Food and drink · County · Kentucky
Sit-down restaurants in Caldwell County, KY
How Caldwell County, KY compares with other counties and the U.S. for sit-down restaurants: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 22 out of 100: Low
Ranked #2,266 of 2,405 scored counties
#95 of 99 scored counties in Kentucky
- Listings
- 28
- 12 chain locations (43%)
- Official establishments
- 12
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $16.2M
- On food away from home · $3,225 a household
- Spending per listing
- $579K
- 13% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 55.7
- 9% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 12,609
- −0.3% since 2020
See the sit-down restaurants around any address in Caldwell 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 Caldwell 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
For sit-down restaurants, Caldwell County has a Groundwork market score of 22 (low): #2,266 of 2,405 scored counties and #95 of 99 scored counties in Kentucky. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
As of September 2026, map listings count 28 sit-down restaurants in Caldwell County. 12 of them (43%) are chain locations, against 29% across the U.S. That is 55.7 per 10,000 households, 9% below the U.S. rate of 61.3.
At $3,225 per household (21% below the U.S. average), households in Caldwell County spend about $16.2M a year on food away from home. That works out to $579K per restaurant, 13% 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.
Official counts show 12 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in Caldwell County in 2023. That is one for every 419 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Caldwell County declined 0.3%, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How Caldwell County compares
The same measures for Kentucky 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 | Caldwell County | Kentucky | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 55.7 | 49.3 | 61.3 |
| Spending per listing | $579K | $707K | $664K |
| Households per official establishment | 419 | 646 | 500 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +1.2% | +1.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −0.3% | +2.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,225 | $3,489 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $59,583 | $63,726 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 22 | 50 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 11 → 12
- Employees, 2023
- 154
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $2.7M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 0Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 2812 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 24The 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 Caldwell 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 Caldwell County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 12,609−0.3% since 2020
- Households
- 5,025
- Median age
- 42.6
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 70%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 345 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 37
- Median household income
- $59,583+33.1% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $73,080
- Median home value
- $118,500
- Jobs located here
- 4,936
- Daytime population
- 12,242Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Caldwell 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 Caldwell 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 Kentucky
Every Kentucky market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Kentucky for sit-down restaurants, numbered among those based in Kentucky, with Caldwell County marked.
Top counties in Kentucky
| 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 |
| 95Caldwell County, KY | 22 | 28 | 55.7 | $579K | −0.3% | #2,266 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Caldwell County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes22
- Sit-down restaurants22
- Fast food and sandwich shops17
- Pizza18
- Coffee shops and cafes
- 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 Caldwell County, KY?
Caldwell County has 28 sit-down restaurants on map listings as of September 2026. 12 of them (43%) 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 Caldwell County, KY spend on food away from home?
About $16.2M a year, or $3,225 per household. That is 21% below the U.S. average (an index of 79, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 28 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $579K per restaurant. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants. It is estimated from the incomes of the 5,025 households in Caldwell County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Caldwell County, KY compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?
Caldwell County has 55.7 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 9% below the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $579K, 13% below the U.S. figure of $664K. At the national ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, Caldwell County would have about 24, against 28 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 419 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S.
How fast is Caldwell County, KY growing?
Population estimates put Caldwell County at 12,609 people in 2025, down 0.3% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 5,025 households. The median household income in Caldwell County is $59,583 a year, 26% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 33.1% 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. Caldwell County scores 22 for sit-down restaurants (low), #2,266 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Caldwell 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 Caldwell County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Caldwell 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 Caldwell 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.