Food and drink · Small-town market · Iowa
Restaurants and cafes in the Spencer, IA area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for restaurants and cafes in the Spencer, IA area, set against other small-town markets and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 46 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #302 of 538 scored small-town markets
#9 of 15 scored small-town markets based in Iowa
- Listings
- 67
- 32 chain locations (48%)
- Official establishments
- 38
- −2.6% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $26M
- On food away from home · $3,576 a household
- Spending per listing
- $389K
- 5% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 92.0
- 16% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 16,202
- −0.8% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in the Spencer 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 Spencer 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
As of September 2026, map listings count 67 restaurants and cafes in the Spencer area. 32 of them (48%) are chain locations, against 34% across the U.S. That comes to 92.0 for every 10,000 households, 16% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.
Households in the Spencer area spend about $26M a year on food away from home, or $3,576 per household, 12% below the U.S. average. Spread across 67 restaurants and cafes, that is $389K per restaurant, 5% above the U.S. figure of $371K.
In 2023, official counts showed 38 businesses with payroll in the Spencer area classed as restaurants and other eating places, down 2.6% from 2019. That is one for every 192 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Another 11 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
Population estimates put the population change in the Spencer area from 2020 to 2025 at −0.8%, against +3.1% for the U.S. The Spencer area scores 46 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes, ranking #302 of 538 scored small-town markets and #9 of 15 scored small-town markets based in Iowa.
How the Spencer 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 | Spencer area | Iowa | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 92.0 | 103.1 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $389K | $377K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 192 | 245 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −2.6% | +3.4% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −0.8% | +1.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,576 | $3,880 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $65,428 | $75,059 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 46 | 57 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 38−2.6% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 465
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $9.2M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 11Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 6732 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 70The 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 Spencer 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 Spencer area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 16,202−0.8% since 2020
- Households
- 7,282
- Median age
- 43.1
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 73%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 567 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 29
- Median household income
- $65,428+29.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $83,614
- Median home value
- $178,600
- Jobs located here
- 8,325
- Daytime population
- 16,701Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Spencer 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 Spencer 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 Spencer 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 Spencer area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes46
- Sit-down restaurants59
- Fast food and sandwich shops34
- Pizza
- Coffee shops and cafes27
- 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 the Spencer, IA area?
The Spencer area has 67 restaurants and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. 32 of them (48%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 38 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, down 2.6% from 2019. Official counts list 11 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Spencer, IA area spend on food away from home?
About $26M a year, or $3,576 per household. That is 12% below the U.S. average (an index of 88, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 67 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $389K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 7,282 households in the Spencer area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Spencer, IA area compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
The Spencer area has 92.0 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 16% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $389K, 5% above the U.S. figure of $371K. At the national ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, the Spencer area would have about 70, against 67 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 192 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count fell 2.6% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is the Spencer, IA area growing?
Population estimates put the Spencer area at 16,202 people in 2025, down 0.8% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 7,282 households. The median household income in the Spencer area is $65,428 a year, 19% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 29.5% 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 Spencer area scores 46 for restaurants and cafes (lower middle), #302 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 Spencer 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 Spencer area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Spencer 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 Spencer 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.