Food and drink · Small-town market · Iowa
Sit-down restaurants in the Muscatine, IA area
The sit-down restaurants in the Muscatine, IA area, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other small-town markets.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 38 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #397 of 538 scored small-town markets
#13 of 15 scored small-town markets based in Iowa
- Listings
- 106
- 39 chain locations (37%)
- Official establishments
- 32
- −5.9% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $63.5M
- On food away from home · $3,663 a household
- Spending per listing
- $599K
- 10% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 61.1
- In line with the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 41,853
- −3.0% since 2020
See the sit-down restaurants around any address in the Muscatine area
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 the Muscatine area. 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 106 sit-down restaurants in the Muscatine area. Chain locations make up 37% of them, against 29% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 61.1, in line with the U.S. rate of 61.3.
Household spending on food away from home in the Muscatine area comes to about $63.5M a year: $3,663 per household, 10% below the U.S. average. That works out to $599K per restaurant, 10% below 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 32 businesses with payroll in the Muscatine area classed as full-service restaurants, down 5.9% from 2019. That is one for every 542 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $70K has gone to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in the Muscatine area.
Population estimates put the population change in the Muscatine area from 2020 to 2025 at −3.0%, against +3.1% for the U.S. The Groundwork market score for sit-down restaurants in the Muscatine area is 38 (lower middle), #397 of 538 scored small-town markets and #13 of 15 scored small-town markets based in Iowa.
How the Muscatine area 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 | Muscatine area | Iowa | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 61.1 | 52.9 | 61.3 |
| Spending per listing | $599K | $733K | $664K |
| Households per official establishment | 542 | 535 | 500 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −5.9% | −2.5% | +1.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −3.0% | +1.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,663 | $3,880 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $69,396 | $75,059 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 38 | 51 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 32−5.9% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 359
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $5.1M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 0Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 10639 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 96The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $70K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in the Muscatine area, 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 the Muscatine area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 41,853−3.0% since 2020
- Households
- 17,345
- Median age
- 39.9
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 74%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 437 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 97
- Median household income
- $69,396+18.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $86,373
- Median home value
- $182,100
- Jobs located here
- 21,008
- Daytime population
- 43,232Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Muscatine area?
These figures cover the whole small-town market. 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 the Muscatine area. 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 small-town markets in Iowa for sit-down restaurants, numbered among those based in Iowa, with the Muscatine area marked.
Top small-town markets in Iowa
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Pella, IA | 76 | 59 | 44.3 | $889K | +2.3% | #36 of 538 |
| 2Oskaloosa, IA | 74 | 32 | 36.6 | $987K | −1.2% | #47 of 538 |
| 3Le Mars, IA | 69 | 52 | 50.4 | $793K | 0.0% | #82 of 538 |
| 4Marshalltown, IA | 61 | 75 | 48.4 | $754K | −0.5% | #158 of 538 |
| 5Spencer, IA | 59 | 28 | 38.5 | $930K | −0.8% | #171 of 538 |
| 6Fort Dodge, IA | 56 | 74 | 48.1 | $736K | −0.4% | #206 of 538 |
| 7Clinton, IA | 54 | 100 | 51.3 | $715K | −0.9% | #223 of 538 |
| 8Storm Lake, IA | 52 | 48 | 63.6 | $595K | −1.7% | #251 of 538 |
| 9Mason City, IA | 42 | 124 | 54.6 | $676K | −1.5% | #345 of 538 |
| 10Carroll, IA | 42 | 52 | 59.1 | $637K | −2.0% | #348 of 538 |
| 13Muscatine, IA | 38 | 106 | 61.1 | $599K | −3.0% | #397 of 538 |
Other business types in the Muscatine area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes43
- Sit-down restaurants38
- Fast food and sandwich shops48
- Pizza24
- Coffee shops and cafes56
- Bakeries and dessert shops66
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 the Muscatine, IA area?
There are 106 sit-down restaurants on map listings in the Muscatine area as of September 2026. 39 of them (37%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 32 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023, down 5.9% from 2019.
How much do households in the Muscatine, IA area spend on food away from home?
About $63.5M a year, or $3,663 per household. That is 10% below the U.S. average (an index of 90, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 106 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $599K per restaurant. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants. It is estimated from the incomes of the 17,345 households in the Muscatine area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Muscatine, IA area compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?
The Muscatine area has 61.1 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, in line with the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $599K, 10% below the U.S. figure of $664K. At the national ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, the Muscatine area would have about 96, against 106 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 542 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. The official count fell 5.9% from 2019 to 2023, against +1.5% for the U.S.
How fast is the Muscatine, IA area growing?
Population estimates put the Muscatine area at 41,853 people in 2025, down 3.0% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 17,345 households. The median household income in the Muscatine area is $69,396 a year, 14% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 18.7% 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. A small-town market is a town of 10,000 to 50,000 people and the county or counties tied to it by commuting. 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. The Muscatine area scores 38 for sit-down restaurants (lower middle), #397 of 538 scored small-town markets.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Muscatine area. 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 the Muscatine area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Muscatine area?
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 the Muscatine area. 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.