Market rankings · Kentucky
Sit-down restaurants in Kentucky
Markets across Kentucky ranked by the Groundwork market score for sit-down restaurants, with competitor counts and household spending for each.
- Listings
- 8,953
- 3,797 chain locations (42%)
- Official establishments
- 2,808
- +1.2% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $6.3B
- On food away from home
- Listings per 10k households
- 49.3
- 20% below the U.S.
- Spending per listing
- $707K
- 7% above the U.S.
- Rank among states
- #25 of 51
- Market score 50 · Upper middle
A site report maps the sit-down restaurants on map listings around any address in Kentucky by name and distance, and the spending within reach.
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 8,953 sit-down restaurants in Kentucky. 3,797 of them (42%) are chain locations, against 29% across the U.S. That is 49.3 per 10,000 households, 20% below the U.S. rate of 61.3.
At $3,489 per household (14% below the U.S. average), households in Kentucky spend about $6.3B a year on food away from home. That is about $707K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 7% 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.
In 2023, official counts showed 2,808 businesses with payroll in Kentucky classed as full-service restaurants, up 1.2% from 2019. That is one for every 646 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Across the U.S., the count rose 1.5% over the same years. Since fiscal 2022, 93 SBA-backed loans worth $42.8M have gone to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Kentucky.
Among the 50 states and DC, Kentucky ranks #25 for sit-down restaurants, with a Groundwork market score of 50 (upper middle). Of the 9 scored metro areas in or partly in Kentucky, the Cincinnati metro area scores highest (67). Of the 15 scored small-town markets in or partly in Kentucky, the Richmond-Berea area scores highest (77).
Every market in Kentucky for sit-down restaurants
Download the ranking (CSV)Numbered by Groundwork market score among the markets based in Kentucky, highest first; the U.S. rank compares each market with every other of its kind. A metro area that crosses a state line is listed in each state it reaches, and numbered only in the state its page is under. How the score works.
Metro areas
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN | 67 | 4,626 | 51.0 | $803K | +2.7% | #66 of 387 |
| 1Bowling Green, KY | 57 | 366 | 49.9 | $683K | +9.5% | #135 of 387 |
| 2Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN | 55 | 2,979 | 53.4 | $711K | +2.9% | #145 of 387 |
| Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH | 54 | 639 | 42.0 | $799K | −2.6% | #150 of 387 |
| Clarksville, TN-KY | 52 | 640 | 51.3 | $687K | +8.5% | #173 of 387 |
| 3Elizabethtown, KY | 51 | 257 | 50.8 | $701K | +2.4% | #179 of 387 |
| 4Owensboro, KY | 49 | 216 | 47.7 | $738K | +1.3% | #194 of 387 |
| 5Lexington-Fayette, KY | 40 | 1,341 | 62.0 | $609K | +3.4% | #277 of 387 |
| 6Paducah, KY-IL | 16 | 253 | 60.6 | $575K | −1.2% | #381 of 387 |
Small-town markets
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Richmond-Berea, KY | 77 | 191 | 38.5 | $867K | +7.0% | #32 of 538 |
