Groundwork

Food and drink · County · Kentucky

Restaurants and cafes in Warren County, KY

Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for restaurants and cafes in Warren County, KY, set against other counties and the U.S.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 47 out of 100: Lower middle

Ranked #1,325 of 2,405 scored counties
#69 of 99 scored counties in Kentucky

Listings
555
269 chain locations (48%)
Official establishments
259
+8.4% since 2019
Household spending a year
$194.8M
On food away from home · $3,500 a household
Spending per listing
$351K
5% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
99.7
9% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
149,375
+10.6% since 2020

See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Warren 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 Warren County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

Survey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure

What this means

Households in Warren County spend about $194.8M a year on food away from home, or $3,500 per household, 14% below the U.S. average. That works out to $351K per restaurant, 5% below the U.S. figure of $371K.

There are 555 restaurants and cafes on map listings in Warren County as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 48% of them, against 34% across the U.S. That is 99.7 per 10,000 households, 9% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.

The official count of businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in Warren County was 259 in 2023, up 8.4% from 2019. That is one for every 215 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Official counts also show 65 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 5 SBA-backed loans worth $1.8M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Warren County.

Population estimates show Warren County grew 10.6% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes in Warren County is 47 (lower middle), #1,325 of 2,405 scored counties and #69 of 99 scored counties in Kentucky.

How Warren 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.

Restaurants and cafes in Warren County, KY compared with Kentucky and the U.S.
MeasureWarren CountyKentuckyU.S.
Listings per 10k households99.789.4109.8
Spending per listing$351K$390K$371K
Households per official establishment215260209
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+8.4%+5.0%+6.0%
Population growth, 2020–2025+10.6%+2.2%+3.1%
Spending per household on food away from home$3,500$3,489$4,070
Median household income$65,794$63,726$80,734
Groundwork market score4758

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
239 → 259+8.4% over the period
Employees, 2023
6,460
Annual payroll, 2023
$132M
One-person businesses, 2023
65Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
555269 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
525The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
5
Amount
$1.8M

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Warren 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 Warren County

Population, 2025 estimate
149,375+10.6% since 2020
Households
55,643
Median age
35.3
Homes lived in by their owners
56%
Vehicles per household
1.9
Land area
542 sq. mi.
People per square mile
260
Median household income
$65,794+25.9% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$89,648
Median home value
$258,000
Jobs located here
68,446
Daytime population
150,532Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Warren 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 Warren County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

Restaurants 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 Warren County marked.

Top counties in Kentucky

Counties in Kentucky ranked for restaurants and cafes by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Spencer County, KY943142.4$1M+7.7%#5 of 2,405
2Oldham County, KY8715165.6$763K+4.9%#41 of 2,405
3Bullitt County, KY8520865.5$593K+5.0%#64 of 2,405
4Henry County, KY793150.4$662K+4.8%#145 of 2,405
5Scott County, KY7918782.6$492K+8.2%#159 of 2,405
6Meade County, KY786559.1$637K+2.2%#169 of 2,405
7Jessamine County, KY7812663.3$600K+7.8%#171 of 2,405
8Lincoln County, KY773839.2$792K+4.6%#185 of 2,405
9Allen County, KY774657.2$559K+9.5%#197 of 2,405
10Garrard County, KY774059.7$544K+7.3%#200 of 2,405
69Warren County, KY4755599.7$351K+10.6%#1,325 of 2,405

Other business types in Warren County

Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.

Questions

How many restaurants and cafes are in Warren County, KY?

As of September 2026, map listings count 555 restaurants and cafes in Warren County. 269 of them (48%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 259 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 8.4% from 2019. Another 65 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.

How much do households in Warren County, KY spend on food away from home?

About $194.8M a year, or $3,500 per household. That is 14% below the U.S. average (an index of 86, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 555 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $351K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 55,643 households in Warren County and national spending patterns by income.

How does Warren County, KY compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?

Warren County has 99.7 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 9% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $351K, 5% below the U.S. figure of $371K. At the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Warren County would have about 525, against 555 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 215 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 8.4% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.

How fast is Warren County, KY growing?

Population estimates put Warren County at 149,375 people in 2025, up 10.6% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 55,643 households. Median household income in Warren County is $65,794, 19% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 25.9%, 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. Warren County scores 47 for restaurants and cafes (lower middle), #1,325 of 2,405 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Warren 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 Warren County

Screening a site or an acquisition in Warren 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 Warren 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.