Food and drink · County · Iowa
Restaurants and cafes in Tama County, IA
The restaurants and cafes in Tama County, IA, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 54 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #1,024 of 2,405 scored counties
#31 of 72 scored counties in Iowa
- Listings
- 63
- 10 chain locations (16%)
- Official establishments
- 16
- −20.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $24.1M
- On food away from home · $3,581 a household
- Spending per listing
- $382K
- 3% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 93.8
- 15% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 16,796
- −1.5% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Tama 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 Tama 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 63 restaurants and cafes in Tama County. Chain locations make up 16% of them, against 34% across the U.S. That is 93.8 per 10,000 households, 15% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.
Household spending on food away from home in Tama County comes to about $24.1M a year: $3,581 per household, 12% below the U.S. average. That works out to $382K per restaurant, 3% above the U.S. figure of $371K.
In 2023, official counts showed 16 businesses with payroll in Tama County classed as restaurants and other eating places, down 20.0% from 2019. That is one for every 420 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Official counts also show 5 one-person businesses without payroll.
Population estimates put the population change in Tama County from 2020 to 2025 at −1.5%, against +3.1% for the U.S. For restaurants and cafes, Tama County has a Groundwork market score of 54 (upper middle): #1,024 of 2,405 scored counties and #31 of 72 scored counties in Iowa.
How Tama 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 | Tama County | Iowa | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 93.8 | 103.1 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $382K | $377K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 420 | 245 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −20.0% | +3.4% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −1.5% | +1.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,581 | $3,880 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $70,781 | $75,059 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 54 | 57 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 20 → 16−20.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 159
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $2.4M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 5Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 6310 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 65The 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 Tama 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 Tama County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 16,796−1.5% since 2020
- Households
- 6,720
- Median age
- 42.0
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 76%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.2
- Land area
- 721 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 23
- Median household income
- $70,781+26.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $83,931
- Median home value
- $148,600
- Jobs located here
- 4,985
- Daytime population
- 13,338Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Tama 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 Tama 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 Tama 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 |
| 31Tama County, IA | 54 | 63 | 93.8 | $382K | −1.5% | #1,024 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Tama County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes54
- Sit-down restaurants41
- Fast food and sandwich shops
- Pizza46
- Coffee shops and cafes43
- Bakeries and dessert shops46
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 Tama County, IA?
There are 63 restaurants and cafes on map listings in Tama County as of September 2026. 10 of them (16%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 16 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, down 20.0% from 2019. Another 5 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Tama County, IA spend on food away from home?
About $24.1M a year, or $3,581 per household. That is 12% below the U.S. average (an index of 88, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 63 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $382K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 6,720 households in Tama County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Tama County, IA compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Tama County has 93.8 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 15% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $382K, 3% above the U.S. figure of $371K. At the national ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Tama County would have about 65, against 63 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 420 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count fell 20.0% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Tama County, IA growing?
Population estimates put Tama County at 16,796 people in 2025, down 1.5% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 6,720 households. The median household income in Tama County is $70,781 a year, 12% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 26.3% 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. Tama County scores 54 for restaurants and cafes (upper middle), #1,024 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Tama 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 Tama County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Tama 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 Tama 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.