| 2Campbellsville, KY | 75 | 49 | 33.4 | $941K | +3.4% | #42 of 538 |
| 3Frankfort, KY | 75 | 132 | 40.8 | $874K | +3.1% | #43 of 538 |
| 4Mount Sterling, KY | 72 | 67 | 36.9 | $860K | +3.1% | #61 of 538 |
| 5Danville, KY | 62 | 104 | 47.8 | $675K | +3.6% | #144 of 538 |
| 6Mayfield, KY | 59 | 58 | 41.0 | $765K | +1.4% | #175 of 538 |
| 7Corbin, KY | 57 | 212 | 37.5 | $782K | +0.1% | #195 of 538 |
| 8Madisonville, KY | 56 | 74 | 40.2 | $784K | −0.5% | #200 of 538 |
| 9Somerset, KY | 55 | 123 | 46.9 | $659K | +3.5% | #218 of 538 |
| 10Glasgow, KY | 48 | 102 | 46.1 | $669K | +2.6% | #291 of 538 |
| 11Murray, KY | 44 | 78 | 51.2 | $609K | +4.9% | #332 of 538 |
| 12Pikeville, KY | 43 | 158 | 40.5 | $710K | −5.4% | #335 of 538 |
| 13Henderson, KY | 43 | 118 | 50.3 | $648K | −0.9% | #339 of 538 |
| 14Franklin, KY | 34 | 53 | 66.0 | $502K | +5.9% | #436 of 538 |
| 15Middlesborough, KY | 19 | 55 | 55.3 | $464K | −4.8% | #527 of 538 |
Counties
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Spencer County, KY | 95 | 18 | 24.6 | $1.8M | +7.7% | #4 of 2,405 |
| 2Oldham County, KY | 88 | 79 | 34.3 | $1.5M | +4.9% | #36 of 2,405 |
| 3Bullitt County, KY | 88 | 97 | 30.6 | $1.3M | +5.0% | #40 of 2,405 |
| 4Jessamine County, KY | 83 | 66 | 33.1 | $1.1M | +7.8% | #85 of 2,405 |
| 5Grant County, KY | 78 | 28 | 30.4 | $1.1M | +4.7% | #158 of 2,405 |
| 6Henry County, KY | 77 | 15 | 24.4 | $1.4M | +4.8% | #183 of 2,405 |
| 7Meade County, KY | 77 | 37 | 33.6 | $1.1M | +2.2% | #187 of 2,405 |
| 8Allen County, KY | 77 | 24 | 29.9 | $1.1M | +9.5% | #190 of 2,405 |
| 9Lincoln County, KY | 76 | 23 | 23.7 | $1.3M | +4.6% | #211 of 2,405 |
| 10Shelby County, KY | 75 | 72 | 39.0 | $1M | +6.2% | #242 of 2,405 |
| 11Scott County, KY | 75 | 104 | 45.9 | $885K | +8.2% | #252 of 2,405 |
| 12Washington County, KY | 74 | 13 | 26.8 | $1.2M | +2.7% | #258 of 2,405 |
| 13Bath County, KY | 74 | 14 | 29.8 | $1.1M | +3.6% | #264 of 2,405 |
| 14Mercer County, KY | 74 | 29 | 31.6 | $1.1M | +4.8% | #265 of 2,405 |
| 15Anderson County, KY | 74 | 37 | 38.3 | $950K | +5.5% | #276 of 2,405 |
| 16Owen County, KY | 73 | 12 | 28.2 | $1.1M | +2.6% | #295 of 2,405 |
| 17Edmonson County, KY | 73 | 14 | 27.5 | $1.1M | +5.0% | #296 of 2,405 |
| 18Breckinridge County, KY | 73 | 27 | 33.5 | $965K | +5.2% | #303 of 2,405 |
| 19Pendleton County, KY | 72 | 15 | 27.6 | $1.2M | +1.1% | #310 of 2,405 |
| 20Garrard County, KY | 72 | 24 | 35.8 | $906K | +7.3% | #324 of 2,405 |
| 21Larue County, KY | 71 | 19 | 31.7 | $1.1M | +2.1% | #339 of 2,405 |
| 22Nelson County, KY | 71 | 76 | 39.7 | $893K | +4.8% | #348 of 2,405 |
| 23Fleming County, KY | 70 | 18 | 30.7 | $966K | +4.6% | #373 of 2,405 |
| 24Harrison County, KY | 70 | 27 | 37.0 | $941K | +4.9% | #376 of 2,405 |
| 25Madison County, KY | 70 | 149 | 40.2 | $866K | +9.4% | #386 of 2,405 |
Show all 120 counties
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26Grayson County, KY | 68 | 34 | 33.6 | $938K | +3.6% | #430 of 2,405 |
| 27Kenton County, KY | 68 | 290 | 43.0 | $926K | +3.9% | #433 of 2,405 |
| 28Taylor County, KY | 66 | 34 | 33.1 | $964K | +2.9% | #486 of 2,405 |
| 29Woodford County, KY | 66 | 49 | 45.3 | $885K | +3.7% | #494 of 2,405 |
| 30Ohio County, KY | 64 | 30 | 32.9 | $963K | +0.8% | #561 of 2,405 |
