Food and drink · County · Kentucky
Restaurants and cafes in Madison County, KY
How Madison 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 67 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #493 of 2,405 scored counties
#30 of 99 scored counties in Kentucky
- Listings
- 295
- 164 chain locations (56%)
- Official establishments
- 130
- +1.6% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $129M
- On food away from home · $3,482 a household
- Spending per listing
- $437K
- 18% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 79.6
- 28% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 101,696
- +9.4% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Madison 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 Madison 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
At $3,482 per household (14% below the U.S. average), households in Madison County spend about $129M a year on food away from home. That works out to $437K per restaurant, 18% above the U.S. figure of $371K.
There are 295 restaurants and cafes on map listings in Madison County as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 56% of them, against 34% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 79.6, 28% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.
In 2023, official counts showed 130 businesses with payroll in Madison County classed as restaurants and other eating places, up 1.6% from 2019. That is one for every 285 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Official counts also show 27 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $216K have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Madison County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Madison County grew 9.4%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes in Madison County is 67 (upper middle), #493 of 2,405 scored counties and #30 of 99 scored counties in Kentucky. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How Madison 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 | Madison County | Kentucky | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 79.6 | 89.4 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $437K | $390K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 285 | 260 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +1.6% | +5.0% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +9.4% | +2.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,482 | $3,489 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $63,351 | $63,726 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 67 | 58 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 128 → 130+1.6% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 3,263
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $58.6M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 27Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 295164 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 348The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 2
- Amount
- $216K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Madison 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 Madison County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 101,696+9.4% since 2020
- Households
- 37,051
- Median age
- 36.4
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 62%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 438 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 219
- Median household income
- $63,351+26.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $83,157
- Median home value
- $232,000
- Jobs located here
- 35,314
- Daytime population
- 89,450Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Madison 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 Madison 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 Madison 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 |
| 30Madison County, KY | 67 | 295 | 79.6 | $437K | +9.4% | #493 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Madison County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes67
- Sit-down restaurants70
- Fast food and sandwich shops42
- Pizza56
- Coffee shops and cafes72
- Bakeries and dessert shops75
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 Madison County, KY?
As of September 2026, map listings count 295 restaurants and cafes in Madison County. 164 of them (56%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 130 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 1.6% from 2019. Another 27 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Madison County, KY spend on food away from home?
About $129M a year, or $3,482 per household. That is 14% below the U.S. average (an index of 86, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 295 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $437K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 37,051 households in Madison County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Madison County, KY compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Madison County has 79.6 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 28% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $437K, 18% above the U.S. figure of $371K. At the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Madison County would have about 348, against 295 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 285 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 1.6% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Madison County, KY growing?
Population estimates put Madison County at 101,696 people in 2025, up 9.4% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 37,051 households. Median household income in Madison County is $63,351, 22% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 26.6%, 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. Madison County scores 67 for restaurants and cafes (upper middle), #493 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Madison 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 Madison County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Madison 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 Madison 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.