Food and drink · County · Iowa
Sit-down restaurants in Buena Vista County, IA
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for sit-down restaurants in Buena Vista County, IA, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 44 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,475 of 2,405 scored counties
#43 of 72 scored counties in Iowa
- Listings
- 48
- 16 chain locations (33%)
- Official establishments
- 10
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $28.5M
- On food away from home · $3,782 a household
- Spending per listing
- $595K
- 10% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 63.6
- 4% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 20,449
- −1.7% since 2020
See the sit-down restaurants around any address in Buena Vista 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 Buena Vista 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 48 sit-down restaurants in Buena Vista County. Of those, 16 are chain locations, or 33%, against 29% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 63.6, 4% above the U.S. rate of 61.3.
Households in Buena Vista County spend about $28.5M a year on food away from home, or $3,782 per household, 7% below the U.S. average. Spread across 48 sit-down restaurants, that is $595K per restaurant, 10% below 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.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in Buena Vista County was 10 in 2023. That is one for every 755 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Another 6 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $715K has gone to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Buena Vista County.
Population estimates put the population change in Buena Vista County from 2020 to 2025 at −1.7%, against +3.1% for the U.S. The Groundwork market score for sit-down restaurants in Buena Vista County is 44 (lower middle), #1,475 of 2,405 scored counties and #43 of 72 scored counties in Iowa.
How Buena Vista County 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 | Buena Vista County | Iowa | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 63.6 | 52.9 | 61.3 |
| Spending per listing | $595K | $733K | $664K |
| Households per official establishment | 755 | 535 | 500 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | −2.5% | +1.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −1.7% | +1.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,782 | $3,880 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $71,719 | $75,059 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 44 | 51 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 12 → 10
- Employees, 2023
- 147
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $2.3M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 6Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 4816 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 43The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $715K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Buena Vista 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 Buena Vista County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 20,449−1.7% since 2020
- Households
- 7,546
- Median age
- 36.5
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 73%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.1
- Land area
- 575 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 36
- Median household income
- $71,719+25.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $94,361
- Median home value
- $159,500
- Jobs located here
- 11,467
- Daytime population
- 22,374Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Buena Vista 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 Buena Vista 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 Iowa
Every Iowa market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Iowa for sit-down restaurants, numbered among those based in Iowa, with Buena Vista County marked.
Top counties in Iowa
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Warren County, IA | 90 | 81 | 39.2 | $1.1M | +9.0% | #24 of 2,405 |
| 2Madison County, IA | 82 | 19 | 28.4 | $1.5M | +3.8% | #90 of 2,405 |
| 3Mills County, IA | 80 | 16 | 29.7 | $1.4M | +2.6% | #122 of 2,405 |
| 4Dallas County, IA | 80 | 219 | 51.6 | $923K | +17.8% | #130 of 2,405 |
| 5Benton County, IA | 79 | 28 | 27.4 | $1.5M | +1.8% | #135 of 2,405 |
| 6Boone County, IA | 77 | 44 | 40.2 | $997K | +0.4% | #196 of 2,405 |
| 7Harrison County, IA | 75 | 23 | 37.8 | $1M | +0.4% | #239 of 2,405 |
| 8Buchanan County, IA | 71 | 28 | 33.9 | $1.1M | +1.3% | #334 of 2,405 |
| 9Hancock County, IA | 69 | 12 | 25.7 | $1.4M | −2.2% | #392 of 2,405 |
| 10Jasper County, IA | 68 | 55 | 36.6 | $1M | +0.9% | #423 of 2,405 |
| 43Buena Vista County, IA | 44 | 48 | 63.6 | $595K | −1.7% | #1,475 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Buena Vista County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes48
- Sit-down restaurants44
- Fast food and sandwich shops66
- Pizza46
- Coffee shops and cafes40
- Bakeries and dessert shops55
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 Buena Vista County, IA?
There are 48 sit-down restaurants on map listings in Buena Vista County as of September 2026. 16 of them (33%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 10 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023. Official counts list 6 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Buena Vista County, IA spend on food away from home?
About $28.5M a year, or $3,782 per household. That is 7% below the U.S. average (an index of 93, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 48 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $595K per restaurant. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants. It is estimated from the incomes of the 7,546 households in Buena Vista County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Buena Vista County, IA compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?
Buena Vista County has 63.6 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 4% above the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $595K, 10% below the U.S. figure of $664K. At the national ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, Buena Vista County would have about 43, against 48 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 755 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S.
How fast is Buena Vista County, IA growing?
Population estimates put Buena Vista County at 20,449 people in 2025, down 1.7% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 7,546 households. The median household income in Buena Vista County is $71,719 a year, 11% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 25.6% 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. Buena Vista County scores 44 for sit-down restaurants (lower middle), #1,475 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Buena Vista 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 Buena Vista County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Buena Vista 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 Buena Vista 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.