Food and drink · County · Iowa
Restaurants and cafes in Linn County, IA
How Linn 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 50 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #1,183 of 2,405 scored counties
#35 of 72 scored counties in Iowa
- Listings
- 992
- 387 chain locations (39%)
- Official establishments
- 420
- −0.2% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $381.8M
- On food away from home · $3,994 a household
- Spending per listing
- $385K
- 4% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 103.8
- 5% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 232,028
- +0.7% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Linn 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 Linn 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
Map listings as of September 2026 show 992 restaurants and cafes in Linn County. Chain locations make up 39% of them, against 34% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 103.8, 5% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.
Households in Linn County spend about $381.8M a year on food away from home, or $3,994 per household, 2% below the U.S. average. Spread across 992 restaurants and cafes, that is $385K per restaurant, 4% above the U.S. figure of $371K.
In 2023, official counts showed 420 businesses with payroll in Linn County classed as restaurants and other eating places, down 0.2% from 2019. That is one for every 228 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Official counts list 45 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 20 SBA-backed loans worth $7.1M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Linn County.
Population estimates show Linn County grew 0.7% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). For restaurants and cafes, Linn County has a Groundwork market score of 50 (upper middle): #1,183 of 2,405 scored counties and #35 of 72 scored counties in Iowa.
How Linn 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 | Linn County | Iowa | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 103.8 | 103.1 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $385K | $377K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 228 | 245 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −0.2% | +3.4% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +0.7% | +1.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,994 | $3,880 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $77,649 | $75,059 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 50 | 57 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 421 → 420−0.2% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 8,164
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $160.6M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 45Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 992387 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 1,030The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 20
- Amount
- $7.1M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Linn 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 Linn County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 232,028+0.7% since 2020
- Households
- 95,600
- Median age
- 39.8
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 74%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 717 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 321
- Median household income
- $77,649+19.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $104,478
- Median home value
- $214,300
- Jobs located here
- 130,525
- Daytime population
- 248,541Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Linn 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 Linn 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 Linn 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 |
| 35Linn County, IA | 50 | 992 | 103.8 | $385K | +0.7% | #1,183 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Linn County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes50
- Sit-down restaurants48
- Fast food and sandwich shops60
- Pizza50
- Coffee shops and cafes48
- 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 Linn County, IA?
There are 992 restaurants and cafes on map listings in Linn County as of September 2026. 387 of them (39%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 420 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, down 0.2% from 2019. Official counts also show 45 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Linn County, IA spend on food away from home?
About $381.8M a year, or $3,994 per household. That is 2% below the U.S. average (an index of 98, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 992 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $385K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 95,600 households in Linn County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Linn County, IA compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Linn County has 103.8 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 5% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $385K, 4% above the U.S. figure of $371K. At the national ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Linn County would have about 1,030, against 992 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 228 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count fell 0.2% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Linn County, IA growing?
Population estimates put Linn County at 232,028 people in 2025, up 0.7% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 95,600 households. The median household income in Linn County is $77,649 a year, 4% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 19.6% 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. Linn County scores 50 for restaurants and cafes (upper middle), #1,183 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Linn 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 Linn County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Linn 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 Linn 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.