Food and drink · Small-town market · Iowa
Restaurants and cafes in the Oskaloosa, IA area
The restaurants and cafes in the Oskaloosa, IA area, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other small-town markets.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 72 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #65 of 538 scored small-town markets
#2 of 15 scored small-town markets based in Iowa
- Listings
- 67
- 30 chain locations (45%)
- Official establishments
- 30
- +11.1% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $31.6M
- On food away from home · $3,612 a household
- Spending per listing
- $471K
- 27% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 76.6
- 30% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 21,880
- −1.2% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in the Oskaloosa 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 Oskaloosa 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 Oskaloosa area comes to about $31.6M a year: $3,612 per household, 11% below the U.S. average. That works out to $471K per restaurant, 27% above the U.S. figure of $371K.
There are 67 restaurants and cafes on map listings in the Oskaloosa area as of September 2026. Of those, 30 are chain locations, or 45%, against 34% across the U.S. That is 76.6 per 10,000 households, 30% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in the Oskaloosa area was 30 in 2023, up 11.1% from 2019. That is one for every 291 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S.
Population estimates put the population change in the Oskaloosa area from 2020 to 2025 at −1.2%, against +3.1% for the U.S. For restaurants and cafes, the Oskaloosa area has a Groundwork market score of 72 (upper middle): #65 of 538 scored small-town markets and #2 of 15 scored small-town markets based in Iowa. That puts it in the top quarter of small-town markets.
How the Oskaloosa 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 | Oskaloosa area | Iowa | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 76.6 | 103.1 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $471K | $377K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 291 | 245 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +11.1% | +3.4% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −1.2% | +1.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,612 | $3,880 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $70,940 | $75,059 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 72 | 57 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 30+11.1% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 442
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $6.5M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 0Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 6730 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 85The 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 the Oskaloosa 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 Oskaloosa area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 21,880−1.2% since 2020
- Households
- 8,743
- Median age
- 39.4
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 68%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.1
- Land area
- 571 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 39
- Median household income
- $70,940+29.4% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $86,932
- Median home value
- $157,800
- Jobs located here
- 8,845
- Daytime population
- 19,874Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Oskaloosa 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 Oskaloosa 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 Oskaloosa 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 Oskaloosa area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes72
- Sit-down restaurants74
- Fast food and sandwich shops65
- Pizza41
- Coffee shops and cafes57
- Bakeries and dessert shops63
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 Oskaloosa, IA area?
As of September 2026, map listings count 67 restaurants and cafes in the Oskaloosa area. 30 of them (45%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 30 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 11.1% from 2019.
How much do households in the Oskaloosa, IA area spend on food away from home?
About $31.6M a year, or $3,612 per household. That is 11% below the U.S. average (an index of 89, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 67 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $471K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 8,743 households in the Oskaloosa area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Oskaloosa, IA area compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
The Oskaloosa area has 76.6 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 30% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $471K, 27% above the U.S. figure of $371K. At the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, the Oskaloosa area would have about 85, against 67 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 291 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 11.1% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is the Oskaloosa, IA area growing?
Population estimates put the Oskaloosa area at 21,880 people in 2025, down 1.2% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 8,743 households. Median household income in the Oskaloosa area is $70,940, 12% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 29.4%, 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 Oskaloosa area scores 72 for restaurants and cafes (upper middle), #65 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 Oskaloosa 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 Oskaloosa area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Oskaloosa 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 Oskaloosa 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.