Groundwork

Food and drink · County · Ohio

Restaurants and cafes in Hocking County, OH

The restaurants and cafes in Hocking County, OH, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 39 out of 100: Lower middle

Ranked #1,643 of 2,405 scored counties
#78 of 88 scored counties in Ohio

Listings
108
28 chain locations (26%)
Official establishments
45
+15.4% since 2019
Household spending a year
$39.6M
On food away from home · $3,426 a household
Spending per listing
$367K
In line with the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
93.4
15% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
27,512
−1.9% since 2020

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

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

What this means

At $3,426 per household (16% below the U.S. average), households in Hocking County spend about $39.6M a year on food away from home. That works out to $367K per restaurant, in line with the U.S. figure of $371K.

There are 108 restaurants and cafes on map listings in Hocking County as of September 2026. 28 of them (26%) are chain locations, against 34% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 93.4, 15% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.

Official counts show 45 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in Hocking County in 2023, up 15.4% from 2019. That is one for every 257 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Another 6 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $1.5M has gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Hocking County.

Population estimates show Hocking County declined 1.9% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S. Hocking County scores 39 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes, ranking #1,643 of 2,405 scored counties and #78 of 88 scored counties in Ohio.

How Hocking 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 Hocking County, OH compared with Ohio and the U.S.
MeasureHocking CountyOhioU.S.
Listings per 10k households93.493.5109.8
Spending per listing$367K$410K$371K
Households per official establishment257235209
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+15.4%+6.3%+6.0%
Population growth, 2020–2025−1.9%+0.9%+3.1%
Spending per household on food away from home$3,426$3,829$4,070
Median household income$62,960$71,389$80,734
Groundwork market score3958

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
39 → 45+15.4% over the period
Employees, 2023
1,064
Annual payroll, 2023
$18.6M
One-person businesses, 2023
6Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
10828 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
107The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
1
Amount
$1.5M

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

Population, 2025 estimate
27,512−1.9% since 2020
Households
11,568
Median age
42.5
Homes lived in by their owners
79%
Vehicles per household
2.1
Land area
421 sq. mi.
People per square mile
66
Median household income
$62,960+20.2% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$78,336
Median home value
$186,400
Jobs located here
6,934
Daytime population
24,501Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Hocking 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 Hocking 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 Hocking 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
78Hocking County, OH3910893.4$367K−1.9%#1,643 of 2,405

Other business types in Hocking County

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

Questions

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

As of September 2026, map listings count 108 restaurants and cafes in Hocking County. 28 of them (26%) 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 15.4% from 2019. Official counts list 6 one-person businesses without payroll.

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

About $39.6M a year, or $3,426 per household. That is 16% below the U.S. average (an index of 84, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 108 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $367K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 11,568 households in Hocking County and national spending patterns by income.

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

Hocking County has 93.4 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 15% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $367K, in line with the U.S. figure of $371K. At the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Hocking County would have about 107, against 108 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 15.4% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.

How fast is Hocking County, OH growing?

Population estimates put Hocking County at 27,512 people in 2025, down 1.9% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 11,568 households. Median household income in Hocking County is $62,960, 22% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 20.2%, 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. Hocking County scores 39 for restaurants and cafes (lower middle), #1,643 of 2,405 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

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

Screening a site or an acquisition in Hocking 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 Hocking 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.