Groundwork

Food and drink · County · Ohio

Restaurants and cafes in Putnam County, OH

How Putnam 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 67 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #472 of 2,405 scored counties
#22 of 88 scored counties in Ohio

Listings
97
22 chain locations (23%)
Official establishments
51
−5.6% since 2019
Household spending a year
$53.1M
On food away from home · $4,034 a household
Spending per listing
$547K
48% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
73.7
33% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
34,380
0.0% since 2020

See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Putnam 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 Putnam 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

Map listings as of September 2026 show 97 restaurants and cafes in Putnam County. Chain locations make up 23% of them, against 34% across the U.S. That is 73.7 per 10,000 households, 33% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.

Households in Putnam County spend about $53.1M a year on food away from home, or $4,034 per household, in line with the U.S. average. That is about $547K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 48% above the U.S. figure of $371K.

The official count of businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in Putnam County was 51 in 2023, down 5.6% from 2019. That is one for every 258 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Official counts also show 5 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $300K has gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Putnam County.

Population estimates show Putnam County held about level from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S. For restaurants and cafes, Putnam County has a Groundwork market score of 67 (upper middle): #472 of 2,405 scored counties and #22 of 88 scored counties in Ohio. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.

How Putnam 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 Putnam County, OH compared with Ohio and the U.S.
MeasurePutnam CountyOhioU.S.
Listings per 10k households73.793.5109.8
Spending per listing$547K$410K$371K
Households per official establishment258235209
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023−5.6%+6.3%+6.0%
Population growth, 2020–20250.0%+0.9%+3.1%
Spending per household on food away from home$4,034$3,829$4,070
Median household income$84,928$71,389$80,734
Groundwork market score6758

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
54 → 51−5.6% over the period
Employees, 2023
855
Annual payroll, 2023
$9.9M
One-person businesses, 2023
5Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
9722 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
143The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
1
Amount
$300K

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

Population, 2025 estimate
34,3800.0% since 2020
Households
13,153
Median age
41.4
Homes lived in by their owners
87%
Vehicles per household
2.3
Land area
483 sq. mi.
People per square mile
71
Median household income
$84,928+31.0% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$102,439
Median home value
$201,100
Jobs located here
12,192
Daytime population
29,137Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Putnam 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 Putnam 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 Putnam 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
22Putnam County, OH679773.7$547K0.0%#472 of 2,405

Other business types in Putnam County

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

Questions

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

There are 97 restaurants and cafes on map listings in Putnam County as of September 2026. 22 of them (23%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 51 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, down 5.6% from 2019. Another 5 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.

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

About $53.1M a year, or $4,034 per household. That is in line with the U.S. average (an index of 99, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 97 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $547K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 13,153 households in Putnam County and national spending patterns by income.

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

Putnam County has 73.7 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 33% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $547K, 48% above the U.S. figure of $371K. At the national ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Putnam County would have about 143, against 97 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 258 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count fell 5.6% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.

How fast is Putnam County, OH growing?

Population estimates put Putnam County at 34,380 people in 2025, unchanged since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 13,153 households. The median household income in Putnam County is $84,928 a year, 5% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 31.0% 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. Putnam County scores 67 for restaurants and cafes (upper middle), #472 of 2,405 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

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

Screening a site or an acquisition in Putnam 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 Putnam 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.