Food and drink · County · Kentucky
Restaurants and cafes in Nelson County, KY
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for restaurants and cafes in Nelson County, KY, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 63 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #654 of 2,405 scored counties
#39 of 99 scored counties in Kentucky
- Listings
- 174
- 59 chain locations (34%)
- Official establishments
- 59
- +5.4% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $67.9M
- On food away from home · $3,545 a household
- Spending per listing
- $390K
- 5% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 90.9
- 17% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 49,036
- +4.8% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Nelson 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 Nelson 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
Household spending on food away from home in Nelson County comes to about $67.9M a year: $3,545 per household, 13% below the U.S. average. That works out to $390K per restaurant, 5% above the U.S. figure of $371K.
Nelson County has 174 restaurants and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. 59 of them (34%) are chain locations, against 34% across the U.S. That is 90.9 per 10,000 households, 17% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.
In 2023, official counts showed 59 businesses with payroll in Nelson County classed as restaurants and other eating places, up 5.4% from 2019. That is one for every 325 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Official counts list 15 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 3 SBA-backed loans worth $1M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Nelson County.
Population estimates show Nelson County grew 4.8% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). For restaurants and cafes, Nelson County has a Groundwork market score of 63 (upper middle): #654 of 2,405 scored counties and #39 of 99 scored counties in Kentucky.
How Nelson 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 | Nelson County | Kentucky | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 90.9 | 89.4 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $390K | $390K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 325 | 260 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +5.4% | +5.0% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +4.8% | +2.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,545 | $3,489 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $69,562 | $63,726 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 63 | 58 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 56 → 59+5.4% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,276
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $26.1M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 15Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 17459 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 183The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 3
- Amount
- $1M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Nelson 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 Nelson County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 49,036+4.8% since 2020
- Households
- 19,150
- Median age
- 40.6
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 78%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.1
- Land area
- 419 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 114
- Median household income
- $69,562+15.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $87,639
- Median home value
- $238,000
- Jobs located here
- 18,213
- Daytime population
- 41,912Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Nelson 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 Nelson 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 Nelson 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 |
| 39Nelson County, KY | 63 | 174 | 90.9 | $390K | +4.8% | #654 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Nelson County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes63
- Sit-down restaurants71
- Fast food and sandwich shops68
- Pizza63
- Coffee shops and cafes76
- Bakeries and dessert shops78
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 Nelson County, KY?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 174 restaurants and cafes in Nelson County. 59 of them (34%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 59 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 5.4% from 2019. Official counts also show 15 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Nelson County, KY spend on food away from home?
About $67.9M a year, or $3,545 per household. That is 13% below the U.S. average (an index of 87, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 174 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $390K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 19,150 households in Nelson County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Nelson County, KY compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Nelson County has 90.9 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 17% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $390K, 5% above the U.S. figure of $371K. At the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Nelson County would have about 183, against 174 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 325 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 5.4% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Nelson County, KY growing?
Population estimates put Nelson County at 49,036 people in 2025, up 4.8% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 19,150 households. Median household income in Nelson County is $69,562, 14% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 15.7%, 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. Nelson County scores 63 for restaurants and cafes (upper middle), #654 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Nelson 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 Nelson County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Nelson 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 Nelson 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.