Food and drink · Metro area · Michigan
Restaurants and cafes in the Lansing-East Lansing, MI metro area
The restaurants and cafes in the Lansing-East Lansing, MI metro area, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other metro areas.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 66 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #86 of 387 scored metro areas
#5 of 15 scored metro areas based in Michigan
- Listings
- 1,743
- 716 chain locations (41%)
- Official establishments
- 790
- −2.7% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $739.5M
- On food away from home · $3,809 a household
- Spending per listing
- $424K
- 14% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 89.8
- 18% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 479,722
- +1.4% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in the Lansing-East Lansing metro area
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 the Lansing-East Lansing metro area. 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 the Lansing-East Lansing metro area comes to about $739.5M a year: $3,809 per household, 6% below the U.S. average. That works out to $424K per restaurant, 14% above the U.S. figure of $371K.
The Lansing-East Lansing metro area has 1,743 restaurants and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 41% of them, against 34% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 89.8, 18% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in the Lansing-East Lansing metro area was 790 in 2023, down 2.7% from 2019. That is one for every 246 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Official counts list 121 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 44 SBA-backed loans worth $20M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in the Lansing-East Lansing metro area.
Population estimates show the Lansing-East Lansing metro area grew 1.4% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Lansing-East Lansing metro area scores 66 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes, ranking #86 of 387 scored metro areas and #5 of 15 scored metro areas based in Michigan. That puts it in the top quarter of metro areas.
How the Lansing-East Lansing metro area 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 | Lansing-East Lansing metro area | Michigan | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 89.8 | 91.9 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $424K | $422K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 246 | 241 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −2.7% | +4.4% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +1.4% | +0.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,809 | $3,875 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $72,550 | $72,875 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 66 | 66 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 790−2.7% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 16,182
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $318.6M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 121Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 1,743716 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 1,994The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 44
- Amount
- $20M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in the Lansing-East Lansing metro area, 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 the Lansing-East Lansing metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 479,722+1.4% since 2020
- Households
- 194,163
- Median age
- 38.6
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 67%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.7
- Land area
- 1,699 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 278
- Median household income
- $72,550
- Average household income
- $94,775
- Median home value
- $216,700
- Jobs located here
- 232,664
- Daytime population
- 512,361Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Lansing-East Lansing metro area?
These figures cover the whole metro area. 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 the Lansing-East Lansing metro area. 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 metro areas in Michigan for restaurants and cafes, numbered among those based in Michigan, with the Lansing-East Lansing metro area marked.
Top metro areas in Michigan
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Monroe, MI | 79 | 460 | 73.0 | $542K | +0.7% | #17 of 387 |
| 2Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, MI | 79 | 3,903 | 88.6 | $462K | +2.8% | #20 of 387 |
| 3Midland, MI | 77 | 269 | 76.9 | $525K | +0.3% | #27 of 387 |
| 4Jackson, MI | 70 | 462 | 73.9 | $495K | −0.4% | #58 of 387 |
| 5Lansing-East Lansing, MI | 66 | 1,743 | 89.8 | $424K | +1.4% | #86 of 387 |
| 6Flint, MI | 64 | 1,282 | 76.6 | $461K | −1.1% | #100 of 387 |
| 7Ann Arbor, MI | 64 | 1,491 | 99.0 | $446K | −0.4% | #102 of 387 |
| 8Bay City, MI | 61 | 350 | 77.6 | $447K | −1.6% | #119 of 387 |
| 9Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI | 61 | 16,792 | 94.9 | $424K | +0.1% | #120 of 387 |
| 10Muskegon-Norton Shores, MI | 60 | 569 | 84.0 | $415K | +1.8% | #127 of 387 |
Other business types in the Lansing-East Lansing metro area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes66
- Sit-down restaurants70
- Fast food and sandwich shops49
- Pizza44
- Coffee shops and cafes53
- Bakeries and dessert shops47
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 the Lansing-East Lansing, MI metro area?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 1,743 restaurants and cafes in the Lansing-East Lansing metro area. 716 of them (41%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 790 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, down 2.7% from 2019. Official counts also show 121 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Lansing-East Lansing, MI metro area spend on food away from home?
About $739.5M a year, or $3,809 per household. That is 6% below the U.S. average (an index of 94, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 1,743 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $424K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 194,163 households in the Lansing-East Lansing metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Lansing-East Lansing, MI metro area compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
The Lansing-East Lansing metro area has 89.8 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 18% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $424K, 14% above the U.S. figure of $371K. At the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, the Lansing-East Lansing metro area would have about 1,994, against 1,743 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 246 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count fell 2.7% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is the Lansing-East Lansing, MI metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Lansing-East Lansing metro area at 479,722 people in 2025, up 1.4% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 194,163 households. Median household income in the Lansing-East Lansing metro area is $72,550, 10% below the U.S. median of $80,734.
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. The Lansing-East Lansing metro area scores 66 for restaurants and cafes (upper middle), #86 of 387 scored metro areas.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Lansing-East Lansing metro area. 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 the Lansing-East Lansing metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Lansing-East Lansing metro area?
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 the Lansing-East Lansing metro area. 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.