Food and drink · County · Kentucky
Restaurants and cafes in Carroll County, KY
The restaurants and cafes in Carroll County, KY, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 31 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,988 of 2,405 scored counties
#89 of 99 scored counties in Kentucky
- Listings
- 47
- 23 chain locations (49%)
- Official establishments
- 19
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $13.9M
- On food away from home · $3,317 a household
- Spending per listing
- $295K
- 20% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 112.5
- 2% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 11,141
- +2.9% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Carroll 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 Carroll 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
Carroll County scores 31 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes, ranking #1,988 of 2,405 scored counties and #89 of 99 scored counties in Kentucky. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
Households in Carroll County spend about $13.9M a year on food away from home, or $3,317 per household, 19% below the U.S. average. That works out to $295K per restaurant, 20% below the U.S. figure of $371K.
Carroll County has 47 restaurants and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 49% of them, against 34% across the U.S. That comes to 112.5 for every 10,000 households, 2% above the U.S. rate of 109.8.
In 2023, official counts showed 19 businesses with payroll in Carroll County classed as restaurants and other eating places. That is one for every 220 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Population estimates show Carroll County grew 2.9% from 2020 to 2025, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Carroll County compares
The same measures for Kentucky 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 | Carroll County | Kentucky | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 112.5 | 89.4 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $295K | $390K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 220 | 260 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +5.0% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.9% | +2.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,317 | $3,489 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $56,466 | $63,726 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 31 | 58 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 17 → 19
- Employees, 2023
- 406
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $8.6M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 3Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 4723 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 37The 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 Carroll 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 Carroll County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 11,141+2.9% since 2020
- Households
- 4,178
- Median age
- 38.0
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 66%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 129 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 85
- Median household income
- $56,466+29.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $74,454
- Median home value
- $140,900
- Jobs located here
- 7,370
- Daytime population
- 13,873Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Carroll 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 Carroll 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 Kentucky
Every Kentucky market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Kentucky for restaurants and cafes, numbered among those based in Kentucky, with Carroll County marked.
Top counties in Kentucky
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Spencer County, KY | 94 | 31 | 42.4 | $1M | +7.7% | #5 of 2,405 |
| 2Oldham County, KY | 87 | 151 | 65.6 | $763K | +4.9% | #41 of 2,405 |
| 3Bullitt County, KY | 85 | 208 | 65.5 | $593K | +5.0% | #64 of 2,405 |
| 4Henry County, KY | 79 | 31 | 50.4 | $662K | +4.8% | #145 of 2,405 |
| 5Scott County, KY | 79 | 187 | 82.6 | $492K | +8.2% | #159 of 2,405 |
| 6Meade County, KY | 78 | 65 | 59.1 | $637K | +2.2% | #169 of 2,405 |
| 7Jessamine County, KY | 78 | 126 | 63.3 | $600K | +7.8% | #171 of 2,405 |
| 8Lincoln County, KY | 77 | 38 | 39.2 | $792K | +4.6% | #185 of 2,405 |
| 9Allen County, KY | 77 | 46 | 57.2 | $559K | +9.5% | #197 of 2,405 |
| 10Garrard County, KY | 77 | 40 | 59.7 | $544K | +7.3% | #200 of 2,405 |
| 89Carroll County, KY | 31 | 47 | 112.5 | $295K | +2.9% | #1,988 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Carroll County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes31
- Sit-down restaurants36
- Fast food and sandwich shops21
- Pizza22
- Coffee shops and cafes
- 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 Carroll County, KY?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 47 restaurants and cafes in Carroll County. 23 of them (49%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 19 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023. Official counts also show 3 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Carroll County, KY spend on food away from home?
About $13.9M a year, or $3,317 per household. That is 19% below the U.S. average (an index of 81, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 47 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $295K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 4,178 households in Carroll County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Carroll County, KY compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Carroll County has 112.5 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 2% above the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $295K, 20% below the U.S. figure of $371K. At the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Carroll County would have about 37, against 47 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 220 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S.
How fast is Carroll County, KY growing?
Population estimates put Carroll County at 11,141 people in 2025, up 2.9% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 4,178 households. Median household income in Carroll County is $56,466, 30% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 29.7%, 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. Carroll County scores 31 for restaurants and cafes (lower middle), #1,988 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Carroll 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 Carroll County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Carroll 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 Carroll 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.