Groundwork

Food and drink · County · Minnesota

Restaurants and cafes in Goodhue County, MN

The restaurants and cafes in Goodhue County, MN, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 68 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #453 of 2,405 scored counties
#27 of 66 scored counties in Minnesota

Listings
171
47 chain locations (27%)
Official establishments
70
+7.7% since 2019
Household spending a year
$79.3M
On food away from home · $4,021 a household
Spending per listing
$464K
25% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
86.7
21% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
48,195
+1.3% since 2020

See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Goodhue 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 Goodhue County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Survey 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 Goodhue County comes to about $79.3M a year: $4,021 per household, in line with the U.S. average. Spread across 171 restaurants and cafes, that is $464K per restaurant, 25% above the U.S. figure of $371K.

There are 171 restaurants and cafes on map listings in Goodhue County as of September 2026. 47 of them (27%) are chain locations, against 34% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 86.7, 21% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.

Official counts show 70 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in Goodhue County in 2023, up 7.7% from 2019. That is one for every 282 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Official counts list 10 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $230K have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Goodhue County.

Population estimates show Goodhue County grew 1.3% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). Goodhue County scores 68 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes, ranking #453 of 2,405 scored counties and #27 of 66 scored counties in Minnesota. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.

How Goodhue 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.

Restaurants and cafes in Goodhue County, MN compared with Minnesota and the U.S.
MeasureGoodhue CountyMinnesotaU.S.
Listings per 10k households86.784.5109.8
Spending per listing$464K$512K$371K
Households per official establishment282260209
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+7.7%+2.5%+6.0%
Population growth, 2020–2025+1.3%+2.1%+3.1%
Spending per household on food away from home$4,021$4,330$4,070
Median household income$84,171$89,062$80,734
Groundwork market score6884

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
65 → 70+7.7% over the period
Employees, 2023
1,296
Annual payroll, 2023
$26.4M
One-person businesses, 2023
10Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
17147 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
214The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
2
Amount
$230K

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Goodhue 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 Goodhue County

Population, 2025 estimate
48,195+1.3% since 2020
Households
19,727
Median age
43.0
Homes lived in by their owners
79%
Vehicles per household
2.0
Land area
757 sq. mi.
People per square mile
63
Median household income
$84,171+26.0% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$102,161
Median home value
$285,100
Jobs located here
19,843
Daytime population
42,664Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Goodhue 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 Goodhue County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Restaurants 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 Goodhue County marked.

Top counties in Minnesota

Counties in Minnesota ranked for restaurants and cafes by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Sherburne County, MN9316847.3$983K+6.8%#7 of 2,405
2Wright County, MN9037769.8$671K+11.1%#26 of 2,405
3Isanti County, MN889658.9$693K+7.3%#34 of 2,405
4Carver County, MN8730975.0$702K+6.6%#42 of 2,405
5Anoka County, MN8689164.8$703K+4.7%#48 of 2,405
6Dodge County, MN865061.9$700K+2.3%#49 of 2,405
7Washington County, MN8678374.2$677K+6.9%#50 of 2,405
8Chisago County, MN8614869.3$646K+4.3%#51 of 2,405
9Scott County, MN8541876.0$678K+5.1%#61 of 2,405
10Clay County, MN8517164.7$614K+3.6%#63 of 2,405
27Goodhue County, MN6817186.7$464K+1.3%#453 of 2,405

Other business types in Goodhue County

Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.

Questions

How many restaurants and cafes are in Goodhue County, MN?

As of September 2026, map listings count 171 restaurants and cafes in Goodhue County. 47 of them (27%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 70 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 7.7% from 2019. Official counts also show 10 one-person businesses without payroll.

How much do households in Goodhue County, MN spend on food away from home?

About $79.3M a year, or $4,021 per household. That is in line with the U.S. average (an index of 99, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 171 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $464K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 19,727 households in Goodhue County and national spending patterns by income.

How does Goodhue County, MN compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?

Goodhue County has 86.7 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 21% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $464K, 25% above the U.S. figure of $371K. At the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Goodhue County would have about 214, against 171 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 282 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 7.7% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.

How fast is Goodhue County, MN growing?

Population estimates put Goodhue County at 48,195 people in 2025, up 1.3% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 19,727 households. Median household income in Goodhue County is $84,171, 4% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 26.0%, 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. Goodhue County scores 68 for restaurants and cafes (upper middle), #453 of 2,405 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Goodhue 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 Goodhue County

Screening a site or an acquisition in Goodhue 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 Goodhue 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.