Food and drink · County · Kentucky
Restaurants and cafes in Rowan County, KY
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for restaurants and cafes in Rowan County, KY, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 22 out of 100: Low
Ranked #2,246 of 2,405 scored counties
#91 of 99 scored counties in Kentucky
- Listings
- 94
- 58 chain locations (62%)
- Official establishments
- 45
- +12.5% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $30.2M
- On food away from home · $3,149 a household
- Spending per listing
- $321K
- 13% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 98.0
- 11% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 24,476
- −1.0% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Rowan 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 Rowan 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
For restaurants and cafes, Rowan County has a Groundwork market score of 22 (low): #2,246 of 2,405 scored counties and #91 of 99 scored counties in Kentucky. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
Households in Rowan County spend about $30.2M a year on food away from home, or $3,149 per household, 23% below the U.S. average. That is about $321K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 13% below the U.S. figure of $371K.
There are 94 restaurants and cafes on map listings in Rowan County as of September 2026. Of those, 58 are chain locations, or 62%, against 34% across the U.S. That is 98.0 per 10,000 households, 11% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.
In 2023, official counts showed 45 businesses with payroll in Rowan County classed as restaurants and other eating places, up 12.5% from 2019. That is one for every 213 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Population estimates put the population change in Rowan County from 2020 to 2025 at −1.0%, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How Rowan 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 | Rowan County | Kentucky | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 98.0 | 89.4 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $321K | $390K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 213 | 260 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +12.5% | +5.0% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −1.0% | +2.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,149 | $3,489 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $54,321 | $63,726 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 22 | 58 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 40 → 45+12.5% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,096
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $21.1M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 0Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 9458 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 82The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 0
- Amount
- $0
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Rowan 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 Rowan County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 24,476−1.0% since 2020
- Households
- 9,592
- Median age
- 34.4
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 62%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 280 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 88
- Median household income
- $54,321+42.1% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $75,885
- Median home value
- $161,800
- Jobs located here
- 10,474
- Daytime population
- 25,662Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Rowan 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 Rowan 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 Rowan 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 |
| 91Rowan County, KY | 22 | 94 | 98.0 | $321K | −1.0% | #2,246 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Rowan County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes22
- Sit-down restaurants30
- Fast food and sandwich shops10
- Pizza13
- Coffee shops and cafes49
- 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 Rowan County, KY?
As of September 2026, map listings count 94 restaurants and cafes in Rowan County. 58 of them (62%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 45 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 12.5% from 2019.
How much do households in Rowan County, KY spend on food away from home?
About $30.2M a year, or $3,149 per household. That is 23% below the U.S. average (an index of 77, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 94 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $321K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 9,592 households in Rowan County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Rowan County, KY compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Rowan County has 98.0 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 11% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $321K, 13% below the U.S. figure of $371K. At the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Rowan County would have about 82, against 94 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 213 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 12.5% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Rowan County, KY growing?
Population estimates put Rowan County at 24,476 people in 2025, down 1.0% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 9,592 households. Median household income in Rowan County is $54,321, 33% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 42.1%, 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. Rowan County scores 22 for restaurants and cafes (low), #2,246 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Rowan 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 Rowan County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Rowan 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 Rowan 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.