Food and drink · County · Kentucky
Restaurants and cafes in Lincoln County, KY
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for restaurants and cafes in Lincoln County, KY, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 77 out of 100: High
Ranked #185 of 2,405 scored counties
#8 of 99 scored counties in Kentucky
- Listings
- 38
- 23 chain locations (61%)
- Official establishments
- 17
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $30.1M
- On food away from home · $3,099 a household
- Spending per listing
- $792K
- 2.1 times the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 39.2
- 64% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 25,353
- +4.6% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Lincoln 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 Lincoln 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
The Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes in Lincoln County is 77 (high), #185 of 2,405 scored counties and #8 of 99 scored counties in Kentucky. That puts it in the top 10% of counties for restaurants and cafes.
Household spending on food away from home in Lincoln County comes to about $30.1M a year: $3,099 per household, 24% below the U.S. average. That works out to $792K per restaurant, 2.1 times the U.S. figure of $371K.
There are 38 restaurants and cafes on map listings in Lincoln County as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 61% of them, against 34% across the U.S. That is 39.2 per 10,000 households, 64% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in Lincoln County was 17 in 2023. That is one for every 571 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $679K has gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Lincoln County. Population estimates show Lincoln County grew 4.6% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Lincoln 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 | Lincoln County | Kentucky | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 39.2 | 89.4 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $792K | $390K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 571 | 260 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +5.0% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +4.6% | +2.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,099 | $3,489 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $52,440 | $63,726 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 77 | 58 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 17 → 17
- Employees, 2023
- 250
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $4.6M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 6Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 3823 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 81The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $679K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Lincoln 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 Lincoln County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 25,353+4.6% since 2020
- Households
- 9,705
- Median age
- 41.2
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 76%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 333 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 74
- Median household income
- $52,440+22.2% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $71,952
- Median home value
- $147,300
- Jobs located here
- 4,062
- Daytime population
- 20,096Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Lincoln 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 Lincoln 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 Lincoln 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 |
Other business types in Lincoln County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes77
- Sit-down restaurants76
- Fast food and sandwich shops69
- Pizza46
- 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 Lincoln County, KY?
As of September 2026, map listings count 38 restaurants and cafes in Lincoln County. 23 of them (61%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 17 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023. Another 6 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Lincoln County, KY spend on food away from home?
About $30.1M a year, or $3,099 per household. That is 24% below the U.S. average (an index of 76, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 38 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $792K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 9,705 households in Lincoln County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Lincoln County, KY compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Lincoln County has 39.2 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 64% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $792K, 2.1 times the U.S. figure of $371K. At the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Lincoln County would have about 81, against 38 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 571 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S.
How fast is Lincoln County, KY growing?
Population estimates put Lincoln County at 25,353 people in 2025, up 4.6% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 9,705 households. Median household income in Lincoln County is $52,440, 35% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 22.2%, 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. Lincoln County scores 77 for restaurants and cafes (high), #185 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Lincoln 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 Lincoln County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Lincoln 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 Lincoln 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.