Food and drink · County · Minnesota
Restaurants and cafes in Aitkin County, MN
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for restaurants and cafes in Aitkin County, MN, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 46 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,355 of 2,405 scored counties
#63 of 66 scored counties in Minnesota
- Listings
- 64
- 8 chain locations (13%)
- Official establishments
- 31
- +10.7% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $24.3M
- On food away from home · $3,365 a household
- Spending per listing
- $380K
- 2% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 88.6
- 19% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 16,252
- +3.5% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Aitkin 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 Aitkin 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
Households in Aitkin County spend about $24.3M a year on food away from home, or $3,365 per household, 17% below the U.S. average. Spread across 64 restaurants and cafes, that is $380K per restaurant, 2% above the U.S. figure of $371K.
There are 64 restaurants and cafes on map listings in Aitkin County as of September 2026. 8 of them (13%) are chain locations, against 34% across the U.S. That is 88.6 per 10,000 households, 19% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.
Official counts show 31 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in Aitkin County in 2023, up 10.7% from 2019. That is one for every 233 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Official counts list 3 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 3 SBA-backed loans worth $175K have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Aitkin County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Aitkin County grew 3.5%, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). Aitkin County scores 46 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes, ranking #1,355 of 2,405 scored counties and #63 of 66 scored counties in Minnesota.
How Aitkin County compares
The same measures for Minnesota 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 | Aitkin County | Minnesota | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 88.6 | 84.5 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $380K | $512K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 233 | 260 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +10.7% | +2.5% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +3.5% | +2.1% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,365 | $4,330 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $60,833 | $89,062 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 46 | 84 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 28 → 31+10.7% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 346
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $7.3M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 3Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 648 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 66The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 3
- Amount
- $175K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Aitkin 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 Aitkin County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 16,252+3.5% since 2020
- Households
- 7,222
- Median age
- 54.8
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 85%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 1,821 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 9
- Median household income
- $60,833+23.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $77,208
- Median home value
- $255,800
- Jobs located here
- 4,487
- Daytime population
- 13,541Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Aitkin 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 Aitkin 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 Minnesota
Every Minnesota market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Minnesota for restaurants and cafes, numbered among those based in Minnesota, with Aitkin County marked.
Top counties in Minnesota
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Sherburne County, MN | 93 | 168 | 47.3 | $983K | +6.8% | #7 of 2,405 |
| 2Wright County, MN | 90 | 377 | 69.8 | $671K | +11.1% | #26 of 2,405 |
| 3Isanti County, MN | 88 | 96 | 58.9 | $693K | +7.3% | #34 of 2,405 |
| 4Carver County, MN | 87 | 309 | 75.0 | $702K | +6.6% | #42 of 2,405 |
| 5Anoka County, MN | 86 | 891 | 64.8 | $703K | +4.7% | #48 of 2,405 |
| 6Dodge County, MN | 86 | 50 | 61.9 | $700K | +2.3% | #49 of 2,405 |
| 7Washington County, MN | 86 | 783 | 74.2 | $677K | +6.9% | #50 of 2,405 |
| 8Chisago County, MN | 86 | 148 | 69.3 | $646K | +4.3% | #51 of 2,405 |
| 9Scott County, MN | 85 | 418 | 76.0 | $678K | +5.1% | #61 of 2,405 |
| 10Clay County, MN | 85 | 171 | 64.7 | $614K | +3.6% | #63 of 2,405 |
| 63Aitkin County, MN | 46 | 64 | 88.6 | $380K | +3.5% | #1,355 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Aitkin County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes46
- Sit-down restaurants34
- Fast food and sandwich shops
- Pizza
- Coffee shops and cafes59
- Bakeries and dessert shops55
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 Aitkin County, MN?
As of September 2026, map listings count 64 restaurants and cafes in Aitkin County. 8 of them (13%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 31 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 10.7% from 2019. Official counts also show 3 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Aitkin County, MN spend on food away from home?
About $24.3M a year, or $3,365 per household. That is 17% below the U.S. average (an index of 83, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 64 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $380K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 7,222 households in Aitkin County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Aitkin County, MN compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Aitkin County has 88.6 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 19% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $380K, 2% above the U.S. figure of $371K. At the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Aitkin County would have about 66, against 64 on map listings. 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 10.7% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Aitkin County, MN growing?
Population estimates put Aitkin County at 16,252 people in 2025, up 3.5% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 7,222 households. Median household income in Aitkin County is $60,833, 25% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 23.3%, 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. Aitkin County scores 46 for restaurants and cafes (lower middle), #1,355 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Aitkin 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 Aitkin County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Aitkin 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 Aitkin 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.