Food and drink · County · Kentucky
Restaurants and cafes in Spencer County, KY
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for restaurants and cafes in Spencer County, KY, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 94 out of 100: Very high
Ranked #5 of 2,405 scored counties
#1 of 99 scored counties in Kentucky
- Listings
- 31
- 15 chain locations (48%)
- Official establishments
- 15
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $31.7M
- On food away from home · $4,332 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1M
- 2.8 times the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 42.4
- 61% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 20,998
- +7.7% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Spencer 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 Spencer 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 Spencer County is 94 (very high), #5 of 2,405 scored counties and #1 of 99 scored counties in Kentucky. That puts it in the top 10% of counties for restaurants and cafes.
As of September 2026, map listings count 31 restaurants and cafes in Spencer County. Of those, 15 are chain locations, or 48%, against 34% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 42.4, 61% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.
Household spending on food away from home in Spencer County comes to about $31.7M a year: $4,332 per household, 6% above the U.S. average. Spread across 31 restaurants and cafes, that is $1M per restaurant, 2.8 times the U.S. figure of $371K.
Official counts show 15 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in Spencer County in 2023. That is one for every 487 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Spencer County grew 7.7%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Spencer 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 | Spencer County | Kentucky | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 42.4 | 89.4 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $1M | $390K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 487 | 260 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +5.0% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +7.7% | +2.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $4,332 | $3,489 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $102,618 | $63,726 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 94 | 58 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 16 → 15
- Employees, 2023
- 211
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $3.7M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 3Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 3115 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 85The 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 Spencer 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 Spencer County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 20,998+7.7% since 2020
- Households
- 7,308
- Median age
- 42.2
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 88%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.5
- Land area
- 187 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 108
- Median household income
- $102,618+28.0% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $116,525
- Median home value
- $330,000
- Jobs located here
- 2,108
- Daytime population
- 12,250Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Spencer 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 Spencer 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 Spencer 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 |
Other business types in Spencer County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes94
- Sit-down restaurants95
- Fast food and sandwich shops90
- Pizza85
- Coffee shops and cafes
- 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 Spencer County, KY?
Spencer County has 31 restaurants and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. 15 of them (48%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 15 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023. Official counts also show 3 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Spencer County, KY spend on food away from home?
About $31.7M a year, or $4,332 per household. That is 6% above the U.S. average (an index of 106, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 31 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $1M per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 7,308 households in Spencer County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Spencer County, KY compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Spencer County has 42.4 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 61% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $1M, 2.8 times the U.S. figure of $371K. At the national ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Spencer County would have about 85, against 31 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 487 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S.
How fast is Spencer County, KY growing?
Population estimates put Spencer County at 20,998 people in 2025, up 7.7% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 7,308 households. The median household income in Spencer County is $102,618 a year, 27% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 28.0% 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. Spencer County scores 94 for restaurants and cafes (very high), #5 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Spencer 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 Spencer County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Spencer 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 Spencer 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.