Food and drink · County · Kentucky
Restaurants and cafes in Pulaski County, KY
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for restaurants and cafes in Pulaski County, KY, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 48 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,277 of 2,405 scored counties
#68 of 99 scored counties in Kentucky
- Listings
- 219
- 111 chain locations (51%)
- Official establishments
- 93
- +6.9% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $81M
- On food away from home · $3,091 a household
- Spending per listing
- $370K
- In line with the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 83.6
- 24% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 67,384
- +3.5% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Pulaski 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 Pulaski 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
Households in Pulaski County spend about $81M a year on food away from home, or $3,091 per household, 24% below the U.S. average. Spread across 219 restaurants and cafes, that is $370K per restaurant, in line with the U.S. figure of $371K.
There are 219 restaurants and cafes on map listings in Pulaski County as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 51% of them, against 34% across the U.S. That comes to 83.6 for every 10,000 households, 24% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.
In 2023, official counts showed 93 businesses with payroll in Pulaski County classed as restaurants and other eating places, up 6.9% from 2019. That is one for every 282 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Official counts list 24 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $480K has gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Pulaski County.
Population estimates show Pulaski County grew 3.5% from 2020 to 2025, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). For restaurants and cafes, Pulaski County has a Groundwork market score of 48 (lower middle): #1,277 of 2,405 scored counties and #68 of 99 scored counties in Kentucky.
How Pulaski 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 | Pulaski County | Kentucky | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 83.6 | 89.4 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $370K | $390K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 282 | 260 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +6.9% | +5.0% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +3.5% | +2.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,091 | $3,489 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $51,898 | $63,726 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 48 | 58 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 87 → 93+6.9% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 2,431
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $44.5M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 24Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 219111 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 219The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $480K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Pulaski 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 Pulaski County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 67,384+3.5% since 2020
- Households
- 26,210
- Median age
- 42.9
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 72%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 658 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 100
- Median household income
- $51,898+29.8% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $71,241
- Median home value
- $166,900
- Jobs located here
- 25,101
- Daytime population
- 66,566Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Pulaski 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 Pulaski 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 Pulaski 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 |
| 68Pulaski County, KY | 48 | 219 | 83.6 | $370K | +3.5% | #1,277 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Pulaski County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes48
- Sit-down restaurants47
- Fast food and sandwich shops32
- Pizza32
- Coffee shops and cafes54
- Bakeries and dessert shops64
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 Pulaski County, KY?
As of September 2026, map listings count 219 restaurants and cafes in Pulaski County. 111 of them (51%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 93 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 6.9% from 2019. Official counts also show 24 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Pulaski County, KY spend on food away from home?
About $81M a year, or $3,091 per household. That is 24% below the U.S. average (an index of 76, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 219 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $370K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 26,210 households in Pulaski County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Pulaski County, KY compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Pulaski County has 83.6 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 24% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $370K, in line with the U.S. figure of $371K. The count on map listings matches the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 282 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 6.9% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Pulaski County, KY growing?
Population estimates put Pulaski County at 67,384 people in 2025, up 3.5% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 26,210 households. Median household income in Pulaski County is $51,898, 36% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 29.8%, 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. Pulaski County scores 48 for restaurants and cafes (lower middle), #1,277 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Pulaski 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 Pulaski County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Pulaski 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 Pulaski 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.