Food and drink · County · Minnesota
Restaurants and cafes in Brown County, MN
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for restaurants and cafes in Brown County, MN, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 56 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #904 of 2,405 scored counties
#47 of 66 scored counties in Minnesota
- Listings
- 84
- 30 chain locations (36%)
- Official establishments
- 42
- 0.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $40.1M
- On food away from home · $3,636 a household
- Spending per listing
- $477K
- 29% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 76.2
- 31% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 25,517
- −1.5% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Brown 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 Brown 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
As of September 2026, map listings count 84 restaurants and cafes in Brown County. Of those, 30 are chain locations, or 36%, against 34% across the U.S. That is 76.2 per 10,000 households, 31% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.
Household spending on food away from home in Brown County comes to about $40.1M a year: $3,636 per household, 11% below the U.S. average. Spread across 84 restaurants and cafes, that is $477K per restaurant, 29% above the U.S. figure of $371K.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in Brown County was 42 in 2023, unchanged from 2019. That is one for every 263 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Another 8 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 3 SBA-backed loans worth $470K have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Brown County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Brown County declined 1.5%, against +3.1% for the U.S. The Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes in Brown County is 56 (upper middle), #904 of 2,405 scored counties and #47 of 66 scored counties in Minnesota.
How Brown 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 | Brown County | Minnesota | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 76.2 | 84.5 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $477K | $512K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 263 | 260 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | 0.0% | +2.5% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −1.5% | +2.1% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,636 | $4,330 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $69,378 | $89,062 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 56 | 84 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 42 → 420.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 872
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $13.6M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 8Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 8430 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 108The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 3
- Amount
- $470K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Brown 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 Brown County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 25,517−1.5% since 2020
- Households
- 11,027
- Median age
- 42.8
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 79%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 611 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 42
- Median household income
- $69,378+13.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $86,644
- Median home value
- $191,200
- Jobs located here
- 13,020
- Daytime population
- 27,131Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Brown 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 Brown 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 Brown 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 |
| 47Brown County, MN | 56 | 84 | 76.2 | $477K | −1.5% | #904 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Brown County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes56
- Sit-down restaurants56
- Fast food and sandwich shops43
- Pizza55
- Coffee shops and cafes61
- Bakeries and dessert shops
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 Brown County, MN?
Brown County has 84 restaurants and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. 30 of them (36%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 42 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, unchanged from 2019. Official counts list 8 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Brown County, MN spend on food away from home?
About $40.1M a year, or $3,636 per household. That is 11% below the U.S. average (an index of 89, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 84 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $477K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 11,027 households in Brown County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Brown County, MN compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Brown County has 76.2 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 31% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $477K, 29% above the U.S. figure of $371K. At the national ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Brown County would have about 108, against 84 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 263 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count held level from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Brown County, MN growing?
Population estimates put Brown County at 25,517 people in 2025, down 1.5% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 11,027 households. The median household income in Brown County is $69,378 a year, 14% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 13.5% from the 2015–2019 survey, 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. Brown County scores 56 for restaurants and cafes (upper middle), #904 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Brown 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 Brown County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Brown 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 Brown 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.