| 31Green County, KY | 64 | 15 | 33.9 | $889K | +4.6% | #565 of 2,405 |
| 32Jackson County, KY | 63 | 9 | 17.6 | $1.6M | +2.8% | #594 of 2,405 |
| 33Greenup County, KY | 63 | 45 | 30.5 | $1.1M | −1.9% | #603 of 2,405 |
| 34Butler County, KY | 63 | 15 | 32.8 | $937K | +1.6% | #613 of 2,405 |
| 35Casey County, KY | 62 | 21 | 32.4 | $898K | +1.8% | #655 of 2,405 |
| 36Boone County, KY | 62 | 296 | 58.1 | $754K | +6.5% | #683 of 2,405 |
| 37Todd County, KY | 62 | 22 | 48.3 | $715K | +5.6% | #688 of 2,405 |
| 38Estill County, KY | 59 | 14 | 23.4 | $1.2M | −1.4% | #762 of 2,405 |
| 39Hart County, KY | 59 | 24 | 32.5 | $935K | +4.3% | #770 of 2,405 |
| 40Lawrence County, KY | 58 | 18 | 28.4 | $1M | −3.3% | #798 of 2,405 |
| 41Laurel County, KY | 58 | 91 | 37.9 | $841K | +1.6% | #811 of 2,405 |
| 42Franklin County, KY | 57 | 95 | 41.8 | $844K | +2.0% | #855 of 2,405 |
| 43Wayne County, KY | 56 | 26 | 32.2 | $864K | +0.3% | #893 of 2,405 |
| 44Carter County, KY | 54 | 36 | 33.4 | $932K | −1.7% | #976 of 2,405 |
| 45Harlan County, KY | 53 | 31 | 28.9 | $959K | −7.6% | #1,018 of 2,405 |
| 46Morgan County, KY | 52 | 18 | 36.9 | $805K | +5.0% | #1,079 of 2,405 |
| 47Montgomery County, KY | 52 | 49 | 44.5 | $719K | +2.5% | #1,095 of 2,405 |
| 48Warren County, KY | 51 | 313 | 56.3 | $622K | +10.6% | #1,147 of 2,405 |
| 49Lewis County, KY | 50 | 13 | 25.9 | $1.2M | −1.4% | #1,150 of 2,405 |
| 50Graves County, KY | 50 | 58 | 41.0 | $765K | +1.4% | #1,161 of 2,405 |
| 51Daviess County, KY | 50 | 199 | 47.8 | $737K | +1.5% | #1,168 of 2,405 |
| 52Campbell County, KY | 50 | 218 | 55.6 | $712K | +2.5% | #1,172 of 2,405 |
| 53Hardin County, KY | 50 | 238 | 53.3 | $673K | +2.4% | #1,179 of 2,405 |
| 54Trigg County, KY | 50 | 30 | 49.5 | $663K | +3.1% | #1,181 of 2,405 |
| 55Bourbon County, KY | 49 | 39 | 47.9 | $720K | −0.3% | #1,229 of 2,405 |
| 56Hopkins County, KY | 48 | 74 | 40.2 | $784K | −0.5% | #1,261 of 2,405 |
| 57Clay County, KY | 47 | 25 | 34.3 | $790K | −4.1% | #1,299 of 2,405 |
| 58Marshall County, KY | 47 | 61 | 46.2 | $751K | −0.1% | #1,304 of 2,405 |
| 59McCreary County, KY | 47 | 22 | 37.5 | $660K | +1.7% | #1,324 of 2,405 |
| 60Pulaski County, KY | 47 | 123 | 46.9 | $659K | +3.5% | #1,326 of 2,405 |
| 61Leslie County, KY | 46 | 8 | 18.9 | $1.5M | −8.0% | #1,340 of 2,405 |
| 62Knox County, KY | 46 | 40 | 34.2 | $754K | −2.2% | #1,354 of 2,405 |
| 63Rockcastle County, KY | 46 | 28 | 42.9 | $690K | +0.6% | #1,365 of 2,405 |
| 64Letcher County, KY | 45 | 29 | 34.3 | $784K | −7.0% | #1,401 of 2,405 |
| 65Clark County, KY | 45 | 76 | 50.5 | $684K | +2.3% | #1,422 of 2,405 |
| 66Webster County, KY | 45 | 23 | 46.7 | $672K | −0.7% | #1,426 of 2,405 |
| 67Logan County, KY | 45 | 56 | 50.9 | $629K | +4.2% | #1,432 of 2,405 |
| 68Whitley County, KY | 42 | 56 | 41.4 | $705K | +1.6% | #1,528 of 2,405 |
| 69Barren County, KY | 42 | 82 | 45.5 | $683K | +2.6% | #1,532 of 2,405 |
| 70Martin County, KY | 40 | 16 | 41.5 | $705K | −4.9% | #1,623 of 2,405 |
| 71Monroe County, KY | 40 | 21 | 45.2 | $655K | −1.1% | #1,635 of 2,405 |
| 72Metcalfe County, KY | 40 | 20 | 48.8 | $612K | +2.9% | #1,646 of 2,405 |
| 73Jefferson County, KY | 40 | 2,062 | 62.2 | $594K | +1.6% | #1,650 of 2,405 |
