Groundwork

Food and drink · County · Kentucky

Restaurants and cafes in Grayson County, KY

Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for restaurants and cafes in Grayson County, KY, set against other counties and the U.S.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 66 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #504 of 2,405 scored counties
#31 of 99 scored counties in Kentucky

Listings
60
31 chain locations (52%)
Official establishments
33
+6.5% since 2019
Household spending a year
$31.9M
On food away from home · $3,150 a household
Spending per listing
$532K
43% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
59.2
46% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
27,406
+3.6% since 2020

See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Grayson 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 Grayson County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Survey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure

What this means

Households in Grayson County spend about $31.9M a year on food away from home, or $3,150 per household, 23% below the U.S. average. That is about $532K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 43% above the U.S. figure of $371K.

Grayson County has 60 restaurants and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. Of those, 31 are chain locations, or 52%, against 34% across the U.S. That is 59.2 per 10,000 households, 46% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.

Official counts show 33 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in Grayson County in 2023, up 6.5% from 2019. That is one for every 307 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Another 5 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $250K has gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Grayson County.

Population estimates show Grayson County grew 3.6% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). For restaurants and cafes, Grayson County has a Groundwork market score of 66 (upper middle): #504 of 2,405 scored counties and #31 of 99 scored counties in Kentucky. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.

How Grayson 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.

Restaurants and cafes in Grayson County, KY compared with Kentucky and the U.S.
MeasureGrayson CountyKentuckyU.S.
Listings per 10k households59.289.4109.8
Spending per listing$532K$390K$371K
Households per official establishment307260209
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+6.5%+5.0%+6.0%
Population growth, 2020–2025+3.6%+2.2%+3.1%
Spending per household on food away from home$3,150$3,489$4,070
Median household income$50,757$63,726$80,734
Groundwork market score6658

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
31 → 33+6.5% over the period
Employees, 2023
658
Annual payroll, 2023
$10.1M
One-person businesses, 2023
5Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
6031 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
86The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
1
Amount
$250K

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Grayson 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 Grayson County

Population, 2025 estimate
27,406+3.6% since 2020
Households
10,129
Median age
40.7
Homes lived in by their owners
75%
Vehicles per household
2.1
Land area
500 sq. mi.
People per square mile
53
Median household income
$50,757+31.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$71,276
Median home value
$164,600
Jobs located here
7,694
Daytime population
23,667Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Grayson 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 Grayson County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Restaurants 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 Grayson County marked.

Top counties in Kentucky

Counties in Kentucky ranked for restaurants and cafes by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Spencer County, KY943142.4$1M+7.7%#5 of 2,405
2Oldham County, KY8715165.6$763K+4.9%#41 of 2,405
3Bullitt County, KY8520865.5$593K+5.0%#64 of 2,405
4Henry County, KY793150.4$662K+4.8%#145 of 2,405
5Scott County, KY7918782.6$492K+8.2%#159 of 2,405
6Meade County, KY786559.1$637K+2.2%#169 of 2,405
7Jessamine County, KY7812663.3$600K+7.8%#171 of 2,405
8Lincoln County, KY773839.2$792K+4.6%#185 of 2,405
9Allen County, KY774657.2$559K+9.5%#197 of 2,405
10Garrard County, KY774059.7$544K+7.3%#200 of 2,405
31Grayson County, KY666059.2$532K+3.6%#504 of 2,405

Other business types in Grayson County

Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.

Questions

How many restaurants and cafes are in Grayson County, KY?

Map listings as of September 2026 show 60 restaurants and cafes in Grayson County. 31 of them (52%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 33 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 6.5% from 2019. Official counts list 5 one-person businesses without payroll.

How much do households in Grayson County, KY spend on food away from home?

About $31.9M a year, or $3,150 per household. That is 23% below the U.S. average (an index of 77, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 60 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $532K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 10,129 households in Grayson County and national spending patterns by income.

How does Grayson County, KY compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?

Grayson County has 59.2 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 46% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $532K, 43% above the U.S. figure of $371K. At the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Grayson County would have about 86, against 60 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 307 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 6.5% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.

How fast is Grayson County, KY growing?

Population estimates put Grayson County at 27,406 people in 2025, up 3.6% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 10,129 households. Median household income in Grayson County is $50,757, 37% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 31.5%, 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. Grayson County scores 66 for restaurants and cafes (upper middle), #504 of 2,405 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Grayson 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 Grayson County

Screening a site or an acquisition in Grayson 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 Grayson 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.