Food and drink · County · Minnesota
Restaurants and cafes in Mille Lacs County, MN
The restaurants and cafes in Mille Lacs County, MN, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 49 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,250 of 2,405 scored counties
#62 of 66 scored counties in Minnesota
- Listings
- 118
- 43 chain locations (36%)
- Official establishments
- 45
- −10.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $40M
- On food away from home · $3,747 a household
- Spending per listing
- $339K
- 9% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 110.6
- In line with the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 27,753
- +4.8% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Mille Lacs 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 Mille Lacs 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 118 restaurants and cafes in Mille Lacs County. Of those, 43 are chain locations, or 36%, against 34% across the U.S. That is 110.6 per 10,000 households, in line with the U.S. rate of 109.8.
At $3,747 per household (8% below the U.S. average), households in Mille Lacs County spend about $40M a year on food away from home. That works out to $339K per restaurant, 9% below the U.S. figure of $371K.
Official counts show 45 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in Mille Lacs County in 2023, down 10.0% from 2019. That is one for every 237 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Official counts also show 3 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $1M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Mille Lacs County.
Population estimates show Mille Lacs County grew 4.8% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). Mille Lacs County scores 49 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes, ranking #1,250 of 2,405 scored counties and #62 of 66 scored counties in Minnesota.
How Mille Lacs 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 | Mille Lacs County | Minnesota | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 110.6 | 84.5 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $339K | $512K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 237 | 260 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −10.0% | +2.5% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +4.8% | +2.1% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,747 | $4,330 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $72,729 | $89,062 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 49 | 84 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 50 → 45−10.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 717
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $13.6M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 3Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 11843 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
- 2
- Amount
- $1M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Mille Lacs 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 Mille Lacs County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 27,753+4.8% since 2020
- Households
- 10,672
- Median age
- 41.8
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 78%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.2
- Land area
- 572 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 47
- Median household income
- $72,729+29.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $90,096
- Median home value
- $258,300
- Jobs located here
- 9,682
- Daytime population
- 24,749Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Mille Lacs 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 Mille Lacs 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 Mille Lacs 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 |
| 62Mille Lacs County, MN | 49 | 118 | 110.6 | $339K | +4.8% | #1,250 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Mille Lacs County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes49
- Sit-down restaurants41
- Fast food and sandwich shops59
- Pizza60
- Coffee shops and cafes44
- 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 Mille Lacs County, MN?
Mille Lacs County has 118 restaurants and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. 43 of them (36%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 45 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, down 10.0% from 2019. Another 3 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Mille Lacs County, MN spend on food away from home?
About $40M a year, or $3,747 per household. That is 8% below the U.S. average (an index of 92, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 118 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $339K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 10,672 households in Mille Lacs County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Mille Lacs County, MN compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Mille Lacs County has 110.6 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, in line with the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $339K, 9% below the U.S. figure of $371K. At the national ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Mille Lacs County would have about 108, against 118 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 237 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count fell 10.0% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Mille Lacs County, MN growing?
Population estimates put Mille Lacs County at 27,753 people in 2025, up 4.8% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 10,672 households. The median household income in Mille Lacs County is $72,729 a year, 10% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 29.6% 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. Mille Lacs County scores 49 for restaurants and cafes (lower middle), #1,250 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Mille Lacs 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 Mille Lacs County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Mille Lacs 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 Mille Lacs 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.