Food and drink · Metro area · Iowa
Sit-down restaurants in the Ames, IA metro area
The sit-down restaurants in the Ames, IA metro area, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other metro areas.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 64 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #89 of 387 scored metro areas
#2 of 8 scored metro areas based in Iowa
- Listings
- 257
- 114 chain locations (44%)
- Official establishments
- 74
- −3.9% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $192.9M
- On food away from home · $3,870 a household
- Spending per listing
- $751K
- 13% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 51.6
- 16% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 128,090
- +2.2% since 2020
See the sit-down restaurants around any address in the Ames 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 Ames 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
Households in the Ames metro area spend about $192.9M a year on food away from home, or $3,870 per household, 5% below the U.S. average. Spread across 257 sit-down restaurants, that is $751K per restaurant, 13% above the U.S. figure of $664K. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants.
There are 257 sit-down restaurants on map listings in the Ames metro area as of September 2026. 114 of them (44%) are chain locations, against 29% across the U.S. That is 51.6 per 10,000 households, 16% below the U.S. rate of 61.3.
In 2023, official counts showed 74 businesses with payroll in the Ames metro area classed as full-service restaurants, down 3.9% from 2019. That is one for every 674 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Official counts also show 8 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 6 SBA-backed loans worth $2.2M have gone to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in the Ames metro area.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of the Ames metro area grew 2.2%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for sit-down restaurants in the Ames metro area is 64 (upper middle), #89 of 387 scored metro areas and #2 of 8 scored metro areas based in Iowa. That puts it in the top quarter of metro areas.
How the Ames metro area compares
The same measures for Iowa 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 | Ames metro area | Iowa | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 51.6 | 52.9 | 61.3 |
| Spending per listing | $751K | $733K | $664K |
| Households per official establishment | 674 | 535 | 500 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −3.9% | −2.5% | +1.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.2% | +1.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,870 | $3,880 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $73,127 | $75,059 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 64 | 51 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 74−3.9% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 2,073
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $40.3M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 8Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 257114 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 291The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 6
- Amount
- $2.2M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in the Ames 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 Ames metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 128,090+2.2% since 2020
- Households
- 49,840
- Median age
- 35.1
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 61%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 1,143 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 111
- Median household income
- $73,127+24.8% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $97,543
- Median home value
- $246,300
- Jobs located here
- 57,558
- Daytime population
- 130,790Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Ames 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 Ames 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 Iowa
Every Iowa market ranked →The highest-scoring metro areas in Iowa for sit-down restaurants, numbered among those based in Iowa (a market based in another state is listed without a number), with the Ames metro area marked.
Top metro areas in Iowa
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Omaha, NE-IA | 73 | 2,003 | 51.4 | $819K | +4.2% | #33 of 387 |
| 1Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA | 71 | 1,610 | 54.6 | $777K | +6.7% | #45 of 387 |
| 2Ames, IA | 64 | 257 | 51.6 | $751K | +2.2% | #89 of 387 |
| 3Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA | 59 | 334 | 48.1 | $774K | +0.5% | #118 of 387 |
| 4Dubuque, IA | 58 | 205 | 50.0 | $785K | +0.1% | #124 of 387 |
| 5Cedar Rapids, IA | 51 | 592 | 51.9 | $767K | +1.0% | #176 of 387 |
| 6Sioux City, IA-NE-SD | 43 | 312 | 56.2 | $678K | +1.0% | #244 of 387 |
| 7Iowa City, IA | 43 | 433 | 59.9 | $667K | +4.1% | #247 of 387 |
| 8Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL | 36 | 900 | 55.7 | $688K | −0.9% | #297 of 387 |
Other business types in the Ames metro area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes61
- Sit-down restaurants64
- Fast food and sandwich shops58
- Pizza44
- Coffee shops and cafes34
- Bakeries and dessert shops61
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 Ames, IA metro area?
As of September 2026, map listings count 257 sit-down restaurants in the Ames metro area. 114 of them (44%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 74 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023, down 3.9% from 2019. Another 8 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in the Ames, IA metro area spend on food away from home?
About $192.9M a year, or $3,870 per household. That is 5% below the U.S. average (an index of 95, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 257 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $751K 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 49,840 households in the Ames metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Ames, IA metro area compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?
The Ames metro area has 51.6 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 16% below the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $751K, 13% above the U.S. figure of $664K. At the U.S. ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, the Ames metro area would have about 291, against 257 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 674 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. The official count fell 3.9% from 2019 to 2023, against +1.5% for the U.S.
How fast is the Ames, IA metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Ames metro area at 128,090 people in 2025, up 2.2% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 49,840 households. Median household income in the Ames metro area is $73,127, 9% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 24.8%, 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. The Ames metro area scores 64 for sit-down restaurants (upper middle), #89 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 Ames 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 Ames metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Ames 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 Ames 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.