Food and drink · County · Iowa
Restaurants and cafes in Hamilton County, IA
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for restaurants and cafes in Hamilton County, IA, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 60 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #779 of 2,405 scored counties
#22 of 72 scored counties in Iowa
- Listings
- 63
- 28 chain locations (44%)
- Official establishments
- 14
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $24.2M
- On food away from home · $3,765 a household
- Spending per listing
- $384K
- 4% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 97.9
- 11% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 14,944
- −0.5% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Hamilton 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 Hamilton 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
Household spending on food away from home in Hamilton County comes to about $24.2M a year: $3,765 per household, 8% below the U.S. average. Spread across 63 restaurants and cafes, that is $384K per restaurant, 4% above the U.S. figure of $371K.
There are 63 restaurants and cafes on map listings in Hamilton County as of September 2026. 28 of them (44%) are chain locations, against 34% across the U.S. That comes to 97.9 for every 10,000 households, 11% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in Hamilton County was 14 in 2023. That is one for every 460 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Official counts also show 4 one-person businesses without payroll.
Population estimates put the population change in Hamilton County from 2020 to 2025 at −0.5%, against +3.1% for the U.S. For restaurants and cafes, Hamilton County has a Groundwork market score of 60 (upper middle): #779 of 2,405 scored counties and #22 of 72 scored counties in Iowa.
How Hamilton 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 | Hamilton County | Iowa | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 97.9 | 103.1 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $384K | $377K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 460 | 245 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +3.4% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −0.5% | +1.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,765 | $3,880 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $72,432 | $75,059 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 60 | 57 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 16 → 14
- Employees, 2023
- 204
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $3.2M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 4Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 6328 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 65The 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 Hamilton 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 Hamilton County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 14,944−0.5% since 2020
- Households
- 6,434
- Median age
- 43.1
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 73%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.1
- Land area
- 577 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 26
- Median household income
- $72,432+18.9% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $92,073
- Median home value
- $156,400
- Jobs located here
- 5,890
- Daytime population
- 13,997Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Hamilton 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 Hamilton 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 Hamilton 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 |
| 22Hamilton County, IA | 60 | 63 | 97.9 | $384K | −0.5% | #779 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Hamilton County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes60
- Sit-down restaurants63
- Fast food and sandwich shops55
- Pizza51
- Coffee shops and cafes41
- 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 Hamilton County, IA?
As of September 2026, map listings count 63 restaurants and cafes in Hamilton County. 28 of them (44%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 14 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023. Another 4 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Hamilton County, IA spend on food away from home?
About $24.2M a year, or $3,765 per household. That is 8% below the U.S. average (an index of 92, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 63 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $384K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 6,434 households in Hamilton County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Hamilton County, IA compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Hamilton County has 97.9 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 11% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $384K, 4% above the U.S. figure of $371K. At the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Hamilton County would have about 65, against 63 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 460 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S.
How fast is Hamilton County, IA growing?
Population estimates put Hamilton County at 14,944 people in 2025, down 0.5% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 6,434 households. Median household income in Hamilton County is $72,432, 10% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 18.9%, 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. Hamilton County scores 60 for restaurants and cafes (upper middle), #779 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Hamilton 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 Hamilton County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Hamilton 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 Hamilton 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.