Groundwork

Food and drink · County · Ohio

Restaurants and cafes in Brown County, OH

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

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 75 out of 100: High

Ranked #241 of 2,405 scored counties
#8 of 88 scored counties in Ohio

Listings
114
47 chain locations (41%)
Official establishments
42
0.0% since 2019
Household spending a year
$62.2M
On food away from home · $3,627 a household
Spending per listing
$545K
47% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
66.5
39% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
44,397
+1.6% since 2020

See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Brown 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 Brown 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 Brown County spend about $62.2M a year on food away from home, or $3,627 per household, 11% below the U.S. average. That is about $545K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 47% above the U.S. figure of $371K.

There are 114 restaurants and cafes on map listings in Brown County as of September 2026. 47 of them (41%) are chain locations, against 34% across the U.S. That comes to 66.5 for every 10,000 households, 39% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.

In 2023, official counts showed 42 businesses with payroll in Brown County classed as restaurants and other eating places, unchanged from 2019. That is one for every 408 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Official counts also show 12 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $1.1M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Brown County.

Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Brown County grew 1.6%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). For restaurants and cafes, Brown County has a Groundwork market score of 75 (high): #241 of 2,405 scored counties and #8 of 88 scored counties in Ohio. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.

How Brown County compares

The same measures for Ohio 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 Brown County, OH compared with Ohio and the U.S.
MeasureBrown CountyOhioU.S.
Listings per 10k households66.593.5109.8
Spending per listing$545K$410K$371K
Households per official establishment408235209
Official establishment growth, 2019–20230.0%+6.3%+6.0%
Population growth, 2020–2025+1.6%+0.9%+3.1%
Spending per household on food away from home$3,627$3,829$4,070
Median household income$71,270$71,389$80,734
Groundwork market score7558

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
42 → 420.0% over the period
Employees, 2023
882
Annual payroll, 2023
$15.8M
One-person businesses, 2023
12Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
11447 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
168The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
2
Amount
$1.1M

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

Population, 2025 estimate
44,397+1.6% since 2020
Households
17,138
Median age
42.7
Homes lived in by their owners
77%
Vehicles per household
2.2
Land area
490 sq. mi.
People per square mile
90
Median household income
$71,270+30.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$89,014
Median home value
$196,200
Jobs located here
7,340
Daytime population
31,966Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

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

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Restaurants and cafes across Ohio

Every Ohio market ranked →

The highest-scoring counties in Ohio for restaurants and cafes, numbered among those based in Ohio, with Brown County marked.

Top counties in Ohio

Counties in Ohio ranked for restaurants and cafes by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Union County, OH9217873.5$655K+16.5%#17 of 2,405
2Morrow County, OH876447.5$812K+3.7%#40 of 2,405
3Pickaway County, OH8314063.9$602K+7.4%#91 of 2,405
4Fairfield County, OH8144774.1$578K+6.5%#120 of 2,405
5Warren County, OH8069375.3$648K+5.7%#133 of 2,405
6Madison County, OH7914491.8$452K+7.1%#161 of 2,405
7Clermont County, OH7762473.5$568K+3.9%#196 of 2,405
8Brown County, OH7511466.5$545K+1.6%#241 of 2,405
9Holmes County, OH749973.9$541K+1.7%#263 of 2,405
10Medina County, OH7360682.9$535K+1.3%#303 of 2,405

Other business types in Brown County

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

Questions

How many restaurants and cafes are in Brown County, OH?

As of September 2026, map listings count 114 restaurants and cafes in Brown County. 47 of them (41%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 42 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, unchanged from 2019. Another 12 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.

How much do households in Brown County, OH spend on food away from home?

About $62.2M a year, or $3,627 per household. That is 11% below the U.S. average (an index of 89, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 114 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $545K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 17,138 households in Brown County and national spending patterns by income.

How does Brown County, OH compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?

Brown County has 66.5 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 39% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $545K, 47% above the U.S. figure of $371K. At the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Brown County would have about 168, against 114 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 408 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count held level from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.

How fast is Brown County, OH growing?

Population estimates put Brown County at 44,397 people in 2025, up 1.6% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 17,138 households. Median household income in Brown County is $71,270, 12% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 30.6%, 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. Brown County scores 75 for restaurants and cafes (high), #241 of 2,405 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

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

Screening a site or an acquisition in Brown 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 Brown 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.