Food and drink · County · Michigan
Restaurants and cafes in Clare County, MI
How Clare 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 40 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,601 of 2,405 scored counties
#53 of 75 scored counties in Michigan
- Listings
- 98
- 30 chain locations (31%)
- Official establishments
- 54
- +5.9% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $38.2M
- On food away from home · $3,054 a household
- Spending per listing
- $390K
- 5% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 78.3
- 29% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 31,543
- +2.3% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Clare 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 Clare 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
Household spending on food away from home in Clare County comes to about $38.2M a year: $3,054 per household, 25% below the U.S. average. That is about $390K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 5% above the U.S. figure of $371K.
Clare County has 98 restaurants and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. 30 of them (31%) are chain locations, against 34% across the U.S. That is 78.3 per 10,000 households, 29% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in Clare County was 54 in 2023, up 5.9% from 2019. That is one for every 232 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Another 5 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $195K have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Clare County.
Population estimates put the population change in Clare County from 2020 to 2025 at +2.3%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). For restaurants and cafes, Clare County has a Groundwork market score of 40 (lower middle): #1,601 of 2,405 scored counties and #53 of 75 scored counties in Michigan.
How Clare 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 | Clare County | Michigan | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 78.3 | 91.9 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $390K | $422K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 232 | 241 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +5.9% | +4.4% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.3% | +0.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,054 | $3,875 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $49,384 | $72,875 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 40 | 66 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 51 → 54+5.9% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 937
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $16.1M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 5Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 9830 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 103The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 2
- Amount
- $195K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Clare 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 Clare County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 31,543+2.3% since 2020
- Households
- 12,521
- Median age
- 47.5
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 87%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.7
- Land area
- 564 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 55
- Median household income
- $49,384+24.8% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $68,316
- Median home value
- $133,800
- Jobs located here
- 6,145
- Daytime population
- 27,541Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Clare 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 Clare 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 Clare 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 |
| 53Clare County, MI | 40 | 98 | 78.3 | $390K | +2.3% | #1,601 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Clare County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes40
- Sit-down restaurants52
- Fast food and sandwich shops32
- Pizza32
- Coffee shops and cafes58
- Bakeries and dessert shops40
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 Clare County, MI?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 98 restaurants and cafes in Clare County. 30 of them (31%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 54 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 5.9% from 2019. Official counts list 5 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Clare County, MI spend on food away from home?
About $38.2M a year, or $3,054 per household. That is 25% below the U.S. average (an index of 75, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 98 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $390K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 12,521 households in Clare County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Clare County, MI compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Clare County has 78.3 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 29% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $390K, 5% above the U.S. figure of $371K. At the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Clare County would have about 103, against 98 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 232 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 5.9% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Clare County, MI growing?
Population estimates put Clare County at 31,543 people in 2025, up 2.3% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 12,521 households. Median household income in Clare County is $49,384, 39% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 24.8%, 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. Clare County scores 40 for restaurants and cafes (lower middle), #1,601 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Clare 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 Clare County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Clare 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 Clare 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.