Groundwork

Food and drink · County · Iowa

Sit-down restaurants in Warren County, IA

Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for sit-down restaurants in Warren County, IA, set against other counties and the U.S.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 90 out of 100: Very high

Ranked #24 of 2,405 scored counties
#1 of 72 scored counties in Iowa

Listings
81
36 chain locations (44%)
Official establishments
21
−19.2% since 2019
Household spending a year
$89.8M
On food away from home · $4,343 a household
Spending per listing
$1.1M
67% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
39.2
36% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
57,331
+9.0% since 2020

See the sit-down restaurants around any address in Warren 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 Warren County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Survey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure

What this means

For sit-down restaurants, Warren County has a Groundwork market score of 90 (very high): #24 of 2,405 scored counties and #1 of 72 scored counties in Iowa. That puts it in the top 10% of counties for sit-down restaurants.

At $4,343 per household (7% above the U.S. average), households in Warren County spend about $89.8M a year on food away from home. That is about $1.1M of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 67% above the U.S. figure of $664K. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants.

There are 81 sit-down restaurants on map listings in Warren County as of September 2026. Of those, 36 are chain locations, or 44%, against 29% across the U.S. That is 39.2 per 10,000 households, 36% below the U.S. rate of 61.3.

In 2023, official counts showed 21 businesses with payroll in Warren County classed as full-service restaurants, down 19.2% from 2019. That is one for every 985 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $500K has gone to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Warren County. Population estimates show Warren County grew 9.0% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%).

How Warren 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.

Sit-down restaurants in Warren County, IA compared with Iowa and the U.S.
MeasureWarren CountyIowaU.S.
Listings per 10k households39.252.961.3
Spending per listing$1.1M$733K$664K
Households per official establishment985535500
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023−19.2%−2.5%+1.5%
Population growth, 2020–2025+9.0%+1.5%+3.1%
Spending per household on food away from home$4,343$3,880$4,070
Median household income$94,588$75,059$80,734
Groundwork market score9051

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
26 → 21−19.2% over the period
Employees, 2023
402
Annual payroll, 2023
$7.5M
One-person businesses, 2023
7Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
8136 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
135The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
1
Amount
$500K

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Warren 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 Warren County

Population, 2025 estimate
57,331+9.0% since 2020
Households
20,679
Median age
39.0
Homes lived in by their owners
82%
Vehicles per household
2.1
Land area
570 sq. mi.
People per square mile
96
Median household income
$94,588+22.8% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$111,331
Median home value
$269,600
Jobs located here
12,335
Daytime population
39,313Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Warren 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 Warren County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Sit-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 Warren County marked.

Top counties in Iowa

Counties in Iowa ranked for sit-down restaurants by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Warren County, IA908139.2$1.1M+9.0%#24 of 2,405
2Madison County, IA821928.4$1.5M+3.8%#90 of 2,405
3Mills County, IA801629.7$1.4M+2.6%#122 of 2,405
4Dallas County, IA8021951.6$923K+17.8%#130 of 2,405
5Benton County, IA792827.4$1.5M+1.8%#135 of 2,405
6Boone County, IA774440.2$997K+0.4%#196 of 2,405
7Harrison County, IA752337.8$1M+0.4%#239 of 2,405
8Buchanan County, IA712833.9$1.1M+1.3%#334 of 2,405
9Hancock County, IA691225.7$1.4M−2.2%#392 of 2,405
10Jasper County, IA685536.6$1M+0.9%#423 of 2,405

Other business types in Warren County

Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.

Questions

How many sit-down restaurants are in Warren County, IA?

As of September 2026, map listings count 81 sit-down restaurants in Warren County. 36 of them (44%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 21 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023, down 19.2% from 2019. Official counts list 7 one-person businesses without payroll.

How much do households in Warren County, IA spend on food away from home?

About $89.8M a year, or $4,343 per household. That is 7% above the U.S. average (an index of 107, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 81 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $1.1M 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 20,679 households in Warren County and national spending patterns by income.

How does Warren County, IA compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?

Warren County has 39.2 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 36% below the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $1.1M, 67% above the U.S. figure of $664K. At the U.S. ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, Warren County would have about 135, against 81 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 985 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. The official count fell 19.2% from 2019 to 2023, against +1.5% for the U.S.

How fast is Warren County, IA growing?

Population estimates put Warren County at 57,331 people in 2025, up 9.0% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 20,679 households. Median household income in Warren County is $94,588, 17% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 22.8%, 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. Warren County scores 90 for sit-down restaurants (very high), #24 of 2,405 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Warren 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 Warren County

Screening a site or an acquisition in Warren 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 Warren 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.