Food and drink · County · Indiana
Sit-down restaurants in Howard County, IN
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for sit-down restaurants in Howard County, IN, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 45 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,419 of 2,405 scored counties
#65 of 86 scored counties in Indiana
- Listings
- 179
- 73 chain locations (41%)
- Official establishments
- 59
- +9.3% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $124.7M
- On food away from home · $3,503 a household
- Spending per listing
- $697K
- 5% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 50.3
- 18% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 83,904
- +0.4% since 2020
See the sit-down restaurants around any address in Howard 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 Howard 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 Howard County spend about $124.7M a year on food away from home, or $3,503 per household, 14% below the U.S. average. That is about $697K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 5% above the U.S. figure of $664K. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants.
Howard County has 179 sit-down restaurants on map listings as of September 2026. 73 of them (41%) are chain locations, against 29% across the U.S. That comes to 50.3 for every 10,000 households, 18% below the U.S. rate of 61.3.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in Howard County was 59 in 2023, up 9.3% from 2019. That is one for every 603 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Official counts list 7 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 3 SBA-backed loans worth $2.9M have gone to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Howard County.
Population estimates show Howard County grew 0.4% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for sit-down restaurants in Howard County is 45 (lower middle), #1,419 of 2,405 scored counties and #65 of 86 scored counties in Indiana.
How Howard 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 | Howard County | Indiana | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 50.3 | 50.5 | 61.3 |
| Spending per listing | $697K | $753K | $664K |
| Households per official establishment | 603 | 566 | 500 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +9.3% | +0.1% | +1.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +0.4% | +2.7% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,503 | $3,802 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $64,027 | $71,957 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 45 | 59 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 54 → 59+9.3% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,741
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $32.3M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 7Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 17973 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 188The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 3
- Amount
- $2.9M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Howard 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 Howard County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 83,904+0.4% since 2020
- Households
- 35,593
- Median age
- 40.9
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 71%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 293 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 286
- Median household income
- $64,027+22.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $83,020
- Median home value
- $165,000
- Jobs located here
- 35,309
- Daytime population
- 82,151Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Howard 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 Howard 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 Howard 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 |
| 65Howard County, IN | 45 | 179 | 50.3 | $697K | +0.4% | #1,419 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Howard County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes37
- Sit-down restaurants45
- Fast food and sandwich shops32
- Pizza26
- Coffee shops and cafes40
- Bakeries and dessert shops34
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 Howard County, IN?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 179 sit-down restaurants in Howard County. 73 of them (41%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 59 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023, up 9.3% from 2019. Official counts also show 7 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Howard County, IN spend on food away from home?
About $124.7M a year, or $3,503 per household. That is 14% below the U.S. average (an index of 86, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 179 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $697K 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 35,593 households in Howard County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Howard County, IN compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?
Howard County has 50.3 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 18% below the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $697K, 5% above the U.S. figure of $664K. At the U.S. ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, Howard County would have about 188, against 179 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 603 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. The official count rose 9.3% from 2019 to 2023, against +1.5% for the U.S.
How fast is Howard County, IN growing?
Population estimates put Howard County at 83,904 people in 2025, up 0.4% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 35,593 households. Median household income in Howard County is $64,027, 21% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 22.3%, 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. Howard County scores 45 for sit-down restaurants (lower middle), #1,419 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Howard 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 Howard County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Howard 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 Howard 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.