Food and drink · County · Iowa
Sit-down restaurants in Butler County, IA
How Butler County, IA 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 67 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #448 of 2,405 scored counties
#11 of 72 scored counties in Iowa
- Listings
- 21
- 7 chain locations (33%)
- Official establishments
- 7
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $22M
- On food away from home · $3,757 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1M
- 58% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 35.8
- 42% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 14,049
- −2.0% since 2020
See the sit-down restaurants around any address in Butler 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 Butler 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
As of September 2026, map listings count 21 sit-down restaurants in Butler County. Of those, 7 are chain locations, or 33%, against 29% across the U.S. That is 35.8 per 10,000 households, 42% below the U.S. rate of 61.3.
At $3,757 per household (8% below the U.S. average), households in Butler County spend about $22M a year on food away from home. Spread across 21 sit-down restaurants, that is $1M per restaurant, 58% 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.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in Butler County was 7 in 2023. That is one for every 838 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $222K have gone to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Butler County.
Population estimates put the population change in Butler County from 2020 to 2025 at −2.0%, against +3.1% for the U.S. For sit-down restaurants, Butler County has a Groundwork market score of 67 (upper middle): #448 of 2,405 scored counties and #11 of 72 scored counties in Iowa. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How Butler 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 | Butler County | Iowa | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 35.8 | 52.9 | 61.3 |
| Spending per listing | $1M | $733K | $664K |
| Households per official establishment | 838 | 535 | 500 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | −2.5% | +1.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −2.0% | +1.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,757 | $3,880 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $73,715 | $75,059 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 67 | 51 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 11 → 7
- Employees, 2023
- 45
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $372K
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 0Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 217 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 33The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 2
- Amount
- $222K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Butler 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 Butler County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 14,049−2.0% since 2020
- Households
- 5,863
- Median age
- 43.6
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 84%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.3
- Land area
- 580 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 25
- Median household income
- $73,715+29.1% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $90,569
- Median home value
- $165,400
- Jobs located here
- 3,587
- Daytime population
- 11,107Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Butler 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 Butler 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 Butler 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 |
| 11Butler County, IA | 67 | 21 | 35.8 | $1M | −2.0% | #448 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Butler County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes74
- Sit-down restaurants67
- Fast food and sandwich shops
- Pizza32
- Coffee shops and cafes
- Bakeries and dessert shops
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 Butler County, IA?
Butler County has 21 sit-down restaurants on map listings as of September 2026. 7 of them (33%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 7 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023.
How much do households in Butler County, IA spend on food away from home?
About $22M a year, or $3,757 per household. That is 8% below the U.S. average (an index of 92, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 21 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $1M per restaurant. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants. It is estimated from the incomes of the 5,863 households in Butler County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Butler County, IA compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?
Butler County has 35.8 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 42% below the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $1M, 58% above the U.S. figure of $664K. At the national ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, Butler County would have about 33, against 21 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 838 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S.
How fast is Butler County, IA growing?
Population estimates put Butler County at 14,049 people in 2025, down 2.0% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 5,863 households. The median household income in Butler County is $73,715 a year, 9% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 29.1% 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. Butler County scores 67 for sit-down restaurants (upper middle), #448 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Butler 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 Butler County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Butler 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 Butler 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.