Food and drink · County · Kentucky
Restaurants and cafes in Shelby County, KY
How Shelby 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 75 out of 100: High
Ranked #247 of 2,405 scored counties
#14 of 99 scored counties in Kentucky
- Listings
- 140
- 76 chain locations (54%)
- Official establishments
- 72
- +7.5% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $72.9M
- On food away from home · $3,941 a household
- Spending per listing
- $520K
- 40% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 75.7
- 31% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 51,243
- +6.2% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Shelby 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 Shelby 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
As of September 2026, map listings count 140 restaurants and cafes in Shelby County. 76 of them (54%) are chain locations, against 34% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 75.7, 31% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.
Household spending on food away from home in Shelby County comes to about $72.9M a year: $3,941 per household, 3% below the U.S. average. That works out to $520K per restaurant, 40% above the U.S. figure of $371K.
Official counts show 72 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in Shelby County in 2023, up 7.5% from 2019. That is one for every 257 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Another 19 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $468K has gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Shelby County.
Population estimates put the population change in Shelby County from 2020 to 2025 at +6.2%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). For restaurants and cafes, Shelby County has a Groundwork market score of 75 (high): #247 of 2,405 scored counties and #14 of 99 scored counties in Kentucky. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How Shelby 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 | Shelby County | Kentucky | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 75.7 | 89.4 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $520K | $390K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 257 | 260 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +7.5% | +5.0% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +6.2% | +2.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,941 | $3,489 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $82,604 | $63,726 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 75 | 58 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 67 → 72+7.5% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,610
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $35.7M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 19Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 14076 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 197The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $468K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Shelby 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 Shelby County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 51,243+6.2% since 2020
- Households
- 18,484
- Median age
- 41.7
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 74%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.1
- Land area
- 380 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 129
- Median household income
- $82,604+23.2% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $104,252
- Median home value
- $304,800
- Jobs located here
- 16,455
- Daytime population
- 41,644Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Shelby 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 Shelby 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 Shelby 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 |
| 14Shelby County, KY | 75 | 140 | 75.7 | $520K | +6.2% | #247 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Shelby County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes75
- Sit-down restaurants75
- Fast food and sandwich shops65
- Pizza78
- Coffee shops and cafes75
- 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 Shelby County, KY?
Shelby County has 140 restaurants and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. 76 of them (54%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 72 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 7.5% from 2019. Official counts list 19 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Shelby County, KY spend on food away from home?
About $72.9M a year, or $3,941 per household. That is 3% below the U.S. average (an index of 97, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 140 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $520K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 18,484 households in Shelby County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Shelby County, KY compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Shelby County has 75.7 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 31% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $520K, 40% above the U.S. figure of $371K. At the national ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Shelby County would have about 197, against 140 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 257 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 7.5% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Shelby County, KY growing?
Population estimates put Shelby County at 51,243 people in 2025, up 6.2% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 18,484 households. The median household income in Shelby County is $82,604 a year, 2% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 23.2% 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. Shelby County scores 75 for restaurants and cafes (high), #247 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Shelby 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 Shelby County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Shelby 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 Shelby 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.