Food and drink · County · Iowa
Restaurants and cafes in Des Moines County, IA
How Des Moines 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 30 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #2,034 of 2,405 scored counties
#67 of 72 scored counties in Iowa
- Listings
- 199
- 73 chain locations (37%)
- Official establishments
- 68
- −9.3% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $59.5M
- On food away from home · $3,463 a household
- Spending per listing
- $299K
- 19% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 115.8
- 5% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 38,077
- −2.0% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Des Moines 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 Des Moines 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 Des Moines County is 30 (lower middle), #2,034 of 2,405 scored counties and #67 of 72 scored counties in Iowa. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
Household spending on food away from home in Des Moines County comes to about $59.5M a year: $3,463 per household, 15% below the U.S. average. That works out to $299K per restaurant, 19% below the U.S. figure of $371K.
There are 199 restaurants and cafes on map listings in Des Moines County as of September 2026. 73 of them (37%) are chain locations, against 34% across the U.S. That comes to 115.8 for every 10,000 households, 5% above the U.S. rate of 109.8.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in Des Moines County was 68 in 2023, down 9.3% from 2019. That is one for every 253 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Des Moines County declined 2.0%, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How Des Moines 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 | Des Moines County | Iowa | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 115.8 | 103.1 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $299K | $377K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 253 | 245 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −9.3% | +3.4% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −2.0% | +1.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,463 | $3,880 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $62,928 | $75,059 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 30 | 57 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 75 → 68−9.3% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,445
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $26.1M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 12Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 19973 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 160The 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 Des Moines 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 Des Moines County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 38,077−2.0% since 2020
- Households
- 17,178
- Median age
- 42.1
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 75%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 416 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 92
- Median household income
- $62,928+22.8% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $80,523
- Median home value
- $136,500
- Jobs located here
- 19,578
- Daytime population
- 39,488Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Des Moines 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 Des Moines 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 Des Moines 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 |
| 67Des Moines County, IA | 30 | 199 | 115.8 | $299K | −2.0% | #2,034 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Des Moines County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes30
- Sit-down restaurants32
- Fast food and sandwich shops39
- Pizza25
- Coffee shops and cafes42
- Bakeries and dessert shops37
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 Des Moines County, IA?
As of September 2026, map listings count 199 restaurants and cafes in Des Moines County. 73 of them (37%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 68 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, down 9.3% from 2019. Official counts also show 12 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Des Moines County, IA spend on food away from home?
About $59.5M a year, or $3,463 per household. That is 15% below the U.S. average (an index of 85, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 199 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $299K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 17,178 households in Des Moines County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Des Moines County, IA compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Des Moines County has 115.8 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 5% above the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $299K, 19% below the U.S. figure of $371K. At the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Des Moines County would have about 160, against 199 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 253 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count fell 9.3% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Des Moines County, IA growing?
Population estimates put Des Moines County at 38,077 people in 2025, down 2.0% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 17,178 households. Median household income in Des Moines County is $62,928, 22% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 22.8%, 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. Des Moines County scores 30 for restaurants and cafes (lower middle), #2,034 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Des Moines 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 Des Moines County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Des Moines 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 Des Moines 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.