Food and drink · County · Kentucky
Restaurants and cafes in Franklin County, KY
The restaurants and cafes in Franklin County, KY, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 44 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,453 of 2,405 scored counties
#74 of 99 scored counties in Kentucky
- Listings
- 217
- 102 chain locations (47%)
- Official establishments
- 100
- +9.9% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $80.1M
- On food away from home · $3,528 a household
- Spending per listing
- $369K
- In line with the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 95.5
- 13% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 52,649
- +2.0% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Franklin 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 Franklin 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 217 restaurants and cafes in Franklin County. Of those, 102 are chain locations, or 47%, against 34% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 95.5, 13% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.
Household spending on food away from home in Franklin County comes to about $80.1M a year: $3,528 per household, 13% below the U.S. average. That works out to $369K per restaurant, in line with the U.S. figure of $371K.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in Franklin County was 100 in 2023, up 9.9% from 2019. That is one for every 227 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Official counts list 25 one-person businesses without payroll.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Franklin County grew 2.0%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). Franklin County scores 44 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes, ranking #1,453 of 2,405 scored counties and #74 of 99 scored counties in Kentucky.
How Franklin 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 | Franklin County | Kentucky | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 95.5 | 89.4 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $369K | $390K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 227 | 260 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +9.9% | +5.0% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.0% | +2.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,528 | $3,489 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $65,298 | $63,726 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 44 | 58 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 91 → 100+9.9% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 2,049
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $40.5M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 25Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 217102 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 216The 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 Franklin 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 Franklin County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 52,649+2.0% since 2020
- Households
- 22,718
- Median age
- 40.9
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 64%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 208 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 249
- Median household income
- $65,298+16.0% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $88,985
- Median home value
- $216,600
- Jobs located here
- 35,970
- Daytime population
- 63,912Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Franklin 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 Franklin 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 Franklin 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 |
| 74Franklin County, KY | 44 | 217 | 95.5 | $369K | +2.0% | #1,453 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Franklin County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes44
- Sit-down restaurants57
- Fast food and sandwich shops34
- Pizza42
- Coffee shops and cafes61
- Bakeries and dessert shops48
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 Franklin County, KY?
There are 217 restaurants and cafes on map listings in Franklin County as of September 2026. 102 of them (47%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 100 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 9.9% from 2019. Official counts also show 25 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Franklin County, KY spend on food away from home?
About $80.1M a year, or $3,528 per household. That is 13% below the U.S. average (an index of 87, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 217 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $369K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 22,718 households in Franklin County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Franklin County, KY compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Franklin County has 95.5 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 13% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $369K, in line with the U.S. figure of $371K. At the national ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Franklin County would have about 216, against 217 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 227 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 9.9% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Franklin County, KY growing?
Population estimates put Franklin County at 52,649 people in 2025, up 2.0% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 22,718 households. The median household income in Franklin County is $65,298 a year, 19% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 16.0% 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. Franklin County scores 44 for restaurants and cafes (lower middle), #1,453 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Franklin 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 Franklin County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Franklin 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 Franklin 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.