Food and drink · County · Michigan
Restaurants and cafes in Mason County, MI
The restaurants and cafes in Mason County, MI, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 42 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,528 of 2,405 scored counties
#52 of 75 scored counties in Michigan
- Listings
- 124
- 30 chain locations (24%)
- Official establishments
- 55
- +7.8% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $45.9M
- On food away from home · $3,584 a household
- Spending per listing
- $370K
- In line with the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 96.9
- 12% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 29,040
- 0.0% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Mason 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 Mason 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 Mason County comes to about $45.9M a year: $3,584 per household, 12% below the U.S. average. That works out to $370K per restaurant, in line with the U.S. figure of $371K.
Mason County has 124 restaurants and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 24% of them, against 34% across the U.S. That comes to 96.9 for every 10,000 households, 12% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.
In 2023, official counts showed 55 businesses with payroll in Mason County classed as restaurants and other eating places, up 7.8% from 2019. That is one for every 233 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Official counts list 7 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 3 SBA-backed loans worth $1.2M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Mason County.
Population estimates put the population change in Mason County from 2020 to 2025 at 0.0%, against +3.1% for the U.S. The Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes in Mason County is 42 (lower middle), #1,528 of 2,405 scored counties and #52 of 75 scored counties in Michigan.
How Mason 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 | Mason County | Michigan | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 96.9 | 91.9 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $370K | $422K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 233 | 241 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +7.8% | +4.4% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | 0.0% | +0.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,584 | $3,875 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $64,748 | $72,875 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 42 | 66 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 51 → 55+7.8% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 906
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $21.1M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 7Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 12430 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 124The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 3
- Amount
- $1.2M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Mason 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 Mason County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 29,0400.0% since 2020
- Households
- 12,801
- Median age
- 47.3
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 78%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 495 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 59
- Median household income
- $64,748+25.2% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $85,702
- Median home value
- $219,600
- Jobs located here
- 8,586
- Daytime population
- 26,202Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Mason 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 Mason 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 Mason 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 |
| 52Mason County, MI | 42 | 124 | 96.9 | $370K | 0.0% | #1,528 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Mason County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes42
- Sit-down restaurants54
- Fast food and sandwich shops52
- Pizza45
- Coffee shops and cafes42
- Bakeries and dessert shops41
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 Mason County, MI?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 124 restaurants and cafes in Mason County. 30 of them (24%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 55 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 7.8% from 2019. Official counts also show 7 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Mason County, MI spend on food away from home?
About $45.9M a year, or $3,584 per household. That is 12% below the U.S. average (an index of 88, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 124 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $370K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 12,801 households in Mason County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Mason County, MI compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Mason County has 96.9 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 12% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $370K, in line with the U.S. figure of $371K. The count on map listings matches the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 233 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 7.8% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Mason County, MI growing?
Population estimates put Mason County at 29,040 people in 2025, unchanged since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 12,801 households. Median household income in Mason County is $64,748, 20% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 25.2%, 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. Mason County scores 42 for restaurants and cafes (lower middle), #1,528 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Mason 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 Mason County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Mason 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 Mason 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.