Food and drink · County · Ohio
Restaurants and cafes in Ross County, OH
How Ross 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 47 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,300 of 2,405 scored counties
#64 of 88 scored counties in Ohio
- Listings
- 241
- 108 chain locations (45%)
- Official establishments
- 122
- +18.5% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $102.2M
- On food away from home · $3,428 a household
- Spending per listing
- $424K
- 14% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 80.9
- 26% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 76,429
- −0.8% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Ross 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 Ross 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
At $3,428 per household (16% below the U.S. average), households in Ross County spend about $102.2M a year on food away from home. That works out to $424K per restaurant, 14% above the U.S. figure of $371K.
Ross County has 241 restaurants and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. 108 of them (45%) are chain locations, against 34% across the U.S. That is 80.9 per 10,000 households, 26% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.
In 2023, official counts showed 122 businesses with payroll in Ross County classed as restaurants and other eating places, up 18.5% from 2019. That is one for every 244 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Another 14 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $250K has gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Ross County.
Population estimates put the population change in Ross County from 2020 to 2025 at −0.8%, against +3.1% for the U.S. For restaurants and cafes, Ross County has a Groundwork market score of 47 (lower middle): #1,300 of 2,405 scored counties and #64 of 88 scored counties in Ohio.
How Ross 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 | Ross County | Ohio | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 80.9 | 93.5 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $424K | $410K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 244 | 235 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +18.5% | +6.3% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −0.8% | +0.9% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,428 | $3,829 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $61,303 | $71,389 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 47 | 58 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 103 → 122+18.5% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 2,913
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $55M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 14Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 241108 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 276The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $250K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Ross 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 Ross County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 76,429−0.8% since 2020
- Households
- 29,808
- Median age
- 41.1
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 70%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 689 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 111
- Median household income
- $61,303+20.0% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $81,649
- Median home value
- $171,500
- Jobs located here
- 28,675
- Daytime population
- 75,954Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Ross 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 Ross 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 Ross 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 |
| 64Ross County, OH | 47 | 241 | 80.9 | $424K | −0.8% | #1,300 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Ross County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes47
- Sit-down restaurants55
- Fast food and sandwich shops32
- Pizza29
- Coffee shops and cafes48
- Bakeries and dessert shops39
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 Ross County, OH?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 241 restaurants and cafes in Ross County. 108 of them (45%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 122 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 18.5% from 2019. Official counts list 14 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Ross County, OH spend on food away from home?
About $102.2M a year, or $3,428 per household. That is 16% below the U.S. average (an index of 84, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 241 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $424K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 29,808 households in Ross County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Ross County, OH compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Ross County has 80.9 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 26% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $424K, 14% above the U.S. figure of $371K. At the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Ross County would have about 276, against 241 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 244 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 18.5% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Ross County, OH growing?
Population estimates put Ross County at 76,429 people in 2025, down 0.8% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 29,808 households. Median household income in Ross County is $61,303, 24% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 20.0%, 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. Ross County scores 47 for restaurants and cafes (lower middle), #1,300 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Ross 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 Ross County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Ross 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 Ross 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.