Food and drink · County · Indiana
Sit-down restaurants in Clay County, IN
How Clay County, IN compares with other counties and the U.S. for sit-down restaurants: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 55 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #931 of 2,405 scored counties
#49 of 86 scored counties in Indiana
- Listings
- 41
- 15 chain locations (37%)
- Official establishments
- 21
- +5.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $39.1M
- On food away from home · $3,703 a household
- Spending per listing
- $953K
- 44% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 38.9
- 37% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 26,410
- −0.1% since 2020
See the sit-down restaurants around any address in Clay County
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 Clay 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
Households in Clay County spend about $39.1M a year on food away from home, or $3,703 per household, 9% below the U.S. average. That is about $953K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 44% above the U.S. figure of $664K. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants.
There are 41 sit-down restaurants on map listings in Clay County as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 37% of them, against 29% across the U.S. That is 38.9 per 10,000 households, 37% below the U.S. rate of 61.3.
Official counts show 21 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in Clay County in 2023, up 5.0% from 2019. That is one for every 502 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Clay County declined 0.1%, against +3.1% for the U.S. For sit-down restaurants, Clay County has a Groundwork market score of 55 (upper middle): #931 of 2,405 scored counties and #49 of 86 scored counties in Indiana.
How Clay County 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 | Clay County | Indiana | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 38.9 | 50.5 | 61.3 |
| Spending per listing | $953K | $753K | $664K |
| Households per official establishment | 502 | 566 | 500 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +5.0% | +0.1% | +1.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −0.1% | +2.7% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,703 | $3,802 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $70,010 | $71,957 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 55 | 59 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 20 → 21+5.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 253
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $3.8M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 0Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 4115 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 59The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 0
- Amount
- $0
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Clay 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 Clay County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 26,410−0.1% since 2020
- Households
- 10,549
- Median age
- 41.4
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 81%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 358 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 74
- Median household income
- $70,010+25.8% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $101,024
- Median home value
- $153,000
- Jobs located here
- 7,738
- Daytime population
- 24,011Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Clay 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 sit-down restaurants on map listings by name and distance.
Or open the report at the center of Clay County. 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 counties in Indiana for sit-down restaurants, numbered among those based in Indiana, with Clay County marked.
Top counties in Indiana
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Hancock County, IN | 88 | 115 | 34.4 | $1.3M | +13.5% | #39 of 2,405 |
| 2Warrick County, IN | 85 | 96 | 38.2 | $1.1M | +4.4% | #62 of 2,405 |
| 3Morgan County, IN | 79 | 108 | 38.2 | $1.1M | +4.4% | #148 of 2,405 |
| 4Harrison County, IN | 78 | 52 | 33.6 | $1.1M | +1.9% | #159 of 2,405 |
| 5Wells County, IN | 77 | 40 | 34.6 | $1M | +2.6% | #192 of 2,405 |
| 6Lawrence County, IN | 76 | 56 | 29.3 | $1.2M | +1.2% | #216 of 2,405 |
| 7Hendricks County, IN | 76 | 299 | 44.6 | $1M | +10.2% | #223 of 2,405 |
| 8Boone County, IN | 76 | 150 | 52.2 | $948K | +13.5% | #226 of 2,405 |
| 9Owen County, IN | 75 | 24 | 27.8 | $1.2M | +2.6% | #233 of 2,405 |
| 10Whitley County, IN | 75 | 53 | 37.8 | $1M | +2.1% | #240 of 2,405 |
| 49Clay County, IN | 55 | 41 | 38.9 | $953K | −0.1% | #931 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Clay County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes56
- Sit-down restaurants55
- Fast food and sandwich shops59
- Pizza44
- Coffee shops and cafes66
- Bakeries and dessert shops46
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 Clay County, IN?
As of September 2026, map listings count 41 sit-down restaurants in Clay County. 15 of them (37%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 21 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023, up 5.0% from 2019.
How much do households in Clay County, IN spend on food away from home?
About $39.1M a year, or $3,703 per household. That is 9% below the U.S. average (an index of 91, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 41 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $953K 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 10,549 households in Clay County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Clay County, IN compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?
Clay County has 38.9 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 37% below the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $953K, 44% above the U.S. figure of $664K. At the U.S. ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, Clay County would have about 59, against 41 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 502 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. The official count rose 5.0% from 2019 to 2023, against +1.5% for the U.S.
How fast is Clay County, IN growing?
Population estimates put Clay County at 26,410 people in 2025, down 0.1% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 10,549 households. Median household income in Clay County is $70,010, 13% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 25.8%, 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. Clay County scores 55 for sit-down restaurants (upper middle), #931 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Clay County. 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 Clay County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Clay 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 Clay 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.