| 74Adair County, KY | 39 | 35 | 49.0 | $621K | +2.9% | #1,690 of 2,405 |
| 75Pike County, KY | 38 | 98 | 40.4 | $715K | −6.4% | #1,716 of 2,405 |
| 76Floyd County, KY | 38 | 60 | 40.8 | $702K | −3.9% | #1,718 of 2,405 |
| 77Calloway County, KY | 38 | 78 | 51.2 | $609K | +4.9% | #1,731 of 2,405 |
| 78Marion County, KY | 37 | 39 | 50.5 | $629K | +2.7% | #1,767 of 2,405 |
| 79Breathitt County, KY | 36 | 16 | 29.3 | $903K | −8.3% | #1,786 of 2,405 |
| 80Magoffin County, KY | 36 | 19 | 40.1 | $644K | −4.3% | #1,798 of 2,405 |
| 81Carroll County, KY | 36 | 26 | 62.2 | $533K | +2.9% | #1,813 of 2,405 |
| 82Fayette County, KY | 36 | 1,007 | 72.1 | $522K | +2.2% | #1,815 of 2,405 |
| 83Knott County, KY | 35 | 18 | 32.6 | $869K | −5.9% | #1,821 of 2,405 |
| 84Henderson County, KY | 34 | 95 | 51.3 | $642K | −0.9% | #1,873 of 2,405 |
| 85Boyle County, KY | 33 | 81 | 67.2 | $495K | +2.9% | #1,939 of 2,405 |
| 86Perry County, KY | 32 | 57 | 51.5 | $572K | −6.4% | #1,969 of 2,405 |
| 87Johnson County, KY | 31 | 36 | 39.8 | $717K | −2.6% | #1,989 of 2,405 |
| 88Muhlenberg County, KY | 30 | 62 | 51.1 | $629K | −0.9% | #2,035 of 2,405 |
| 89Rowan County, KY | 30 | 52 | 54.2 | $581K | −1.0% | #2,040 of 2,405 |
| 90Boyd County, KY | 30 | 109 | 56.5 | $580K | −0.9% | #2,041 of 2,405 |
| 91Simpson County, KY | 30 | 53 | 66.0 | $502K | +5.9% | #2,059 of 2,405 |
| 92Christian County, KY | 26 | 126 | 49.0 | $628K | −3.6% | #2,171 of 2,405 |
| 93Russell County, KY | 25 | 42 | 55.5 | $552K | +3.4% | #2,199 of 2,405 |
| 94Powell County, KY | 24 | 26 | 54.3 | $518K | −2.2% | #2,225 of 2,405 |
| 95Caldwell County, KY | 22 | 28 | 55.7 | $579K | −0.3% | #2,266 of 2,405 |
| 96McCracken County, KY | 22 | 191 | 69.2 | $512K | −0.5% | #2,270 of 2,405 |
| 97Union County, KY | 18 | 34 | 65.4 | $480K | −5.9% | #2,343 of 2,405 |
| 98Bell County, KY | 17 | 55 | 55.3 | $464K | −4.8% | #2,354 of 2,405 |
| 99Mason County, KY | 11 | 51 | 71.5 | $437K | −1.2% | #2,391 of 2,405 |
| Clinton County, KY | Not scored | 22 | 57.1 | $491K | −1.0% | |
| McLean County, KY | Not scored | 17 | 46.7 | $758K | −0.8% | |
| Hancock County, KY | Not scored | 11 | 30.2 | $1.1M | −0.6% | |
| Crittenden County, KY | Not scored | 10 | 28.2 | $1.1M | −2.2% | |
| Livingston County, KY | Not scored | 17 | 47.2 | $695K | −0.1% | |
| Lyon County, KY | Not scored | 18 | 52.6 | $670K | +5.2% | |
| Gallatin County, KY | Not scored | 10 | 30.6 | $1.1M | +1.9% | |
| Trimble County, KY | Not scored | 6 | 17.7 | $1.9M | +2.8% | |
| Bracken County, KY | Not scored | 14 | 41.6 | $864K | +1.3% | |
| Nicholas County, KY | Not scored | 12 | 43.2 | $703K | +5.4% | |
| Ballard County, KY | Not scored | 13 | 40.5 | $858K | −1.5% | |
| Lee County, KY | Not scored | 11 | 42.4 | $619K | −0.9% | |
| Elliott County, KY | Not scored | 4 | 16.4 | $1.7M | −0.9% | |
| Wolfe County, KY | Not scored | 15 | 56.1 | $421K | −4.0% | |
| Fulton County, KY | Not scored | 17 | 66.7 | $398K | −4.5% | |
| Menifee County, KY | Not scored | 4 | 16.1 | $1.8M | +4.8% | |
| Cumberland County, KY | Not scored | 14 | 53.2 | $509K | +2.3% | |
| Carlisle County, KY | Not scored | 3 | 16.1 | $2.1M | −1.2% | |
| Hickman County, KY | Not scored | 8 | 46.2 | $718K | −3.4% | |
