Food and drink · County · Iowa
Restaurants and cafes in Lee County, IA
How Lee 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 32 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,954 of 2,405 scored counties
#65 of 72 scored counties in Iowa
- Listings
- 157
- 45 chain locations (29%)
- Official establishments
- 52
- −7.1% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $49.2M
- On food away from home · $3,434 a household
- Spending per listing
- $313K
- 16% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 109.6
- In line with the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 32,306
- −3.6% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Lee 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 Lee 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
For restaurants and cafes, Lee County has a Groundwork market score of 32 (lower middle): #1,954 of 2,405 scored counties and #65 of 72 scored counties in Iowa. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
As of September 2026, map listings count 157 restaurants and cafes in Lee County. 45 of them (29%) are chain locations, against 34% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 109.6, in line with the U.S. rate of 109.8.
Household spending on food away from home in Lee County comes to about $49.2M a year: $3,434 per household, 16% below the U.S. average. Spread across 157 restaurants and cafes, that is $313K per restaurant, 16% below the U.S. figure of $371K.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in Lee County was 52 in 2023, down 7.1% from 2019. That is one for every 275 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $370K has gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Lee County. Population estimates show Lee County declined 3.6% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How Lee 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 | Lee County | Iowa | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 109.6 | 103.1 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $313K | $377K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 275 | 245 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −7.1% | +3.4% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −3.6% | +1.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,434 | $3,880 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $62,382 | $75,059 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 32 | 57 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 56 → 52−7.1% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 808
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $13.5M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 14Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 15745 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 133The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $370K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Lee 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 Lee County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 32,306−3.6% since 2020
- Households
- 14,323
- Median age
- 42.9
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 76%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 518 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 64
- Median household income
- $62,382+25.9% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $79,169
- Median home value
- $141,400
- Jobs located here
- 13,626
- Daytime population
- 31,700Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Lee 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 Lee 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 Lee 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 |
| 65Lee County, IA | 32 | 157 | 109.6 | $313K | −3.6% | #1,954 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Lee County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes32
- Sit-down restaurants30
- Fast food and sandwich shops47
- Pizza34
- Coffee shops and cafes30
- Bakeries and dessert shops52
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 Lee County, IA?
Lee County has 157 restaurants and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. 45 of them (29%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 52 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, down 7.1% from 2019. Another 14 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Lee County, IA spend on food away from home?
About $49.2M a year, or $3,434 per household. That is 16% below the U.S. average (an index of 84, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 157 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $313K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 14,323 households in Lee County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Lee County, IA compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Lee County has 109.6 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, in line with the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $313K, 16% below the U.S. figure of $371K. At the national ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Lee County would have about 133, against 157 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 275 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count fell 7.1% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Lee County, IA growing?
Population estimates put Lee County at 32,306 people in 2025, down 3.6% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 14,323 households. The median household income in Lee County is $62,382 a year, 23% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 25.9% 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. Lee County scores 32 for restaurants and cafes (lower middle), #1,954 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Lee 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 Lee County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Lee 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 Lee 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.