Groundwork

Food and drink · County · Kentucky

Sit-down restaurants in Graves County, KY

The sit-down restaurants in Graves County, KY, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 50 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #1,161 of 2,405 scored counties
#50 of 99 scored counties in Kentucky

Listings
58
16 chain locations (28%)
Official establishments
20
−9.1% since 2019
Household spending a year
$44.4M
On food away from home · $3,138 a household
Spending per listing
$765K
15% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
41.0
33% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
37,050
+1.4% since 2020

See the sit-down restaurants around any address in Graves 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 Graves 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

Household spending on food away from home in Graves County comes to about $44.4M a year: $3,138 per household, 23% below the U.S. average. That works out to $765K per restaurant, 15% above the U.S. figure of $664K. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants.

There are 58 sit-down restaurants on map listings in Graves County as of September 2026. Of those, 16 are chain locations, or 28%, against 29% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 41.0, 33% below the U.S. rate of 61.3.

Official counts show 20 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in Graves County in 2023, down 9.1% from 2019. That is one for every 707 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Official counts list 5 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $393K has gone to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Graves County.

Population estimates put the population change in Graves County from 2020 to 2025 at +1.4%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). Graves County scores 50 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for sit-down restaurants, ranking #1,161 of 2,405 scored counties and #50 of 99 scored counties in Kentucky.

How Graves 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.

Sit-down restaurants in Graves County, KY compared with Kentucky and the U.S.
MeasureGraves CountyKentuckyU.S.
Listings per 10k households41.049.361.3
Spending per listing$765K$707K$664K
Households per official establishment707646500
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023−9.1%+1.2%+1.5%
Population growth, 2020–2025+1.4%+2.2%+3.1%
Spending per household on food away from home$3,138$3,489$4,070
Median household income$50,772$63,726$80,734
Groundwork market score5050

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
22 → 20−9.1% over the period
Employees, 2023
332
Annual payroll, 2023
$5.6M
One-person businesses, 2023
5Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
5816 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
67The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
1
Amount
$393K

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

Population, 2025 estimate
37,050+1.4% since 2020
Households
14,139
Median age
41.0
Homes lived in by their owners
76%
Vehicles per household
1.9
Land area
552 sq. mi.
People per square mile
66
Median household income
$50,772+15.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$74,127
Median home value
$147,800
Jobs located here
11,600
Daytime population
33,159Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

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

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Sit-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 Graves County marked.

Top counties in Kentucky

Counties in Kentucky ranked for sit-down restaurants by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Spencer County, KY951824.6$1.8M+7.7%#4 of 2,405
2Oldham County, KY887934.3$1.5M+4.9%#36 of 2,405
3Bullitt County, KY889730.6$1.3M+5.0%#40 of 2,405
4Jessamine County, KY836633.1$1.1M+7.8%#85 of 2,405
5Grant County, KY782830.4$1.1M+4.7%#158 of 2,405
6Henry County, KY771524.4$1.4M+4.8%#183 of 2,405
7Meade County, KY773733.6$1.1M+2.2%#187 of 2,405
8Allen County, KY772429.9$1.1M+9.5%#190 of 2,405
9Lincoln County, KY762323.7$1.3M+4.6%#211 of 2,405
10Shelby County, KY757239.0$1M+6.2%#242 of 2,405
50Graves County, KY505841.0$765K+1.4%#1,161 of 2,405

Other business types in Graves County

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

Questions

How many sit-down restaurants are in Graves County, KY?

As of September 2026, map listings count 58 sit-down restaurants in Graves County. 16 of them (28%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 20 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023, down 9.1% from 2019. Official counts also show 5 one-person businesses without payroll.

How much do households in Graves County, KY spend on food away from home?

About $44.4M a year, or $3,138 per household. That is 23% below the U.S. average (an index of 77, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 58 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $765K 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 14,139 households in Graves County and national spending patterns by income.

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

Graves County has 41.0 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 33% below the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $765K, 15% above the U.S. figure of $664K. At the U.S. ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, Graves County would have about 67, against 58 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 707 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. The official count fell 9.1% from 2019 to 2023, against +1.5% for the U.S.

How fast is Graves County, KY growing?

Population estimates put Graves County at 37,050 people in 2025, up 1.4% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 14,139 households. Median household income in Graves County is $50,772, 37% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 15.3%, 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. Graves County scores 50 for sit-down restaurants (upper middle), #1,161 of 2,405 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

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

Screening a site or an acquisition in Graves 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 Graves 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.