Food and drink · Small-town market · Kentucky
Sit-down restaurants in the Murray, KY area
The sit-down restaurants in the Murray, KY area, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other small-town markets.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 44 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #332 of 538 scored small-town markets
#11 of 15 scored small-town markets based in Kentucky
- Listings
- 78
- 29 chain locations (37%)
- Official establishments
- 27
- −10.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $47.5M
- On food away from home · $3,119 a household
- Spending per listing
- $609K
- 8% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 51.2
- 16% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 39,421
- +4.9% since 2020
See the sit-down restaurants around any address in the Murray area
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 the Murray area. 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
Household spending on food away from home in the Murray area comes to about $47.5M a year: $3,119 per household, 23% below the U.S. average. That is about $609K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 8% below the U.S. figure of $664K. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants.
There are 78 sit-down restaurants on map listings in the Murray area as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 37% of them, against 29% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 51.2, 16% below the U.S. rate of 61.3.
Official counts show 27 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in the Murray area in 2023, down 10.0% from 2019. That is one for every 564 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Official counts also show 5 one-person businesses without payroll.
Population estimates show the Murray area grew 4.9% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Murray area scores 44 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for sit-down restaurants, ranking #332 of 538 scored small-town markets and #11 of 15 scored small-town markets based in Kentucky.
How the Murray area 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 | Murray area | Kentucky | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 51.2 | 49.3 | 61.3 |
| Spending per listing | $609K | $707K | $664K |
| Households per official establishment | 564 | 646 | 500 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −10.0% | +1.2% | +1.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +4.9% | +2.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,119 | $3,489 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $52,706 | $63,726 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 44 | 50 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 27−10.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 644
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $12.2M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 5Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 7829 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 72The 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 the Murray area, 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 the Murray area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 39,421+4.9% since 2020
- Households
- 15,239
- Median age
- 37.8
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 64%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 385 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 99
- Median household income
- $52,706+24.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $72,292
- Median home value
- $183,200
- Jobs located here
- 15,172
- Daytime population
- 39,043Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Murray area?
These figures cover the whole small-town market. 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 the Murray area. 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 small-town markets in Kentucky for sit-down restaurants, numbered among those based in Kentucky, with the Murray area marked.
Top small-town markets in Kentucky
| 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 |
Other business types in the Murray area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes47
- Sit-down restaurants44
- Fast food and sandwich shops37
- Pizza44
- Coffee shops and cafes52
- Bakeries and dessert shops56
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 the Murray, KY area?
As of September 2026, map listings count 78 sit-down restaurants in the Murray area. 29 of them (37%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 27 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023, down 10.0% from 2019. Another 5 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in the Murray, KY area spend on food away from home?
About $47.5M a year, or $3,119 per household. That is 23% below the U.S. average (an index of 77, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 78 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $609K 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 15,239 households in the Murray area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Murray, KY area compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?
The Murray area has 51.2 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 16% below the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $609K, 8% below the U.S. figure of $664K. At the U.S. ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, the Murray area would have about 72, against 78 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 564 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. The official count fell 10.0% from 2019 to 2023, against +1.5% for the U.S.
How fast is the Murray, KY area growing?
Population estimates put the Murray area at 39,421 people in 2025, up 4.9% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 15,239 households. Median household income in the Murray area is $52,706, 35% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 24.7%, 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. A small-town market is a town of 10,000 to 50,000 people and the county or counties tied to it by commuting. 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. The Murray area scores 44 for sit-down restaurants (lower middle), #332 of 538 scored small-town markets.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Murray area. 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 the Murray area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Murray area?
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 the Murray area. 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.