Groundwork

Food and drink · County · Michigan

Restaurants and cafes in Crawford County, MI

The restaurants and cafes in Crawford County, MI, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 33 out of 100: Lower middle

Ranked #1,917 of 2,405 scored counties
#63 of 75 scored counties in Michigan

Listings
64
18 chain locations (28%)
Official establishments
30
+25.0% since 2019
Household spending a year
$20.1M
On food away from home · $3,222 a household
Spending per listing
$314K
15% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
102.7
6% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
13,722
+5.7% since 2020

See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Crawford 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 Crawford County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

Survey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure

What this means

The Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes in Crawford County is 33 (lower middle), #1,917 of 2,405 scored counties and #63 of 75 scored counties in Michigan. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.

Households in Crawford County spend about $20.1M a year on food away from home, or $3,222 per household, 21% below the U.S. average. That is about $314K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 15% below the U.S. figure of $371K.

Crawford County has 64 restaurants and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. Of those, 18 are chain locations, or 28%, against 34% across the U.S. That comes to 102.7 for every 10,000 households, 6% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.

Official counts show 30 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in Crawford County in 2023, up 25.0% from 2019. That is one for every 208 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 3 SBA-backed loans worth $95K have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Crawford County. Population estimates show Crawford County grew 5.7% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%).

How Crawford 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.

Restaurants and cafes in Crawford County, MI compared with Michigan and the U.S.
MeasureCrawford CountyMichiganU.S.
Listings per 10k households102.791.9109.8
Spending per listing$314K$422K$371K
Households per official establishment208241209
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+25.0%+4.4%+6.0%
Population growth, 2020–2025+5.7%+0.6%+3.1%
Spending per household on food away from home$3,222$3,875$4,070
Median household income$60,392$72,875$80,734
Groundwork market score3366

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
24 → 30+25.0% over the period
Employees, 2023
445
Annual payroll, 2023
$8.7M
One-person businesses, 2023
0Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
6418 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
54The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
3
Amount
$95K

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Crawford 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 Crawford County

Population, 2025 estimate
13,722+5.7% since 2020
Households
6,231
Median age
50.6
Homes lived in by their owners
80%
Vehicles per household
1.8
Land area
556 sq. mi.
People per square mile
24
Median household income
$60,392+25.9% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$68,758
Median home value
$163,000
Jobs located here
3,857
Daytime population
12,867Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Crawford 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 Crawford County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Restaurants 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 Crawford County marked.

Top counties in Michigan

Counties in Michigan ranked for restaurants and cafes by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Barry County, MI8311346.2$847K+2.2%#80 of 2,405
2Clinton County, MI8316953.4$797K+1.6%#81 of 2,405
3Ottawa County, MI8283274.7$575K+3.9%#107 of 2,405
4Cass County, MI799846.2$822K+0.2%#144 of 2,405
5Kalkaska County, MI784456.5$612K+4.3%#170 of 2,405
6Livingston County, MI7757575.2$625K+1.7%#190 of 2,405
7Lapeer County, MI7621662.0$627K+1.0%#217 of 2,405
8Newaygo County, MI7511357.5$602K+3.1%#235 of 2,405
9Monroe County, MI7346073.0$542K+0.7%#302 of 2,405
10Montcalm County, MI7316667.7$511K+4.1%#307 of 2,405
63Crawford County, MI3364102.7$314K+5.7%#1,917 of 2,405

Other business types in Crawford County

Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.

Questions

How many restaurants and cafes are in Crawford County, MI?

Map listings as of September 2026 show 64 restaurants and cafes in Crawford County. 18 of them (28%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 30 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 25.0% from 2019.

How much do households in Crawford County, MI spend on food away from home?

About $20.1M a year, or $3,222 per household. That is 21% below the U.S. average (an index of 79, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 64 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $314K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 6,231 households in Crawford County and national spending patterns by income.

How does Crawford County, MI compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?

Crawford County has 102.7 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 6% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $314K, 15% below the U.S. figure of $371K. At the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Crawford County would have about 54, against 64 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 208 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 25.0% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.

How fast is Crawford County, MI growing?

Population estimates put Crawford County at 13,722 people in 2025, up 5.7% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 6,231 households. Median household income in Crawford County is $60,392, 25% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 25.9%, 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. Crawford County scores 33 for restaurants and cafes (lower middle), #1,917 of 2,405 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Crawford 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 Crawford County

Screening a site or an acquisition in Crawford 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 Crawford 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.