Food and drink · County · Michigan
Restaurants and cafes in Bay County, MI
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for restaurants and cafes in Bay County, MI, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 54 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #997 of 2,405 scored counties
#36 of 75 scored counties in Michigan
- Listings
- 350
- 106 chain locations (30%)
- Official establishments
- 153
- −4.4% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $156.3M
- On food away from home · $3,466 a household
- Spending per listing
- $447K
- 20% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 77.6
- 29% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 102,123
- −1.6% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Bay 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 Bay 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
Households in Bay County spend about $156.3M a year on food away from home, or $3,466 per household, 15% below the U.S. average. Spread across 350 restaurants and cafes, that is $447K per restaurant, 20% above the U.S. figure of $371K.
Bay County has 350 restaurants and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. 106 of them (30%) are chain locations, against 34% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 77.6, 29% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.
In 2023, official counts showed 153 businesses with payroll in Bay County classed as restaurants and other eating places, down 4.4% from 2019. That is one for every 295 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Official counts list 20 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 8 SBA-backed loans worth $1.6M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Bay County.
Population estimates put the population change in Bay County from 2020 to 2025 at −1.6%, against +3.1% for the U.S. The Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes in Bay County is 54 (upper middle), #997 of 2,405 scored counties and #36 of 75 scored counties in Michigan.
How Bay 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 | Bay County | Michigan | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 77.6 | 91.9 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $447K | $422K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 295 | 241 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −4.4% | +4.4% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −1.6% | +0.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,466 | $3,875 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $61,763 | $72,875 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 54 | 66 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 160 → 153−4.4% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 2,941
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $55M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 20Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 350106 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 422The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 8
- Amount
- $1.6M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Bay 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 Bay County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 102,123−1.6% since 2020
- Households
- 45,103
- Median age
- 45.0
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 77%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 442 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 233
- Median household income
- $61,763+26.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $79,153
- Median home value
- $152,200
- Jobs located here
- 31,089
- Daytime population
- 93,442Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Bay 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 Bay 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 Bay 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 |
| 36Bay County, MI | 54 | 350 | 77.6 | $447K | −1.6% | #997 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Bay County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes54
- Sit-down restaurants57
- Fast food and sandwich shops47
- Pizza54
- Coffee shops and cafes63
- Bakeries and dessert shops45
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 Bay County, MI?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 350 restaurants and cafes in Bay County. 106 of them (30%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 153 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, down 4.4% from 2019. Official counts also show 20 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Bay County, MI spend on food away from home?
About $156.3M a year, or $3,466 per household. That is 15% below the U.S. average (an index of 85, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 350 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $447K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 45,103 households in Bay County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Bay County, MI compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Bay County has 77.6 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 29% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $447K, 20% above the U.S. figure of $371K. At the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Bay County would have about 422, against 350 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 295 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count fell 4.4% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Bay County, MI growing?
Population estimates put Bay County at 102,123 people in 2025, down 1.6% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 45,103 households. Median household income in Bay County is $61,763, 23% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 26.5%, 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. Bay County scores 54 for restaurants and cafes (upper middle), #997 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Bay 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 Bay County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Bay 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 Bay 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.