Food and drink · County · Michigan
Restaurants and cafes in St. Clair County, MI
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for restaurants and cafes in St. Clair County, MI, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 67 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #478 of 2,405 scored counties
#19 of 75 scored counties in Michigan
- Listings
- 507
- 187 chain locations (37%)
- Official establishments
- 225
- +5.6% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $253.9M
- On food away from home · $3,744 a household
- Spending per listing
- $501K
- 35% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 74.8
- 32% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 160,486
- +0.1% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in St. Clair 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 St. Clair 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
At $3,744 per household (8% below the U.S. average), households in St. Clair County spend about $253.9M a year on food away from home. That is about $501K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 35% above the U.S. figure of $371K.
There are 507 restaurants and cafes on map listings in St. Clair County as of September 2026. 187 of them (37%) are chain locations, against 34% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 74.8, 32% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.
In 2023, official counts showed 225 businesses with payroll in St. Clair County classed as restaurants and other eating places, up 5.6% from 2019. That is one for every 301 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Official counts list 47 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 8 SBA-backed loans worth $4.4M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in St. Clair County.
Population estimates show St. Clair County grew 0.1% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). St. Clair County scores 67 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes, ranking #478 of 2,405 scored counties and #19 of 75 scored counties in Michigan. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How St. Clair 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 | St. Clair County | Michigan | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 74.8 | 91.9 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $501K | $422K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 301 | 241 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +5.6% | +4.4% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +0.1% | +0.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,744 | $3,875 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $71,270 | $72,875 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 67 | 66 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 213 → 225+5.6% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 4,569
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $83.4M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 47Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 507187 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 685The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 8
- Amount
- $4.4M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in St. Clair 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 St. Clair County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 160,486+0.1% since 2020
- Households
- 67,816
- Median age
- 44.6
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 81%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 722 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 222
- Median household income
- $71,270+25.1% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $90,621
- Median home value
- $224,600
- Jobs located here
- 41,623
- Daytime population
- 129,372Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in St. Clair 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 St. Clair 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 St. Clair 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 |
| 19St. Clair County, MI | 67 | 507 | 74.8 | $501K | +0.1% | #478 of 2,405 |
Other business types in St. Clair County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes67
- Sit-down restaurants63
- Fast food and sandwich shops61
- Pizza64
- Coffee shops and cafes77
- Bakeries and dessert shops70
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 St. Clair County, MI?
As of September 2026, map listings count 507 restaurants and cafes in St. Clair County. 187 of them (37%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 225 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 5.6% from 2019. Official counts also show 47 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in St. Clair County, MI spend on food away from home?
About $253.9M a year, or $3,744 per household. That is 8% below the U.S. average (an index of 92, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 507 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $501K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 67,816 households in St. Clair County and national spending patterns by income.
How does St. Clair County, MI compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
St. Clair County has 74.8 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 32% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $501K, 35% above the U.S. figure of $371K. At the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, St. Clair County would have about 685, against 507 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 301 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 5.6% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is St. Clair County, MI growing?
Population estimates put St. Clair County at 160,486 people in 2025, up 0.1% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 67,816 households. Median household income in St. Clair County is $71,270, 12% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 25.1%, 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. St. Clair County scores 67 for restaurants and cafes (upper middle), #478 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in St. Clair 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 St. Clair County
Screening a site or an acquisition in St. Clair 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 St. Clair 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.