Food and drink · County · Kentucky
Restaurants and cafes in Mason County, KY
How Mason 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 12 out of 100: Low
Ranked #2,385 of 2,405 scored counties
#98 of 99 scored counties in Kentucky
- Listings
- 91
- 32 chain locations (35%)
- Official establishments
- 38
- +18.8% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $22.3M
- On food away from home · $3,128 a household
- Spending per listing
- $245K
- 34% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 127.6
- 16% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 16,936
- −1.2% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Mason 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 Mason 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 Mason County is 12 (low), #2,385 of 2,405 scored counties and #98 of 99 scored counties in Kentucky. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
Map listings as of September 2026 show 91 restaurants and cafes in Mason County. 32 of them (35%) are chain locations, against 34% across the U.S. That comes to 127.6 for every 10,000 households, 16% above the U.S. rate of 109.8.
Household spending on food away from home in Mason County comes to about $22.3M a year: $3,128 per household, 23% below the U.S. average. That works out to $245K per restaurant, 34% below the U.S. figure of $371K.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in Mason County was 38 in 2023, up 18.8% from 2019. That is one for every 188 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $1.3M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Mason County. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Mason County declined 1.2%, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How Mason 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 | Mason County | Kentucky | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 127.6 | 89.4 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $245K | $390K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 188 | 260 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +18.8% | +5.0% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −1.2% | +2.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,128 | $3,489 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $52,178 | $63,726 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 12 | 58 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 32 → 38+18.8% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 735
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $12.6M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 3Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 9132 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 60The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 2
- Amount
- $1.3M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Mason 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 Mason County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 16,936−1.2% since 2020
- Households
- 7,131
- Median age
- 42.8
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 66%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 240 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 71
- Median household income
- $52,178+15.0% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $72,212
- Median home value
- $161,500
- Jobs located here
- 7,561
- Daytime population
- 17,967Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Mason 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 Mason 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 Mason 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 |
| 98Mason County, KY | 12 | 91 | 127.6 | $245K | −1.2% | #2,385 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Mason County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes12
- Sit-down restaurants11
- Fast food and sandwich shops16
- Pizza12
- Coffee shops and cafes23
- Bakeries and dessert shops23
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 Mason County, KY?
There are 91 restaurants and cafes on map listings in Mason County as of September 2026. 32 of them (35%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 38 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 18.8% from 2019. Official counts list 3 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Mason County, KY spend on food away from home?
About $22.3M a year, or $3,128 per household. That is 23% below the U.S. average (an index of 77, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 91 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $245K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 7,131 households in Mason County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Mason County, KY compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Mason County has 127.6 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 16% above the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $245K, 34% below the U.S. figure of $371K. At the national ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Mason County would have about 60, against 91 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 188 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 18.8% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Mason County, KY growing?
Population estimates put Mason County at 16,936 people in 2025, down 1.2% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 7,131 households. The median household income in Mason County is $52,178 a year, 35% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 15.0% 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. Mason County scores 12 for restaurants and cafes (low), #2,385 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Mason 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 Mason County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Mason 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 Mason 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.