Food and drink · County · Iowa
Restaurants and cafes in Story County, IA
The restaurants and cafes in Story County, IA, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 49 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,238 of 2,405 scored counties
#40 of 72 scored counties in Iowa
- Listings
- 407
- 176 chain locations (43%)
- Official establishments
- 175
- +9.4% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $149M
- On food away from home · $3,831 a household
- Spending per listing
- $366K
- In line with the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 104.6
- 5% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 101,291
- +2.7% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Story 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 Story 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
At $3,831 per household (6% below the U.S. average), households in Story County spend about $149M a year on food away from home. Spread across 407 restaurants and cafes, that is $366K per restaurant, in line with the U.S. figure of $371K.
Story County has 407 restaurants and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 43% of them, against 34% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 104.6, 5% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in Story County was 175 in 2023, up 9.4% from 2019. That is one for every 222 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Another 23 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 11 SBA-backed loans worth $4.6M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Story County.
Population estimates put the population change in Story County from 2020 to 2025 at +2.7%, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). For restaurants and cafes, Story County has a Groundwork market score of 49 (lower middle): #1,238 of 2,405 scored counties and #40 of 72 scored counties in Iowa.
How Story 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 | Story County | Iowa | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 104.6 | 103.1 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $366K | $377K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 222 | 245 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +9.4% | +3.4% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.7% | +1.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,831 | $3,880 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $69,685 | $75,059 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 49 | 57 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 160 → 175+9.4% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 3,860
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $71.7M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 23Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 407176 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 402The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 11
- Amount
- $4.6M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Story 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 Story County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 101,291+2.7% since 2020
- Households
- 38,904
- Median age
- 33.1
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 56%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 573 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 175
- Median household income
- $69,685+22.8% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $96,918
- Median home value
- $258,700
- Jobs located here
- 47,997
- Daytime population
- 107,341Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Story 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 Story 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 Story 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 |
| 40Story County, IA | 49 | 407 | 104.6 | $366K | +2.7% | #1,238 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Story County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes49
- Sit-down restaurants55
- Fast food and sandwich shops49
- Pizza43
- Coffee shops and cafes38
- Bakeries and dessert shops60
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 Story County, IA?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 407 restaurants and cafes in Story County. 176 of them (43%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 175 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 9.4% from 2019. Official counts list 23 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Story County, IA spend on food away from home?
About $149M a year, or $3,831 per household. That is 6% below the U.S. average (an index of 94, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 407 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $366K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 38,904 households in Story County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Story County, IA compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Story County has 104.6 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 5% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $366K, in line with the U.S. figure of $371K. At the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Story County would have about 402, against 407 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 222 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 9.4% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Story County, IA growing?
Population estimates put Story County at 101,291 people in 2025, up 2.7% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 38,904 households. Median household income in Story County is $69,685, 14% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 22.8%, 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. Story County scores 49 for restaurants and cafes (lower middle), #1,238 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Story 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 Story County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Story 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 Story 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.