Food and drink · Metro area · Indiana
Sit-down restaurants in the Bloomington, IN metro area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for sit-down restaurants in the Bloomington, IN metro area, set against other metro areas and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 36 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #299 of 387 scored metro areas
#10 of 12 scored metro areas based in Indiana
- Listings
- 366
- 116 chain locations (32%)
- Official establishments
- 138
- −9.2% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $247.2M
- On food away from home · $3,643 a household
- Spending per listing
- $675K
- 2% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 53.9
- 12% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 165,231
- +2.0% since 2020
See the sit-down restaurants around any address in the Bloomington metro area
The site report maps the sit-down restaurants 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 the Bloomington metro area. 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
For sit-down restaurants, the Bloomington metro area has a Groundwork market score of 36 (lower middle): #299 of 387 scored metro areas and #10 of 12 scored metro areas based in Indiana. That puts it in the bottom quarter of metro areas.
Households in the Bloomington metro area spend about $247.2M a year on food away from home, or $3,643 per household, 11% below the U.S. average. That is about $675K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 2% above the U.S. figure of $664K. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants.
There are 366 sit-down restaurants on map listings in the Bloomington metro area as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 32% of them, against 29% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 53.9, 12% below the U.S. rate of 61.3.
Official counts show 138 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in the Bloomington metro area in 2023, down 9.2% from 2019. That is one for every 492 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 4 SBA-backed loans worth $1.1M have gone to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in the Bloomington metro area. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of the Bloomington metro area grew 2.0%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How the Bloomington metro area compares
The same measures for Indiana and the whole U.S. Spending per listing divides a year of household spending on all food away from home by the sit-down restaurants 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 | Bloomington metro area | Indiana | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 53.9 | 50.5 | 61.3 |
| Spending per listing | $675K | $753K | $664K |
| Households per official establishment | 492 | 566 | 500 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −9.2% | +0.1% | +1.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.0% | +2.7% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,643 | $3,802 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $65,543 | $71,957 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 36 | 59 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 138−9.2% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 3,656
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $76.2M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 10Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 366116 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 372The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 4
- Amount
- $1.1M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in the Bloomington metro area, 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 the Bloomington metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 165,231+2.0% since 2020
- Households
- 67,854
- Median age
- 37.0
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 57%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 780 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 208
- Median household income
- $65,543+31.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $90,220
- Median home value
- $263,700
- Jobs located here
- 71,915
- Daytime population
- 172,576Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Bloomington metro area?
These figures cover the whole metro area. A site report draws rings around one address and counts what’s inside them: households, spending, jobs, and the sit-down restaurants on map listings by name and distance.
Or open the report at the center of the Bloomington metro area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardSit-down restaurants across Indiana
Every Indiana market ranked →The highest-scoring metro areas in Indiana for sit-down restaurants, numbered among those based in Indiana (a market based in another state is listed without a number), with the Bloomington metro area marked.
Top metro areas in Indiana
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Fort Wayne, IN | 71 | 830 | 45.6 | $822K | +3.9% | #43 of 387 |
| Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN | 67 | 4,626 | 51.0 | $803K | +2.7% | #66 of 387 |
| 2Columbus, IN | 67 | 178 | 53.4 | $752K | +4.3% | #70 of 387 |
| 3Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN | 62 | 4,643 | 55.1 | $746K | +5.4% | #103 of 387 |
| Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN | 55 | 2,979 | 53.4 | $711K | +2.9% | #145 of 387 |
| 4Lafayette-West Lafayette, IN | 52 | 434 | 47.8 | $742K | +2.1% | #168 of 387 |
| 5Muncie, IN | 50 | 205 | 44.3 | $738K | +1.2% | #187 of 387 |
| 6Evansville, IN | 50 | 592 | 51.9 | $716K | +1.6% | #190 of 387 |
| 7South Bend-Mishawaka, IN-MI | 49 | 632 | 49.2 | $752K | +0.1% | #192 of 387 |
| 8Elkhart-Goshen, IN | 48 | 353 | 48.8 | $753K | +0.9% | #205 of 387 |
| 10Bloomington, IN | 36 | 366 | 53.9 | $675K | +2.0% | #299 of 387 |
Other business types in the Bloomington metro area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes44
- Sit-down restaurants36
- Fast food and sandwich shops52
- Pizza35
- Coffee shops and cafes52
- Bakeries and dessert shops41
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 sit-down restaurants are in the Bloomington, IN metro area?
As of September 2026, map listings count 366 sit-down restaurants in the Bloomington metro area. 116 of them (32%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 138 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023, down 9.2% from 2019. Official counts list 10 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Bloomington, IN metro area spend on food away from home?
About $247.2M a year, or $3,643 per household. That is 11% below the U.S. average (an index of 89, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 366 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $675K per restaurant. That spending covers all food away from home, which sit-down restaurants share with other businesses in the trade. It is estimated from the incomes of the 67,854 households in the Bloomington metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Bloomington, IN metro area compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?
The Bloomington metro area has 53.9 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 12% below the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $675K, 2% above the U.S. figure of $664K. At the U.S. ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, the Bloomington metro area would have about 372, against 366 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 492 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. The official count fell 9.2% from 2019 to 2023, against +1.5% for the U.S.
How fast is the Bloomington, IN metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Bloomington metro area at 165,231 people in 2025, up 2.0% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 67,854 households. Median household income in the Bloomington metro area is $65,543, 19% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 31.6%, 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. The Bloomington metro area scores 36 for sit-down restaurants (lower middle), #299 of 387 scored metro areas.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Bloomington metro area. It maps the sit-down restaurants 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 sit-down restaurants · All 56 business types in the Bloomington metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Bloomington metro area?
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 the Bloomington metro area. 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.