Food and drink · Metro area · Kentucky
Restaurants and cafes in the Lexington-Fayette, KY metro area
The restaurants and cafes in the Lexington-Fayette, KY metro area, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other metro areas.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 43 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #242 of 387 scored metro areas
#5 of 6 scored metro areas based in Kentucky
- Listings
- 2,366
- 1,026 chain locations (43%)
- Official establishments
- 969
- +5.2% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $816.9M
- On food away from home · $3,777 a household
- Spending per listing
- $345K
- 7% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 109.4
- In line with the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 535,174
- +3.4% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in the Lexington-Fayette metro area
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 the Lexington-Fayette metro area. 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
Households in the Lexington-Fayette metro area spend about $816.9M a year on food away from home, or $3,777 per household, 7% below the U.S. average. Spread across 2,366 restaurants and cafes, that is $345K per restaurant, 7% below the U.S. figure of $371K.
The Lexington-Fayette metro area has 2,366 restaurants and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. 1,026 of them (43%) are chain locations, against 34% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 109.4, in line with the U.S. rate of 109.8.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in the Lexington-Fayette metro area was 969 in 2023, up 5.2% from 2019. That is one for every 223 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Official counts also show 148 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 26 SBA-backed loans worth $17.8M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in the Lexington-Fayette metro area.
Population estimates put the population change in the Lexington-Fayette metro area from 2020 to 2025 at +3.4%, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes in the Lexington-Fayette metro area is 43 (lower middle), #242 of 387 scored metro areas and #5 of 6 scored metro areas based in Kentucky.
How the Lexington-Fayette metro area 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 | Lexington-Fayette metro area | Kentucky | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 109.4 | 89.4 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $345K | $390K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 223 | 260 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +5.2% | +5.0% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +3.4% | +2.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,777 | $3,489 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $71,966 | $63,726 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 43 | 58 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 969+5.2% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 23,520
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $496.6M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 148Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 2,3661,026 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 2,203The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 26
- Amount
- $17.8M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in the Lexington-Fayette metro area, 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 the Lexington-Fayette metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 535,174+3.4% since 2020
- Households
- 216,273
- Median age
- 38.1
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 59%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.7
- Land area
- 1,470 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 355
- Median household income
- $71,966+22.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $102,014
- Median home value
- $281,300
- Jobs located here
- 289,772
- Daytime population
- 573,681Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Lexington-Fayette metro area?
These figures cover the whole metro area. 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 the Lexington-Fayette metro area. 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 metro areas in Kentucky for restaurants and cafes, numbered among those based in Kentucky (a market based in another state is listed without a number), with the Lexington-Fayette metro area marked.
Top metro areas in Kentucky
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN | 65 | 8,872 | 97.9 | $419K | +2.7% | #94 of 387 |
| 1Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN | 60 | 5,482 | 98.2 | $386K | +2.9% | #130 of 387 |
| 2Elizabethtown, KY | 59 | 450 | 88.9 | $400K | +2.4% | #136 of 387 |
| 3Bowling Green, KY | 58 | 656 | 89.4 | $381K | +9.5% | #142 of 387 |
| 4Owensboro, KY | 54 | 407 | 89.9 | $392K | +1.3% | #162 of 387 |
| Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH | 52 | 1,196 | 78.6 | $427K | −2.6% | #175 of 387 |
| Clarksville, TN-KY | 52 | 1,174 | 94.0 | $375K | +8.5% | #180 of 387 |
| 5Lexington-Fayette, KY | 43 | 2,366 | 109.4 | $345K | +3.4% | #242 of 387 |
| 6Paducah, KY-IL | 16 | 454 | 108.8 | $321K | −1.2% | #381 of 387 |
Other business types in the Lexington-Fayette metro area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes43
- Sit-down restaurants40
- Fast food and sandwich shops42
- Pizza37
- Coffee shops and cafes56
- Bakeries and dessert shops52
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 the Lexington-Fayette, KY metro area?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 2,366 restaurants and cafes in the Lexington-Fayette metro area. 1,026 of them (43%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 969 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 5.2% from 2019. Another 148 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in the Lexington-Fayette, KY metro area spend on food away from home?
About $816.9M a year, or $3,777 per household. That is 7% below the U.S. average (an index of 93, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 2,366 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $345K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 216,273 households in the Lexington-Fayette metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Lexington-Fayette, KY metro area compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
The Lexington-Fayette metro area has 109.4 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, in line with the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $345K, 7% below the U.S. figure of $371K. At the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, the Lexington-Fayette metro area would have about 2,203, against 2,366 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 223 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 5.2% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is the Lexington-Fayette, KY metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Lexington-Fayette metro area at 535,174 people in 2025, up 3.4% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 216,273 households. Median household income in the Lexington-Fayette metro area is $71,966, 11% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 22.6%, 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. The Lexington-Fayette metro area scores 43 for restaurants and cafes (lower middle), #242 of 387 scored metro areas.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Lexington-Fayette metro area. 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 the Lexington-Fayette metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Lexington-Fayette metro area?
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 the Lexington-Fayette metro area. 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.