Food and drink · County · Iowa
Sit-down restaurants in Hardin County, IA
The sit-down restaurants in Hardin County, IA, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 42 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,521 of 2,405 scored counties
#44 of 72 scored counties in Iowa
- Listings
- 33
- 11 chain locations (33%)
- Official establishments
- 12
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $24.4M
- On food away from home · $3,460 a household
- Spending per listing
- $738K
- 11% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 46.9
- 23% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 16,455
- −2.2% since 2020
See the sit-down restaurants around any address in Hardin 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 Hardin 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 33 sit-down restaurants in Hardin County. Chain locations make up 33% of them, against 29% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 46.9, 23% below the U.S. rate of 61.3.
Household spending on food away from home in Hardin County comes to about $24.4M a year: $3,460 per household, 15% below the U.S. average. Spread across 33 sit-down restaurants, that is $738K per restaurant, 11% 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 Hardin County was 12 in 2023. That is one for every 587 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S.
Population estimates show Hardin County declined 2.2% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S. The Groundwork market score for sit-down restaurants in Hardin County is 42 (lower middle), #1,521 of 2,405 scored counties and #44 of 72 scored counties in Iowa.
How Hardin 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 | Hardin County | Iowa | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 46.9 | 52.9 | 61.3 |
| Spending per listing | $738K | $733K | $664K |
| Households per official establishment | 587 | 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 | $3,460 | $3,880 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $65,069 | $75,059 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 42 | 51 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 11 → 12
- Employees, 2023
- 100
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $1.7M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 0Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 3311 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 Hardin 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 Hardin County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 16,455−2.2% since 2020
- Households
- 7,038
- Median age
- 44.4
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 74%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 569 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 29
- Median household income
- $65,069+20.1% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $79,622
- Median home value
- $122,500
- Jobs located here
- 6,424
- Daytime population
- 15,239Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Hardin 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 Hardin 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 Hardin 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 |
| 44Hardin County, IA | 42 | 33 | 46.9 | $738K | −2.2% | #1,521 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Hardin County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes50
- Sit-down restaurants42
- Fast food and sandwich shops68
- Pizza43
- Coffee shops and cafes28
- 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 Hardin County, IA?
There are 33 sit-down restaurants on map listings in Hardin County as of September 2026. 11 of them (33%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 12 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023.
How much do households in Hardin County, IA spend on food away from home?
About $24.4M a year, or $3,460 per household. That is 15% below the U.S. average (an index of 85, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 33 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $738K per restaurant. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants. It is estimated from the incomes of the 7,038 households in Hardin County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Hardin County, IA compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?
Hardin County has 46.9 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 23% below the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $738K, 11% above the U.S. figure of $664K. At the national ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, Hardin County would have about 37, against 33 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 587 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S.
How fast is Hardin County, IA growing?
Population estimates put Hardin County at 16,455 people in 2025, down 2.2% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 7,038 households. The median household income in Hardin County is $65,069 a year, 19% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 20.1% 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. Hardin County scores 42 for sit-down restaurants (lower middle), #1,521 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Hardin 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 Hardin County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Hardin 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 Hardin 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.