Full-service restaurants in Kentucky: 3,380 locations, +0.8% jobs
Official counts for full-service restaurants in Kentucky, 2026 Q1: how many there are, whether they are adding jobs, what they pay, and how Kentucky compares with the other states. From the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Census Bureau, refreshed each quarter.
Kentucky against the country · 2026 Q1
| Kentucky | United States | |
|---|---|---|
| Full-service restaurants with employees | 3,380 | 265,527 |
| Per 100,000 residents | 73.7 | 78.1 |
| Jobs | 66,009 | 5,242,690 |
| Jobs, year over year | +0.8% | -0.4% |
| Locations, year over year | +0.9% | +1.0% |
| Average weekly wage | $483 | $602 |
| Rank among states, density | 28 of 50 | |
| Rank among states, job growth | 9 of 50 |
What the numbers say
Kentucky has 3,380 full-service restaurants with payroll, employing 66,009 people. At 73.7 per 100,000 residents the market is close to the national average, number 28 among the 50 states with published data. Jobs grew +0.8% over the year, ahead of the national -0.4%.
Average pay at full-service restaurants in Kentucky is $483 a week, 20% below the national figure of $602. Budget labor from this number, not from a national guide.
Over five years, from 2021 to 2025, the number of full-service restaurants in Kentucky moved +13.3%, from 2,957 to 3,350.
Full-service restaurants in Kentucky, annual average
- 20212,957
- 20223,034
- 20233,213
- 20243,337
- 20253,350
Jobs at full-service restaurants in Kentucky
- 202157,827
- 202262,696
- 202365,577
- 202466,035
- 202566,365
What counts as full-service restaurants here
Restaurants where customers order and are served at a table and pay after eating. Fast-casual counters and takeout are counted under quick-service. The code is NAICS 722511. BLS counts establishments that report payroll, so a one-person business with no employees is not in these figures; in trades with many solo operators the true number of businesses is higher.
Before you open one in Kentucky
A statewide figure tells you which way the wind blows. It does not tell you whether the corner you are looking at has the households, the income and the gap in competition to support one more. A counts the full-service restaurants within reach of one address in Kentucky, reads the county trend from the same BLS table, and scores the plan. The saturation check does a city-level version for free.
Questions people ask
How many full-service restaurants are there in Kentucky?
BLS counted 3,380 full-service restaurants with employees in Kentucky in 2026 Q1, employing 66,009 people. Owner-only businesses with no payroll are not in that count. That is 73.7 per 100,000 residents, against 78.1 nationally.
Are full-service restaurants growing in Kentucky?
Yes. Jobs at full-service restaurants in Kentucky changed +0.8% over the year to 2026 Q1, and the number of locations changed +0.9%. That ranks Kentucky 9 of 50 states for job growth in this business type. Over five years the location count moved +13.3%.
Is Kentucky a crowded market for full-service restaurants?
Kentucky has 73.7 full-service restaurants per 100,000 residents, close to the national average, ranking 28 of 50 states. Density is a statewide average; a Neur report counts the competitors around one address.
Full-service restaurants in every state
Densest first. The number is full-service restaurants per 100,000 residents in 2026 Q1.
Other business types in Kentucky
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, private sector, NAICS 722511, 2026 Q1 (quarterly) and annual averages (five-year series); U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 1-year population estimates. This page is generated from those feeds and rewritten when a new quarter publishes. All 14 business types in Kentucky · Growth ranking for Kentucky · Full-service restaurants by state