Groundwork

Food and drink · County · Kentucky

Sit-down restaurants in Jefferson County, KY

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

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 40 out of 100: Lower middle

Ranked #1,650 of 2,405 scored counties
#73 of 99 scored counties in Kentucky

Listings
2,062
739 chain locations (36%)
Official establishments
620
−1.3% since 2019
Household spending a year
$1.2B
On food away from home · $3,697 a household
Spending per listing
$594K
10% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
62.2
In line with the U.S.
Population, 2025
795,222
+1.6% since 2020

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

Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

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

What this means

At $3,697 per household (9% below the U.S. average), households in Jefferson County spend about $1.2B a year on food away from home. Spread across 2,062 sit-down restaurants, that is $594K per restaurant, 10% below the U.S. figure of $664K. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants.

There are 2,062 sit-down restaurants on map listings in Jefferson County as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 36% of them, against 29% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 62.2, in line with the U.S. rate of 61.3.

Official counts show 620 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in Jefferson County in 2023, down 1.3% from 2019. That is one for every 535 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Another 163 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 27 SBA-backed loans worth $14.9M have gone to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Jefferson County.

Population estimates show Jefferson County grew 1.6% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for sit-down restaurants in Jefferson County is 40 (lower middle), #1,650 of 2,405 scored counties and #73 of 99 scored counties in Kentucky.

How Jefferson 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 Jefferson County, KY compared with Kentucky and the U.S.
MeasureJefferson CountyKentuckyU.S.
Listings per 10k households62.249.361.3
Spending per listing$594K$707K$664K
Households per official establishment535646500
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023−1.3%+1.2%+1.5%
Population growth, 2020–2025+1.6%+2.2%+3.1%
Spending per household on food away from home$3,697$3,489$4,070
Median household income$69,866$63,726$80,734
Groundwork market score4050

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
628 → 620−1.3% over the period
Employees, 2023
16,456
Annual payroll, 2023
$429.5M
One-person businesses, 2023
163Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
2,062739 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
1,847The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
27
Amount
$14.9M

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

Population, 2025 estimate
795,222+1.6% since 2020
Households
331,554
Median age
39.5
Homes lived in by their owners
62%
Vehicles per household
1.6
Land area
381 sq. mi.
People per square mile
2,056
Median household income
$69,866+23.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$97,869
Median home value
$248,400
Jobs located here
503,996
Daytime population
914,843Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

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

Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

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 Jefferson 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
73Jefferson County, KY402,06262.2$594K+1.6%#1,650 of 2,405

Other business types in Jefferson County

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

Funeral services

Questions

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

As of September 2026, map listings count 2,062 sit-down restaurants in Jefferson County. 739 of them (36%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 620 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023, down 1.3% from 2019. Official counts list 163 one-person businesses without payroll.

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

About $1.2B a year, or $3,697 per household. That is 9% below the U.S. average (an index of 91, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 2,062 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $594K 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 331,554 households in Jefferson County and national spending patterns by income.

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

Jefferson County has 62.2 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, in line with the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $594K, 10% below the U.S. figure of $664K. At the U.S. ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, Jefferson County would have about 1,847, against 2,062 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 535 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. The official count fell 1.3% from 2019 to 2023, against +1.5% for the U.S.

How fast is Jefferson County, KY growing?

Population estimates put Jefferson County at 795,222 people in 2025, up 1.6% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 331,554 households. Median household income in Jefferson County is $69,866, 13% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 23.5%, 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. Jefferson County scores 40 for sit-down restaurants (lower middle), #1,650 of 2,405 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

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

Screening a site or an acquisition in Jefferson 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 Jefferson County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

Run a site report See plans
Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

Screening many markets at once? Talk to us

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.