Food and drink · County · Iowa
Restaurants and cafes in Crawford County, IA
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for restaurants and cafes in Crawford County, IA, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 50 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #1,178 of 2,405 scored counties
#33 of 72 scored counties in Iowa
- Listings
- 56
- 22 chain locations (39%)
- Official establishments
- 24
- +20.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $22.9M
- On food away from home · $3,618 a household
- Spending per listing
- $409K
- 10% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 88.5
- 19% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 16,237
- −1.5% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Crawford 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 Crawford 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 56 restaurants and cafes in Crawford County. 22 of them (39%) are chain locations, against 34% across the U.S. That comes to 88.5 for every 10,000 households, 19% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.
Households in Crawford County spend about $22.9M a year on food away from home, or $3,618 per household, 11% below the U.S. average. That works out to $409K per restaurant, 10% above the U.S. figure of $371K.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in Crawford County was 24 in 2023, up 20.0% from 2019. That is one for every 264 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Official counts also show 6 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $44K have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Crawford County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Crawford County declined 1.5%, against +3.1% for the U.S. For restaurants and cafes, Crawford County has a Groundwork market score of 50 (upper middle): #1,178 of 2,405 scored counties and #33 of 72 scored counties in Iowa.
How Crawford 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 | Crawford County | Iowa | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 88.5 | 103.1 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $409K | $377K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 264 | 245 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +20.0% | +3.4% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −1.5% | +1.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,618 | $3,880 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $67,027 | $75,059 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 50 | 57 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 20 → 24+20.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 250
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $3.9M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 6Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 5622 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 62The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 2
- Amount
- $44K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Crawford 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 Crawford County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 16,237−1.5% since 2020
- Households
- 6,331
- Median age
- 40.1
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 76%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.2
- Land area
- 714 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 23
- Median household income
- $67,027+20.2% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $86,726
- Median home value
- $153,700
- Jobs located here
- 6,697
- Daytime population
- 14,730Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Crawford 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 Crawford 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 Crawford 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 |
| 33Crawford County, IA | 50 | 56 | 88.5 | $409K | −1.5% | #1,178 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Crawford County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes50
- Sit-down restaurants40
- Fast food and sandwich shops63
- Pizza48
- Coffee shops and cafes
- 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 Crawford County, IA?
Crawford County has 56 restaurants and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. 22 of them (39%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 24 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 20.0% from 2019. Another 6 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Crawford County, IA spend on food away from home?
About $22.9M a year, or $3,618 per household. That is 11% below the U.S. average (an index of 89, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 56 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $409K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 6,331 households in Crawford County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Crawford County, IA compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Crawford County has 88.5 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 19% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $409K, 10% above the U.S. figure of $371K. At the national ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Crawford County would have about 62, against 56 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 264 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 20.0% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Crawford County, IA growing?
Population estimates put Crawford County at 16,237 people in 2025, down 1.5% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 6,331 households. The median household income in Crawford County is $67,027 a year, 17% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 20.2% 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. Crawford County scores 50 for restaurants and cafes (upper middle), #1,178 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Crawford 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 Crawford County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Crawford 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 Crawford 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.