Food and drink · County · Kentucky
Sit-down restaurants in Nelson County, KY
The sit-down restaurants in Nelson County, KY, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 71 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #348 of 2,405 scored counties
#22 of 99 scored counties in Kentucky
- Listings
- 76
- 33 chain locations (43%)
- Official establishments
- 24
- −11.1% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $67.9M
- On food away from home · $3,545 a household
- Spending per listing
- $893K
- 35% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 39.7
- 35% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 49,036
- +4.8% since 2020
See the sit-down restaurants around any address in Nelson 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 Nelson 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 $3,545 per household (13% below the U.S. average), households in Nelson County spend about $67.9M a year on food away from home. That works out to $893K per restaurant, 35% above the U.S. figure of $664K. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants.
Nelson County has 76 sit-down restaurants on map listings as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 43% of them, against 29% across the U.S. That is 39.7 per 10,000 households, 35% below the U.S. rate of 61.3.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in Nelson County was 24 in 2023, down 11.1% from 2019. That is one for every 798 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Another 7 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $495K has gone to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Nelson County.
Population estimates show Nelson County grew 4.8% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for sit-down restaurants in Nelson County is 71 (upper middle), #348 of 2,405 scored counties and #22 of 99 scored counties in Kentucky. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How Nelson 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 | Nelson County | Kentucky | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 39.7 | 49.3 | 61.3 |
| Spending per listing | $893K | $707K | $664K |
| Households per official establishment | 798 | 646 | 500 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −11.1% | +1.2% | +1.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +4.8% | +2.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,545 | $3,489 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $69,562 | $63,726 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 71 | 50 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 27 → 24−11.1% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 640
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $14.5M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 7Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 7633 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 102The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $495K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Nelson 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 Nelson County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 49,036+4.8% since 2020
- Households
- 19,150
- Median age
- 40.6
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 78%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.1
- Land area
- 419 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 114
- Median household income
- $69,562+15.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $87,639
- Median home value
- $238,000
- Jobs located here
- 18,213
- Daytime population
- 41,912Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Nelson 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 Nelson 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 Nelson 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 |
| 22Nelson County, KY | 71 | 76 | 39.7 | $893K | +4.8% | #348 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Nelson County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes63
- Sit-down restaurants71
- Fast food and sandwich shops68
- Pizza63
- Coffee shops and cafes76
- Bakeries and dessert shops78
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 Nelson County, KY?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 76 sit-down restaurants in Nelson County. 33 of them (43%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 24 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023, down 11.1% from 2019. Official counts list 7 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Nelson County, KY spend on food away from home?
About $67.9M a year, or $3,545 per household. That is 13% below the U.S. average (an index of 87, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 76 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $893K 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 19,150 households in Nelson County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Nelson County, KY compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?
Nelson County has 39.7 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 35% below the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $893K, 35% above the U.S. figure of $664K. At the U.S. ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, Nelson County would have about 102, against 76 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 798 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. The official count fell 11.1% from 2019 to 2023, against +1.5% for the U.S.
How fast is Nelson County, KY growing?
Population estimates put Nelson County at 49,036 people in 2025, up 4.8% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 19,150 households. Median household income in Nelson County is $69,562, 14% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 15.7%, 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. 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. Nelson County scores 71 for sit-down restaurants (upper middle), #348 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Nelson 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 Nelson County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Nelson 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 Nelson 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.