| Owsley County, KY | Not scored | 2 | 12.8 | $1.8M | −2.5% | |
| Robertson County, KY | Not scored | 2 | 24.7 | $1.3M | +6.6% |
Markets with fewer than 5 sit-down restaurants on map listings, and counties under 10,000 people, aren’t scored; they’re listed last in each table.
Questions
How many sit-down restaurants are in Kentucky?
There are 8,953 sit-down restaurants on map listings in Kentucky as of September 2026. 3,797 of them (42%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 2,808 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023, up 1.2% from 2019. Official counts also show 571 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Kentucky spend on food away from home?
About $6.3B a year, or $3,489 per household. That is 14% below the U.S. average (an index of 86, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 8,953 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $707K per restaurant. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants. It is estimated from the incomes of the 1,814,469 households in Kentucky and national spending patterns by income.
How does Kentucky compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?
Kentucky has 49.3 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 20% below the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $707K, 7% above the U.S. figure of $664K. At the national ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, Kentucky would have about 9,539, against 8,953 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 646 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. The official count rose 1.2% from 2019 to 2023, against +1.5% for the U.S.
Which market in Kentucky has the highest market score for sit-down restaurants?
Among 9 scored metro areas in or partly in Kentucky, the Cincinnati metro area scores highest, at 67 (upper middle). Among 15 scored small-town markets in or partly in Kentucky, the Richmond-Berea area scores highest, at 77 (high). Among 99 scored counties in Kentucky, Spencer County scores highest, at 95 (very high). Scores compare each market with others of its kind across the U.S.
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. Kentucky scores 50 for sit-down restaurants (upper middle), #25 of the 50 states and DC.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Kentucky. 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.
Sit-down restaurants in other states
All 51 states
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- District of Columbia
- Florida
- Georgia
- Hawaii
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Washington
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
Top markets for sit-down restaurants across the U.S. · All business types in Kentucky
Related business types in Kentucky
- Restaurants and cafes16,217 listings
- Fast food and sandwich shops2,688 listings
- Pizza1,897 listings
- Coffee shops and cafes1,338 listings
- Bakeries and dessert shops1,258 listings
Screening a site or an acquisition in Kentucky?
A site report maps the competitors on map listings near an address and sizes the households and spending around it.
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.