Food and drink · County · Kentucky
Sit-down restaurants in Letcher County, KY
The sit-down restaurants in Letcher County, KY, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 45 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,401 of 2,405 scored counties
#64 of 99 scored counties in Kentucky
- Listings
- 29
- 8 chain locations (28%)
- Official establishments
- 8
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $22.7M
- On food away from home · $2,687 a household
- Spending per listing
- $784K
- 18% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 34.3
- 44% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 19,952
- −7.0% since 2020
See the sit-down restaurants around any address in Letcher 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 Letcher 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
At $2,687 per household (34% below the U.S. average), households in Letcher County spend about $22.7M a year on food away from home. That is about $784K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 18% above the U.S. figure of $664K. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants.
There are 29 sit-down restaurants on map listings in Letcher County as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 28% of them, against 29% across the U.S. That is 34.3 per 10,000 households, 44% below the U.S. rate of 61.3.
In 2023, official counts showed 8 businesses with payroll in Letcher County classed as full-service restaurants. That is one for every 1,058 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S.
Population estimates show Letcher County declined 7.0% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S. The Groundwork market score for sit-down restaurants in Letcher County is 45 (lower middle), #1,401 of 2,405 scored counties and #64 of 99 scored counties in Kentucky.
How Letcher 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 | Letcher County | Kentucky | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 34.3 | 49.3 | 61.3 |
| Spending per listing | $784K | $707K | $664K |
| Households per official establishment | 1,058 | 646 | 500 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +1.2% | +1.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −7.0% | +2.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $2,687 | $3,489 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $41,793 | $63,726 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 45 | 50 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 9 → 8
- Employees, 2023
- 68
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $1.5M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 0Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 298 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 34The 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 Letcher 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 Letcher County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 19,952−7.0% since 2020
- Households
- 8,463
- Median age
- 43.8
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 74%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 338 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 62
- Median household income
- $41,793+39.8% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $53,066
- Median home value
- $67,400
- Jobs located here
- 4,399
- Daytime population
- 18,096Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Letcher 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 Letcher 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 Letcher 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 |
| 64Letcher County, KY | 45 | 29 | 34.3 | $784K | −7.0% | #1,401 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Letcher County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes43
- Sit-down restaurants45
- Fast food and sandwich shops18
- Pizza17
- Coffee shops and cafes
- Bakeries and dessert shops10
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 Letcher County, KY?
As of September 2026, map listings count 29 sit-down restaurants in Letcher County. 8 of them (28%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 8 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023.
How much do households in Letcher County, KY spend on food away from home?
About $22.7M a year, or $2,687 per household. That is 34% below the U.S. average (an index of 66, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 29 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $784K 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 8,463 households in Letcher County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Letcher County, KY compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?
Letcher County has 34.3 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 44% below the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $784K, 18% above the U.S. figure of $664K. At the U.S. ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, Letcher County would have about 34, against 29 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,058 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S.
How fast is Letcher County, KY growing?
Population estimates put Letcher County at 19,952 people in 2025, down 7.0% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 8,463 households. Median household income in Letcher County is $41,793, 48% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 39.8%, 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. Letcher County scores 45 for sit-down restaurants (lower middle), #1,401 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Letcher 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 Letcher County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Letcher 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 Letcher 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.