Food and drink · Small-town market · Minnesota
Restaurants and cafes in the Alexandria, MN area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for restaurants and cafes in the Alexandria, MN area, set against other small-town markets and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 66 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #112 of 538 scored small-town markets
#15 of 18 scored small-town markets based in Minnesota
- Listings
- 172
- 61 chain locations (35%)
- Official establishments
- 80
- +17.7% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $69M
- On food away from home · $3,938 a household
- Spending per listing
- $401K
- 8% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 98.2
- 11% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 40,120
- +2.6% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in the Alexandria 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 Alexandria 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
At $3,938 per household (3% below the U.S. average), households in the Alexandria area spend about $69M a year on food away from home. Spread across 172 restaurants and cafes, that is $401K per restaurant, 8% above the U.S. figure of $371K.
There are 172 restaurants and cafes on map listings in the Alexandria area as of September 2026. 61 of them (35%) are chain locations, against 34% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 98.2, 11% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.
Official counts show 80 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in the Alexandria area in 2023, up 17.7% from 2019. That is one for every 219 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Official counts also show 4 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 4 SBA-backed loans worth $798K have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in the Alexandria area.
Population estimates put the population change in the Alexandria area from 2020 to 2025 at +2.6%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Alexandria area scores 66 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes, ranking #112 of 538 scored small-town markets and #15 of 18 scored small-town markets based in Minnesota. That puts it in the top quarter of small-town markets.
How the Alexandria area 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 | Alexandria area | Minnesota | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 98.2 | 84.5 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $401K | $512K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 219 | 260 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +17.7% | +2.5% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.6% | +2.1% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,938 | $4,330 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $79,043 | $89,062 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 66 | 84 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 80+17.7% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,464
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $33.8M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 4Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 17261 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 186The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 4
- Amount
- $798K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in the Alexandria 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 Alexandria area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 40,120+2.6% since 2020
- Households
- 17,519
- Median age
- 44.3
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 76%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 637 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 62
- Median household income
- $79,043+23.9% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $101,237
- Median home value
- $321,400
- Jobs located here
- 19,394
- Daytime population
- 39,998Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Alexandria area?
These figures cover the whole small-town market. 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 Alexandria 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 Minnesota
Every Minnesota market ranked →The highest-scoring small-town markets in Minnesota for restaurants and cafes, numbered among those based in Minnesota (a market based in another state is listed without a number), with the Alexandria area marked.
Top small-town markets in Minnesota
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Austin, MN | 88 | 94 | 59.8 | $630K | +2.3% | #6 of 538 |
| 2Faribault-Northfield, MN | 86 | 199 | 84.7 | $482K | +4.2% | #9 of 538 |
| 3Hutchinson, MN | 82 | 114 | 74.9 | $527K | −0.3% | #20 of 538 |
| 4Detroit Lakes, MN | 82 | 120 | 83.3 | $455K | +0.9% | #23 of 538 |
| 5Willmar, MN | 81 | 144 | 81.8 | $473K | +2.3% | #25 of 538 |
| 6Red Wing, MN | 81 | 171 | 86.7 | $464K | +1.3% | #26 of 538 |
| 7Grand Rapids, MN | 79 | 144 | 77.7 | $470K | +0.9% | #32 of 538 |
| 8Owatonna, MN | 76 | 131 | 86.5 | $466K | +0.2% | #46 of 538 |
| 9Bemidji, MN | 74 | 144 | 79.2 | $467K | +1.8% | #55 of 538 |
| Wahpeton, ND-MN | 73 | 90 | 94.7 | $404K | 0.0% | #62 of 538 |
| 15Alexandria, MN | 66 | 172 | 98.2 | $401K | +2.6% | #112 of 538 |
Other business types in the Alexandria area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes66
- Sit-down restaurants61
- Fast food and sandwich shops81
- Pizza68
- Coffee shops and cafes54
- Bakeries and dessert shops71
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 Alexandria, MN area?
As of September 2026, map listings count 172 restaurants and cafes in the Alexandria area. 61 of them (35%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 80 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 17.7% from 2019. Another 4 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in the Alexandria, MN area spend on food away from home?
About $69M a year, or $3,938 per household. That is 3% below the U.S. average (an index of 97, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 172 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $401K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 17,519 households in the Alexandria area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Alexandria, MN area compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
The Alexandria area has 98.2 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 11% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $401K, 8% above the U.S. figure of $371K. At the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, the Alexandria area would have about 186, against 172 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 219 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 17.7% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is the Alexandria, MN area growing?
Population estimates put the Alexandria area at 40,120 people in 2025, up 2.6% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 17,519 households. Median household income in the Alexandria area is $79,043, 2% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 23.9%, 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. A small-town market is a town of 10,000 to 50,000 people and the county or counties tied to it by commuting. 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 Alexandria area scores 66 for restaurants and cafes (upper middle), #112 of 538 scored small-town markets.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Alexandria 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 Alexandria area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Alexandria 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 Alexandria 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.