Food and drink · County · Kentucky
Restaurants and cafes in Jackson County, KY
The restaurants and cafes in Jackson County, KY, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 72 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #326 of 2,405 scored counties
#20 of 99 scored counties in Kentucky
- Listings
- 14
- 9 chain locations (64%)
- Official establishments
- 7
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $14.3M
- On food away from home · $2,792 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1M
- 2.8 times the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 27.3
- 75% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 13,325
- +2.8% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Jackson 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 Jackson 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
As of September 2026, map listings count 14 restaurants and cafes in Jackson County. 9 of them (64%) are chain locations, against 34% across the U.S. That comes to 27.3 for every 10,000 households, 75% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.
At $2,792 per household (31% below the U.S. average), households in Jackson County spend about $14.3M a year on food away from home. That is about $1M of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 2.8 times the U.S. figure of $371K.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in Jackson County was 7 in 2023. That is one for every 732 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S.
Population estimates show Jackson County grew 2.8% from 2020 to 2025, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes in Jackson County is 72 (upper middle), #326 of 2,405 scored counties and #20 of 99 scored counties in Kentucky. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How Jackson 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 | Jackson County | Kentucky | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 27.3 | 89.4 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $1M | $390K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 732 | 260 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +5.0% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.8% | +2.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $2,792 | $3,489 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $40,000 | $63,726 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 72 | 58 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 7 → 7
- Employees, 2023
- 56
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $916K
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 0Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 149 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 39The 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 Jackson 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 Jackson County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 13,325+2.8% since 2020
- Households
- 5,122
- Median age
- 41.2
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 77%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 345 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 38
- Median household income
- $40,000+24.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $55,900
- Median home value
- $111,500
- Jobs located here
- 2,098
- Daytime population
- 10,979Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Jackson 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 Jackson 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 Jackson 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 |
| 20Jackson County, KY | 72 | 14 | 27.3 | $1M | +2.8% | #326 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Jackson County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes72
- Sit-down restaurants63
- Fast food and sandwich shops
- Pizza43
- 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 Jackson County, KY?
Jackson County has 14 restaurants and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. 9 of them (64%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 7 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023.
How much do households in Jackson County, KY spend on food away from home?
About $14.3M a year, or $2,792 per household. That is 31% below the U.S. average (an index of 69, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 14 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $1M per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 5,122 households in Jackson County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Jackson County, KY compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Jackson County has 27.3 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 75% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $1M, 2.8 times the U.S. figure of $371K. At the national ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Jackson County would have about 39, against 14 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 732 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S.
How fast is Jackson County, KY growing?
Population estimates put Jackson County at 13,325 people in 2025, up 2.8% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 5,122 households. The median household income in Jackson County is $40,000 a year, 50% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 24.5% 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. Jackson County scores 72 for restaurants and cafes (upper middle), #326 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Jackson 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 Jackson County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Jackson 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 Jackson 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.