Food and drink · County · Iowa
Sit-down restaurants in Hancock County, IA
The sit-down restaurants in Hancock County, IA, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 69 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #392 of 2,405 scored counties
#9 of 72 scored counties in Iowa
- Listings
- 12
- 6 chain locations (50%)
- Official establishments
- 5
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $16.6M
- On food away from home · $3,560 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.4M
- 2.1 times the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 25.7
- 58% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 10,528
- −2.2% since 2020
See the sit-down restaurants around any address in Hancock 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 Hancock 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 12 sit-down restaurants in Hancock County. 6 of them (50%) are chain locations, against 29% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 25.7, 58% below the U.S. rate of 61.3.
Households in Hancock County spend about $16.6M a year on food away from home, or $3,560 per household, 13% below the U.S. average. That is about $1.4M of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 2.1 times 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 Hancock County was 5 in 2023. That is one for every 935 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S.
Population estimates put the population change in Hancock County from 2020 to 2025 at −2.2%, against +3.1% for the U.S. The Groundwork market score for sit-down restaurants in Hancock County is 69 (upper middle), #392 of 2,405 scored counties and #9 of 72 scored counties in Iowa. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How Hancock 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 | Hancock County | Iowa | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 25.7 | 52.9 | 61.3 |
| Spending per listing | $1.4M | $733K | $664K |
| Households per official establishment | 935 | 535 | 500 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | −2.5% | +1.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −2.2% | +1.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,560 | $3,880 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $70,601 | $75,059 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 69 | 51 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 5 → 5
- Employees, 2023
- 22
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $435K
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 0Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 126 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 25The 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 Hancock 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 Hancock County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 10,528−2.2% since 2020
- Households
- 4,673
- Median age
- 45.8
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 82%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.2
- Land area
- 571 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 19
- Median household income
- $70,601+14.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $86,692
- Median home value
- $141,400
- Jobs located here
- 6,063
- Daytime population
- 11,446Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Hancock 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 Hancock 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 Hancock 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 |
Other business types in Hancock County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes70
- Sit-down restaurants69
- Fast food and sandwich shops
- Pizza42
- 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 Hancock County, IA?
Hancock County has 12 sit-down restaurants on map listings as of September 2026. 6 of them (50%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 5 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023.
How much do households in Hancock County, IA spend on food away from home?
About $16.6M a year, or $3,560 per household. That is 13% below the U.S. average (an index of 87, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 12 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $1.4M per restaurant. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants. It is estimated from the incomes of the 4,673 households in Hancock County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Hancock County, IA compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?
Hancock County has 25.7 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 58% below the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $1.4M, 2.1 times the U.S. figure of $664K. At the national ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, Hancock County would have about 25, against 12 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 935 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S.
How fast is Hancock County, IA growing?
Population estimates put Hancock County at 10,528 people in 2025, down 2.2% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 4,673 households. The median household income in Hancock County is $70,601 a year, 13% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 14.3% 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. Hancock County scores 69 for sit-down restaurants (upper middle), #392 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Hancock 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 Hancock County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Hancock 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 Hancock 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.