against 78 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 179 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 10.5% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Clayton County, IA growing?
Population estimates put Clayton County at 16,845 people in 2025, down 1.1% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 7,509 households. The median household income in Clayton County is $67,242 a year, 17% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 26.5% 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. Clayton County scores 29 for restaurants and cafes (lower middle), #2,057 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Clayton 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 Clayton County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Clayton 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 Clayton 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.