Groundwork

Food and drink · County · Iowa

Sit-down restaurants in Clinton County, IA

The sit-down restaurants in Clinton County, IA, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 46 out of 100: Lower middle

Ranked #1,359 of 2,405 scored counties
#40 of 72 scored counties in Iowa

Listings
100
39 chain locations (39%)
Official establishments
33
−13.2% since 2019
Household spending a year
$71.5M
On food away from home · $3,666 a household
Spending per listing
$715K
8% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
51.3
16% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
46,002
−0.9% since 2020

See the sit-down restaurants around any address in Clinton 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 Clinton County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Survey 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 100 sit-down restaurants in Clinton County. Chain locations make up 39% of them, against 29% across the U.S. That is 51.3 per 10,000 households, 16% below the U.S. rate of 61.3.

Household spending on food away from home in Clinton County comes to about $71.5M a year: $3,666 per household, 10% below the U.S. average. Spread across 100 sit-down restaurants, that is $715K per restaurant, 8% 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 33 businesses with payroll in Clinton County classed as full-service restaurants, down 13.2% from 2019. That is one for every 591 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $194K has gone to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Clinton County.

Population estimates put the population change in Clinton County from 2020 to 2025 at −0.9%, against +3.1% for the U.S. The Groundwork market score for sit-down restaurants in Clinton County is 46 (lower middle), #1,359 of 2,405 scored counties and #40 of 72 scored counties in Iowa.

How Clinton 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.

Sit-down restaurants in Clinton County, IA compared with Iowa and the U.S.
MeasureClinton CountyIowaU.S.
Listings per 10k households51.352.961.3
Spending per listing$715K$733K$664K
Households per official establishment591535500
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023−13.2%−2.5%+1.5%
Population growth, 2020–2025−0.9%+1.5%+3.1%
Spending per household on food away from home$3,666$3,880$4,070
Median household income$66,981$75,059$80,734
Groundwork market score4651

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
38 → 33−13.2% over the period
Employees, 2023
390
Annual payroll, 2023
$7.1M
One-person businesses, 2023
0Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
10039 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
108The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
1
Amount
$194K

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Clinton 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 Clinton County

Population, 2025 estimate
46,002−0.9% since 2020
Households
19,506
Median age
42.8
Homes lived in by their owners
75%
Vehicles per household
1.9
Land area
695 sq. mi.
People per square mile
67
Median household income
$66,981+29.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$88,373
Median home value
$160,600
Jobs located here
19,215
Daytime population
42,953Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Clinton 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 Clinton County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

Sit-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 Clinton County marked.

Top counties in Iowa

Counties in Iowa ranked for sit-down restaurants by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Warren County, IA908139.2$1.1M+9.0%#24 of 2,405
2Madison County, IA821928.4$1.5M+3.8%#90 of 2,405
3Mills County, IA801629.7$1.4M+2.6%#122 of 2,405
4Dallas County, IA8021951.6$923K+17.8%#130 of 2,405
5Benton County, IA792827.4$1.5M+1.8%#135 of 2,405
6Boone County, IA774440.2$997K+0.4%#196 of 2,405
7Harrison County, IA752337.8$1M+0.4%#239 of 2,405
8Buchanan County, IA712833.9$1.1M+1.3%#334 of 2,405
9Hancock County, IA691225.7$1.4M−2.2%#392 of 2,405
10Jasper County, IA685536.6$1M+0.9%#423 of 2,405
40Clinton County, IA4610051.3$715K−0.9%#1,359 of 2,405

Other business types in Clinton County

Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.

Questions

How many sit-down restaurants are in Clinton County, IA?

Clinton County has 100 sit-down restaurants on map listings as of September 2026. 39 of them (39%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 33 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023, down 13.2% from 2019.

How much do households in Clinton County, IA spend on food away from home?

About $71.5M a year, or $3,666 per household. That is 10% below the U.S. average (an index of 90, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 100 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $715K per restaurant. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants. It is estimated from the incomes of the 19,506 households in Clinton County and national spending patterns by income.

How does Clinton County, IA compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?

Clinton County has 51.3 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 16% below the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $715K, 8% above the U.S. figure of $664K. At the national ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, Clinton County would have about 108, against 100 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 591 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. The official count fell 13.2% from 2019 to 2023, against +1.5% for the U.S.

How fast is Clinton County, IA growing?

Population estimates put Clinton County at 46,002 people in 2025, down 0.9% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 19,506 households. The median household income in Clinton County is $66,981 a year, 17% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 29.6% 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. Clinton County scores 46 for sit-down restaurants (lower middle), #1,359 of 2,405 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Clinton 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 Clinton County

Screening a site or an acquisition in Clinton 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 Clinton 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.