Food and drink · County · Ohio
Restaurants and cafes in Knox County, OH
How Knox County, OH 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 69 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #421 of 2,405 scored counties
#20 of 88 scored counties in Ohio
- Listings
- 169
- 57 chain locations (34%)
- Official establishments
- 88
- −6.4% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $89.6M
- On food away from home · $3,814 a household
- Spending per listing
- $530K
- 43% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 71.9
- 35% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 64,002
- +1.9% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Knox 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 Knox 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
Map listings as of September 2026 show 169 restaurants and cafes in Knox County. Chain locations make up 34% of them, against 34% across the U.S. That is 71.9 per 10,000 households, 35% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.
Household spending on food away from home in Knox County comes to about $89.6M a year: $3,814 per household, 6% below the U.S. average. That is about $530K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 43% above the U.S. figure of $371K.
In 2023, official counts showed 88 businesses with payroll in Knox County classed as restaurants and other eating places, down 6.4% from 2019. That is one for every 267 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Official counts list 13 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $385K has gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Knox County.
Population estimates show Knox County grew 1.9% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). Knox County scores 69 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes, ranking #421 of 2,405 scored counties and #20 of 88 scored counties in Ohio. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How Knox 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.
| Measure | Knox County | Ohio | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 71.9 | 93.5 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $530K | $410K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 267 | 235 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −6.4% | +6.3% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +1.9% | +0.9% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,814 | $3,829 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $73,878 | $71,389 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 69 | 58 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 94 → 88−6.4% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,494
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $28.5M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 13Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 16957 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 242The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $385K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Knox 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 Knox County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 64,002+1.9% since 2020
- Households
- 23,491
- Median age
- 40.6
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 76%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 526 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 120
- Median household income
- $73,878+27.9% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $92,322
- Median home value
- $239,400
- Jobs located here
- 19,622
- Daytime population
- 59,569Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Knox 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 Knox 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 Ohio
Every Ohio market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Ohio for restaurants and cafes, numbered among those based in Ohio, with Knox County marked.
Top counties in Ohio
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Union County, OH | 92 | 178 | 73.5 | $655K | +16.5% | #17 of 2,405 |
| 2Morrow County, OH | 87 | 64 | 47.5 | $812K | +3.7% | #40 of 2,405 |
| 3Pickaway County, OH | 83 | 140 | 63.9 | $602K | +7.4% | #91 of 2,405 |
| 4Fairfield County, OH | 81 | 447 | 74.1 | $578K | +6.5% | #120 of 2,405 |
| 5Warren County, OH | 80 | 693 | 75.3 | $648K | +5.7% | #133 of 2,405 |
| 6Madison County, OH | 79 | 144 | 91.8 | $452K | +7.1% | #161 of 2,405 |
| 7Clermont County, OH | 77 | 624 | 73.5 | $568K | +3.9% | #196 of 2,405 |
| 8Brown County, OH | 75 | 114 | 66.5 | $545K | +1.6% | #241 of 2,405 |
| 9Holmes County, OH | 74 | 99 | 73.9 | $541K | +1.7% | #263 of 2,405 |
| 10Medina County, OH | 73 | 606 | 82.9 | $535K | +1.3% | #303 of 2,405 |
| 20Knox County, OH | 69 | 169 | 71.9 | $530K | +1.9% | #421 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Knox County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes69
- Sit-down restaurants78
- Fast food and sandwich shops58
- Pizza41
- Coffee shops and cafes63
- Bakeries and dessert shops60
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 Knox County, OH?
There are 169 restaurants and cafes on map listings in Knox County as of September 2026. 57 of them (34%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 88 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, down 6.4% from 2019. Official counts also show 13 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Knox County, OH spend on food away from home?
About $89.6M a year, or $3,814 per household. That is 6% below the U.S. average (an index of 94, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 169 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $530K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 23,491 households in Knox County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Knox County, OH compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Knox County has 71.9 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 35% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $530K, 43% above the U.S. figure of $371K. At the national ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Knox County would have about 242, against 169 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 267 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count fell 6.4% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Knox County, OH growing?
Population estimates put Knox County at 64,002 people in 2025, up 1.9% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 23,491 households. The median household income in Knox County is $73,878 a year, 8% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 27.9% 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. Knox County scores 69 for restaurants and cafes (upper middle), #421 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Knox 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 Knox County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Knox 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 Knox 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.