Groundwork

Food and drink · County · Michigan

Restaurants and cafes in Dickinson County, MI

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

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 37 out of 100: Lower middle

Ranked #1,736 of 2,405 scored counties
#57 of 75 scored counties in Michigan

Listings
116
39 chain locations (34%)
Official establishments
52
+6.1% since 2019
Household spending a year
$41.4M
On food away from home · $3,481 a household
Spending per listing
$357K
4% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
97.4
11% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
25,827
−0.3% since 2020

See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Dickinson 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 Dickinson 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

Map listings as of September 2026 show 116 restaurants and cafes in Dickinson County. Of those, 39 are chain locations, or 34%, against 34% across the U.S. That comes to 97.4 for every 10,000 households, 11% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.

Household spending on food away from home in Dickinson County comes to about $41.4M a year: $3,481 per household, 14% below the U.S. average. That is about $357K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 4% below the U.S. figure of $371K.

In 2023, official counts showed 52 businesses with payroll in Dickinson County classed as restaurants and other eating places, up 6.1% from 2019. That is one for every 229 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Official counts list 7 one-person businesses without payroll.

Population estimates show Dickinson County declined 0.3% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S. The Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes in Dickinson County is 37 (lower middle), #1,736 of 2,405 scored counties and #57 of 75 scored counties in Michigan.

How Dickinson 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 Dickinson County, MI compared with Michigan and the U.S.
MeasureDickinson CountyMichiganU.S.
Listings per 10k households97.491.9109.8
Spending per listing$357K$422K$371K
Households per official establishment229241209
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+6.1%+4.4%+6.0%
Population growth, 2020–2025−0.3%+0.6%+3.1%
Spending per household on food away from home$3,481$3,875$4,070
Median household income$65,156$72,875$80,734
Groundwork market score3766

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
49 → 52+6.1% over the period
Employees, 2023
692
Annual payroll, 2023
$13M
One-person businesses, 2023
7Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
11639 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
112The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
0
Amount
$0

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

Population, 2025 estimate
25,827−0.3% since 2020
Households
11,905
Median age
46.6
Homes lived in by their owners
82%
Vehicles per household
1.7
Land area
761 sq. mi.
People per square mile
34
Median household income
$65,156+26.2% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$81,228
Median home value
$153,300
Jobs located here
13,968
Daytime population
28,673Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Dickinson 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 Dickinson 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 Dickinson 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
57Dickinson County, MI3711697.4$357K−0.3%#1,736 of 2,405

Other business types in Dickinson County

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

Questions

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

There are 116 restaurants and cafes on map listings in Dickinson County as of September 2026. 39 of them (34%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 52 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 6.1% from 2019. Official counts also show 7 one-person businesses without payroll.

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

About $41.4M a year, or $3,481 per household. That is 14% below the U.S. average (an index of 86, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 116 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $357K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 11,905 households in Dickinson County and national spending patterns by income.

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

Dickinson County has 97.4 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 11% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $357K, 4% below the U.S. figure of $371K. At the national ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Dickinson County would have about 112, against 116 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 229 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 6.1% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.

How fast is Dickinson County, MI growing?

Population estimates put Dickinson County at 25,827 people in 2025, down 0.3% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 11,905 households. The median household income in Dickinson County is $65,156 a year, 19% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 26.2% 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. Dickinson County scores 37 for restaurants and cafes (lower middle), #1,736 of 2,405 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

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

Screening a site or an acquisition in Dickinson 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 Dickinson 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.