Food and drink · County · Indiana
Sit-down restaurants in Elkhart County, IN
How Elkhart 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 49 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,217 of 2,405 scored counties
#60 of 86 scored counties in Indiana
- Listings
- 353
- 130 chain locations (37%)
- Official establishments
- 135
- +8.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $265.8M
- On food away from home · $3,676 a household
- Spending per listing
- $753K
- 13% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 48.8
- 20% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 208,774
- +0.9% since 2020
See the sit-down restaurants around any address in Elkhart 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 Elkhart 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 353 sit-down restaurants in Elkhart County. Of those, 130 are chain locations, or 37%, against 29% across the U.S. That is 48.8 per 10,000 households, 20% below the U.S. rate of 61.3.
Household spending on food away from home in Elkhart County comes to about $265.8M a year: $3,676 per household, 10% below the U.S. average. That works out to $753K per restaurant, 13% above the U.S. figure of $664K. That spending covers all food away from home, which sit-down restaurants share with other businesses in the trade.
In 2023, official counts showed 135 businesses with payroll in Elkhart County classed as full-service restaurants, up 8.0% from 2019. That is one for every 536 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Another 31 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 4 SBA-backed loans worth $738K have gone to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Elkhart County.
Population estimates show Elkhart County grew 0.9% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). For sit-down restaurants, Elkhart County has a Groundwork market score of 49 (lower middle): #1,217 of 2,405 scored counties and #60 of 86 scored counties in Indiana.
How Elkhart 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 | Elkhart County | Indiana | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 48.8 | 50.5 | 61.3 |
| Spending per listing | $753K | $753K | $664K |
| Households per official establishment | 536 | 566 | 500 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +8.0% | +0.1% | +1.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +0.9% | +2.7% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,676 | $3,802 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $68,561 | $71,957 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 49 | 59 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 125 → 135+8.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 3,079
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $61.6M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 31Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 353130 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 401The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 4
- Amount
- $738K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Elkhart 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 Elkhart County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 208,774+0.9% since 2020
- Households
- 72,309
- Median age
- 36.7
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 72%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 463 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 447
- Median household income
- $68,561+20.2% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $89,471
- Median home value
- $210,400
- Jobs located here
- 133,676
- Daytime population
- 244,683Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Elkhart 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 Elkhart 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 Elkhart 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 |
| 60Elkhart County, IN | 49 | 353 | 48.8 | $753K | +0.9% | #1,217 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Elkhart County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes47
- Sit-down restaurants49
- Fast food and sandwich shops42
- Pizza39
- Coffee shops and cafes51
- Bakeries and dessert shops40
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 Elkhart County, IN?
There are 353 sit-down restaurants on map listings in Elkhart County as of September 2026. 130 of them (37%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 135 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023, up 8.0% from 2019. Official counts list 31 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Elkhart County, IN spend on food away from home?
About $265.8M a year, or $3,676 per household. That is 10% below the U.S. average (an index of 90, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 353 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $753K per restaurant. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants. It is estimated from the incomes of the 72,309 households in Elkhart County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Elkhart County, IN compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?
Elkhart County has 48.8 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 20% below the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $753K, 13% above the U.S. figure of $664K. At the national ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, Elkhart County would have about 401, against 353 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 536 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. The official count rose 8.0% from 2019 to 2023, against +1.5% for the U.S.
How fast is Elkhart County, IN growing?
Population estimates put Elkhart County at 208,774 people in 2025, up 0.9% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 72,309 households. The median household income in Elkhart County is $68,561 a year, 15% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 20.2% 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. Elkhart County scores 49 for sit-down restaurants (lower middle), #1,217 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Elkhart 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 Elkhart County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Elkhart 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 Elkhart 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.