Food and drink · County · Iowa
Sit-down restaurants in Johnson County, IA
The sit-down restaurants in Johnson County, IA, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 47 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,328 of 2,405 scored counties
#39 of 72 scored counties in Iowa
- Listings
- 389
- 136 chain locations (35%)
- Official establishments
- 161
- +1.3% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $254.6M
- On food away from home · $4,019 a household
- Spending per listing
- $654K
- In line with the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 61.4
- In line with the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 160,044
- +4.6% since 2020
See the sit-down restaurants around any address in Johnson 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 Johnson 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
Households in Johnson County spend about $254.6M a year on food away from home, or $4,019 per household, in line with the U.S. average. That is about $654K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, in line with the U.S. figure of $664K. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants.
Johnson County has 389 sit-down restaurants on map listings as of September 2026. 136 of them (35%) are chain locations, against 29% across the U.S. That comes to 61.4 for every 10,000 households, in line with the U.S. rate of 61.3.
In 2023, official counts showed 161 businesses with payroll in Johnson County classed as full-service restaurants, up 1.3% from 2019. That is one for every 393 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Official counts also show 23 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 4 SBA-backed loans worth $195K have gone to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Johnson County.
Population estimates show Johnson County grew 4.6% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). Johnson County scores 47 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for sit-down restaurants, ranking #1,328 of 2,405 scored counties and #39 of 72 scored counties in Iowa.
How Johnson 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 | Johnson County | Iowa | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 61.4 | 52.9 | 61.3 |
| Spending per listing | $654K | $733K | $664K |
| Households per official establishment | 393 | 535 | 500 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +1.3% | −2.5% | +1.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +4.6% | +1.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $4,019 | $3,880 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $74,935 | $75,059 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 47 | 51 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 159 → 161+1.3% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 3,550
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $80.6M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 23Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 389136 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 384The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 4
- Amount
- $195K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Johnson 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 Johnson County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 160,044+4.6% since 2020
- Households
- 63,341
- Median age
- 34.5
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 59%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.7
- Land area
- 613 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 256
- Median household income
- $74,935+19.8% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $108,874
- Median home value
- $308,600
- Jobs located here
- 88,327
- Daytime population
- 171,516Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Johnson 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 Johnson 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 Johnson 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 |
| 39Johnson County, IA | 47 | 389 | 61.4 | $654K | +4.6% | #1,328 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Johnson County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes45
- Sit-down restaurants47
- Fast food and sandwich shops58
- Pizza57
- Coffee shops and cafes42
- Bakeries and dessert shops47
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 Johnson County, IA?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 389 sit-down restaurants in Johnson County. 136 of them (35%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 161 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023, up 1.3% from 2019. Another 23 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Johnson County, IA spend on food away from home?
About $254.6M a year, or $4,019 per household. That is in line with the U.S. average (an index of 99, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 389 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $654K 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 63,341 households in Johnson County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Johnson County, IA compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?
Johnson County has 61.4 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, in line with the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $654K, in line with the U.S. figure of $664K. At the U.S. ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, Johnson County would have about 384, against 389 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 393 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. The official count rose 1.3% from 2019 to 2023, against +1.5% for the U.S.
How fast is Johnson County, IA growing?
Population estimates put Johnson County at 160,044 people in 2025, up 4.6% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 63,341 households. Median household income in Johnson County is $74,935, 7% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 19.8%, 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. Johnson County scores 47 for sit-down restaurants (lower middle), #1,328 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Johnson 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 Johnson County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Johnson 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 Johnson 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.