Food and drink · County · Michigan
Restaurants and cafes in Allegan County, MI
How Allegan County, MI compares with other counties and the U.S. for restaurants and cafes: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 73 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #312 of 2,405 scored counties
#11 of 75 scored counties in Michigan
- Listings
- 367
- 103 chain locations (28%)
- Official establishments
- 160
- −1.8% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $183.8M
- On food away from home · $4,038 a household
- Spending per listing
- $501K
- 35% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 80.6
- 27% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 123,188
- +2.1% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Allegan County
The site report maps the restaurants and cafes 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 Allegan 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
As of September 2026, map listings count 367 restaurants and cafes in Allegan County. 103 of them (28%) are chain locations, against 34% across the U.S. That is 80.6 per 10,000 households, 27% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.
Households in Allegan County spend about $183.8M a year on food away from home, or $4,038 per household, in line with the U.S. average. That is about $501K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 35% above the U.S. figure of $371K.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in Allegan County was 160 in 2023, down 1.8% from 2019. That is one for every 285 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Another 34 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 30 SBA-backed loans worth $10.3M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Allegan County.
Population estimates show Allegan County grew 2.1% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). For restaurants and cafes, Allegan County has a Groundwork market score of 73 (upper middle): #312 of 2,405 scored counties and #11 of 75 scored counties in Michigan. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How Allegan County compares
The same measures for Michigan and the whole U.S. Spending per listing divides a year of household spending on all food away from home by the restaurants and cafes 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 | Allegan County | Michigan | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 80.6 | 91.9 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $501K | $422K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 285 | 241 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −1.8% | +4.4% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.1% | +0.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $4,038 | $3,875 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $83,283 | $72,875 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 73 | 66 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 163 → 160−1.8% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 2,744
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $59.6M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 34Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 367103 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 496The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 30
- Amount
- $10.3M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Allegan 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 Allegan County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 123,188+2.1% since 2020
- Households
- 45,522
- Median age
- 41.4
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 87%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 825 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 147
- Median household income
- $83,283+32.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $103,889
- Median home value
- $267,100
- Jobs located here
- 42,851
- Daytime population
- 107,584Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Allegan 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 restaurants and cafes on map listings by name and distance.
Or open the report at the center of Allegan County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardRestaurants and cafes across Michigan
Every Michigan market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Michigan for restaurants and cafes, numbered among those based in Michigan, with Allegan County marked.
Top counties in Michigan
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Barry County, MI | 83 | 113 | 46.2 | $847K | +2.2% | #80 of 2,405 |
| 2Clinton County, MI | 83 | 169 | 53.4 | $797K | +1.6% | #81 of 2,405 |
| 3Ottawa County, MI | 82 | 832 | 74.7 | $575K | +3.9% | #107 of 2,405 |
| 4Cass County, MI | 79 | 98 | 46.2 | $822K | +0.2% | #144 of 2,405 |
| 5Kalkaska County, MI | 78 | 44 | 56.5 | $612K | +4.3% | #170 of 2,405 |
| 6Livingston County, MI | 77 | 575 | 75.2 | $625K | +1.7% | #190 of 2,405 |
| 7Lapeer County, MI | 76 | 216 | 62.0 | $627K | +1.0% | #217 of 2,405 |
| 8Newaygo County, MI | 75 | 113 | 57.5 | $602K | +3.1% | #235 of 2,405 |
| 9Monroe County, MI | 73 | 460 | 73.0 | $542K | +0.7% | #302 of 2,405 |
| 10Montcalm County, MI | 73 | 166 | 67.7 | $511K | +4.1% | #307 of 2,405 |
| 11Allegan County, MI | 73 | 367 | 80.6 | $501K | +2.1% | #312 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Allegan County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes73
- Sit-down restaurants72
- Fast food and sandwich shops73
- Pizza71
- Coffee shops and cafes68
- Bakeries and dessert shops73
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 restaurants and cafes are in Allegan County, MI?
Allegan County has 367 restaurants and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. 103 of them (28%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 160 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, down 1.8% from 2019. Official counts list 34 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Allegan County, MI spend on food away from home?
About $183.8M a year, or $4,038 per household. That is in line with the U.S. average (an index of 99, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 367 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $501K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 45,522 households in Allegan County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Allegan County, MI compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Allegan County has 80.6 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 27% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $501K, 35% above the U.S. figure of $371K. At the national ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Allegan County would have about 496, against 367 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 285 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count fell 1.8% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Allegan County, MI growing?
Population estimates put Allegan County at 123,188 people in 2025, up 2.1% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 45,522 households. The median household income in Allegan County is $83,283 a year, 3% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 32.3% from the 2015–2019 survey, 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. Allegan County scores 73 for restaurants and cafes (upper middle), #312 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Allegan County. It maps the restaurants and cafes 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 restaurants and cafes · All 56 business types in Allegan County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Allegan 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 Allegan 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.