Food and drink · County · Kentucky
Restaurants and cafes in Harlan County, KY
How Harlan County, KY compares with other counties and the U.S. for restaurants and cafes: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 51 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #1,114 of 2,405 scored counties
#60 of 99 scored counties in Kentucky
- Listings
- 60
- 32 chain locations (53%)
- Official establishments
- 29
- −6.4% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $29.7M
- On food away from home · $2,771 a household
- Spending per listing
- $496K
- 34% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 55.9
- 49% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 24,725
- −7.6% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Harlan 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 Harlan 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 60 restaurants and cafes in Harlan County. Of those, 32 are chain locations, or 53%, against 34% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 55.9, 49% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.
Households in Harlan County spend about $29.7M a year on food away from home, or $2,771 per household, 32% below the U.S. average. Spread across 60 restaurants and cafes, that is $496K per restaurant, 34% above the U.S. figure of $371K.
In 2023, official counts showed 29 businesses with payroll in Harlan County classed as restaurants and other eating places, down 6.4% from 2019. That is one for every 370 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Harlan County declined 7.6%, against +3.1% for the U.S. For restaurants and cafes, Harlan County has a Groundwork market score of 51 (upper middle): #1,114 of 2,405 scored counties and #60 of 99 scored counties in Kentucky.
How Harlan 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 | Harlan County | Kentucky | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 55.9 | 89.4 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $496K | $390K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 370 | 260 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −6.4% | +5.0% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −7.6% | +2.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $2,771 | $3,489 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $41,693 | $63,726 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 51 | 58 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 31 → 29−6.4% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 501
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $7M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 0Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 6032 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 80The 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 Harlan 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 Harlan County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 24,725−7.6% since 2020
- Households
- 10,731
- Median age
- 40.9
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 72%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 466 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 55
- Median household income
- $41,693+57.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $55,003
- Median home value
- $73,700
- Jobs located here
- 5,743
- Daytime population
- 24,360Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Harlan 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 Harlan 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 Harlan 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 |
| 60Harlan County, KY | 51 | 60 | 55.9 | $496K | −7.6% | #1,114 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Harlan County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes51
- Sit-down restaurants53
- Fast food and sandwich shops14
- Pizza16
- 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 Harlan County, KY?
There are 60 restaurants and cafes on map listings in Harlan County as of September 2026. 32 of them (53%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 29 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, down 6.4% from 2019.
How much do households in Harlan County, KY spend on food away from home?
About $29.7M a year, or $2,771 per household. That is 32% below the U.S. average (an index of 68, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 60 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $496K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 10,731 households in Harlan County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Harlan County, KY compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Harlan County has 55.9 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 49% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $496K, 34% above the U.S. figure of $371K. At the national ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Harlan County would have about 80, against 60 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 370 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count fell 6.4% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Harlan County, KY growing?
Population estimates put Harlan County at 24,725 people in 2025, down 7.6% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 10,731 households. The median household income in Harlan County is $41,693 a year, 48% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 57.5% 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. Harlan County scores 51 for restaurants and cafes (upper middle), #1,114 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Harlan 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 Harlan County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Harlan 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 Harlan 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.