Food and drink · County · Iowa
Sit-down restaurants in Hamilton County, IA
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for sit-down restaurants in Hamilton County, IA, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 63 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #630 of 2,405 scored counties
#15 of 72 scored counties in Iowa
- Listings
- 31
- 16 chain locations (52%)
- Official establishments
- 6
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $24.2M
- On food away from home · $3,765 a household
- Spending per listing
- $781K
- 18% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 48.2
- 21% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 14,944
- −0.5% since 2020
See the sit-down restaurants around any address in Hamilton 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 Hamilton 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
Household spending on food away from home in Hamilton County comes to about $24.2M a year: $3,765 per household, 8% below the U.S. average. That is about $781K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 18% above the U.S. figure of $664K. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants.
There are 31 sit-down restaurants on map listings in Hamilton County as of September 2026. 16 of them (52%) are chain locations, against 29% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 48.2, 21% below the U.S. rate of 61.3.
Official counts show 6 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in Hamilton County in 2023. That is one for every 1,072 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S.
Population estimates put the population change in Hamilton County from 2020 to 2025 at −0.5%, against +3.1% for the U.S. For sit-down restaurants, Hamilton County has a Groundwork market score of 63 (upper middle): #630 of 2,405 scored counties and #15 of 72 scored counties in Iowa.
How Hamilton 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 | Hamilton County | Iowa | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 48.2 | 52.9 | 61.3 |
| Spending per listing | $781K | $733K | $664K |
| Households per official establishment | 1,072 | 535 | 500 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | −2.5% | +1.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −0.5% | +1.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,765 | $3,880 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $72,432 | $75,059 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 63 | 51 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 11 → 6
- Employees, 2023
- 109
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $1.5M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 0Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 3116 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 37The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 0
- Amount
- $0
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Hamilton 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 Hamilton County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 14,944−0.5% since 2020
- Households
- 6,434
- Median age
- 43.1
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 73%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.1
- Land area
- 577 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 26
- Median household income
- $72,432+18.9% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $92,073
- Median home value
- $156,400
- Jobs located here
- 5,890
- Daytime population
- 13,997Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Hamilton 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 Hamilton 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 Hamilton 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 |
| 15Hamilton County, IA | 63 | 31 | 48.2 | $781K | −0.5% | #630 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Hamilton County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes60
- Sit-down restaurants63
- Fast food and sandwich shops55
- Pizza51
- Coffee shops and cafes41
- 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 Hamilton County, IA?
As of September 2026, map listings count 31 sit-down restaurants in Hamilton County. 16 of them (52%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 6 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023.
How much do households in Hamilton County, IA spend on food away from home?
About $24.2M a year, or $3,765 per household. That is 8% below the U.S. average (an index of 92, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 31 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $781K 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 6,434 households in Hamilton County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Hamilton County, IA compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?
Hamilton County has 48.2 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 21% below the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $781K, 18% above the U.S. figure of $664K. At the U.S. ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, Hamilton County would have about 37, against 31 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,072 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S.
How fast is Hamilton County, IA growing?
Population estimates put Hamilton County at 14,944 people in 2025, down 0.5% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 6,434 households. Median household income in Hamilton County is $72,432, 10% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 18.9%, 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. Hamilton County scores 63 for sit-down restaurants (upper middle), #630 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Hamilton 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 Hamilton County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Hamilton 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 Hamilton 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.