Food and drink · Small-town market · Iowa
Restaurants and cafes in the Fort Dodge, IA area
How the Fort Dodge, IA area compares with other small-town markets and the U.S. for restaurants and cafes: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 63 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #143 of 538 scored small-town markets
#4 of 15 scored small-town markets based in Iowa
- Listings
- 141
- 67 chain locations (48%)
- Official establishments
- 53
- −5.4% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $54.4M
- On food away from home · $3,540 a household
- Spending per listing
- $386K
- 4% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 91.7
- 16% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 36,838
- −0.4% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in the Fort Dodge area
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 the Fort Dodge area. 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
Household spending on food away from home in the Fort Dodge area comes to about $54.4M a year: $3,540 per household, 13% below the U.S. average. That works out to $386K per restaurant, 4% above the U.S. figure of $371K.
There are 141 restaurants and cafes on map listings in the Fort Dodge area as of September 2026. 67 of them (48%) are chain locations, against 34% across the U.S. That comes to 91.7 for every 10,000 households, 16% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in the Fort Dodge area was 53 in 2023, down 5.4% from 2019. That is one for every 290 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Official counts also show 5 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $516K has gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in the Fort Dodge area.
Population estimates put the population change in the Fort Dodge area from 2020 to 2025 at −0.4%, against +3.1% for the U.S. The Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes in the Fort Dodge area is 63 (upper middle), #143 of 538 scored small-town markets and #4 of 15 scored small-town markets based in Iowa.
How the Fort Dodge area 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 | Fort Dodge area | Iowa | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 91.7 | 103.1 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $386K | $377K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 290 | 245 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −5.4% | +3.4% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −0.4% | +1.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,540 | $3,880 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $68,975 | $75,059 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 63 | 57 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 53−5.4% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,149
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $19.4M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 5Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 14167 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 147The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $516K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in the Fort Dodge area, 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 the Fort Dodge area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 36,838−0.4% since 2020
- Households
- 15,375
- Median age
- 39.6
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 70%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 716 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 52
- Median household income
- $68,975+45.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $83,997
- Median home value
- $153,800
- Jobs located here
- 17,395
- Daytime population
- 38,670Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Fort Dodge area?
These figures cover the whole small-town market. 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 the Fort Dodge area. 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 small-town markets in Iowa for restaurants and cafes, numbered among those based in Iowa, with the Fort Dodge area marked.
Top small-town markets in Iowa
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Le Mars, IA | 75 | 94 | 91.1 | $439K | 0.0% | #52 of 538 |
| 2Oskaloosa, IA | 72 | 67 | 76.6 | $471K | −1.2% | #65 of 538 |
| 3Marshalltown, IA | 72 | 135 | 87.1 | $419K | −0.5% | #69 of 538 |
| 4Fort Dodge, IA | 63 | 141 | 91.7 | $386K | −0.4% | #143 of 538 |
| 5Pella, IA | 62 | 137 | 102.9 | $383K | +2.3% | #154 of 538 |
| 6Storm Lake, IA | 59 | 85 | 112.6 | $336K | −1.7% | #180 of 538 |
| 7Clinton, IA | 49 | 210 | 107.7 | $341K | −0.9% | #269 of 538 |
| 8Ottumwa, IA | 47 | 140 | 100.0 | $346K | −0.3% | #294 of 538 |
| 9Spencer, IA | 46 | 67 | 92.0 | $389K | −0.8% | #302 of 538 |
| 10Carroll, IA | 44 | 96 | 109.1 | $345K | −2.0% | #336 of 538 |
Other business types in the Fort Dodge area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes63
- Sit-down restaurants56
- Fast food and sandwich shops66
- Pizza50
- Coffee shops and cafes61
- Bakeries and dessert shops57
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 the Fort Dodge, IA area?
As of September 2026, map listings count 141 restaurants and cafes in the Fort Dodge area. 67 of them (48%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 53 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, down 5.4% from 2019. Another 5 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in the Fort Dodge, IA area spend on food away from home?
About $54.4M a year, or $3,540 per household. That is 13% below the U.S. average (an index of 87, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 141 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $386K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 15,375 households in the Fort Dodge area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Fort Dodge, IA area compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
The Fort Dodge area has 91.7 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 16% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $386K, 4% above the U.S. figure of $371K. At the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, the Fort Dodge area would have about 147, against 141 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 290 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count fell 5.4% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is the Fort Dodge, IA area growing?
Population estimates put the Fort Dodge area at 36,838 people in 2025, down 0.4% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 15,375 households. Median household income in the Fort Dodge area is $68,975, 15% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 45.3%, 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. A small-town market is a town of 10,000 to 50,000 people and the county or counties tied to it by commuting. 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. The Fort Dodge area scores 63 for restaurants and cafes (upper middle), #143 of 538 scored small-town markets.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Fort Dodge area. 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 the Fort Dodge area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Fort Dodge area?
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 the Fort Dodge area. 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.