Food and drink · Small-town market · Iowa
Restaurants and cafes in the Mason City, IA area
How the Mason City, 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 39 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #383 of 538 scored small-town markets
#12 of 15 scored small-town markets based in Iowa
- Listings
- 252
- 92 chain locations (37%)
- Official establishments
- 110
- +6.8% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $83.8M
- On food away from home · $3,690 a household
- Spending per listing
- $333K
- 10% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 110.9
- In line with the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 49,710
- −1.5% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in the Mason City 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 Mason City 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
Map listings as of September 2026 show 252 restaurants and cafes in the Mason City area. Of those, 92 are chain locations, or 37%, against 34% across the U.S. That comes to 110.9 for every 10,000 households, in line with the U.S. rate of 109.8.
At $3,690 per household (9% below the U.S. average), households in the Mason City area spend about $83.8M a year on food away from home. That is about $333K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 10% below the U.S. figure of $371K.
Official counts show 110 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in the Mason City area in 2023, up 6.8% from 2019. That is one for every 207 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Official counts list 11 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 3 SBA-backed loans worth $1.1M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in the Mason City area.
Population estimates put the population change in the Mason City area from 2020 to 2025 at −1.5%, against +3.1% for the U.S. The Mason City area scores 39 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes, ranking #383 of 538 scored small-town markets and #12 of 15 scored small-town markets based in Iowa.
How the Mason City 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 | Mason City area | Iowa | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 110.9 | 103.1 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $333K | $377K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 207 | 245 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +6.8% | +3.4% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −1.5% | +1.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,690 | $3,880 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $68,926 | $75,059 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 39 | 57 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 110+6.8% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,904
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $38.3M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 11Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 25292 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 226The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 3
- Amount
- $1.1M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in the Mason City 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 Mason City area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 49,710−1.5% since 2020
- Households
- 22,716
- Median age
- 45.5
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 72%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 968 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 52
- Median household income
- $68,926+26.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $91,964
- Median home value
- $162,900
- Jobs located here
- 24,592
- Daytime population
- 51,205Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Mason City 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 Mason City 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 Mason City 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 |
| 12Mason City, IA | 39 | 252 | 110.9 | $333K | −1.5% | #383 of 538 |
Other business types in the Mason City area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes39
- Sit-down restaurants42
- Fast food and sandwich shops57
- Pizza47
- Coffee shops and cafes36
- Bakeries and dessert shops32
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 Mason City, IA area?
There are 252 restaurants and cafes on map listings in the Mason City area as of September 2026. 92 of them (37%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 110 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 6.8% from 2019. Official counts also show 11 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Mason City, IA area spend on food away from home?
About $83.8M a year, or $3,690 per household. That is 9% below the U.S. average (an index of 91, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 252 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $333K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 22,716 households in the Mason City area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Mason City, IA area compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
The Mason City area has 110.9 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, in line with the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $333K, 10% below the U.S. figure of $371K. At the national ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, the Mason City area would have about 226, against 252 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 207 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 6.8% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is the Mason City, IA area growing?
Population estimates put the Mason City area at 49,710 people in 2025, down 1.5% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 22,716 households. The median household income in the Mason City area is $68,926 a year, 15% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 26.7% 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. 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 Mason City area scores 39 for restaurants and cafes (lower middle), #383 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 Mason City 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 Mason City area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Mason City 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 Mason City 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.