Food and drink · County · Minnesota
Restaurants and cafes in Nicollet County, MN
The restaurants and cafes in Nicollet County, MN, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 73 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #297 of 2,405 scored counties
#20 of 66 scored counties in Minnesota
- Listings
- 95
- 41 chain locations (43%)
- Official establishments
- 41
- +13.9% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $53.3M
- On food away from home · $4,103 a household
- Spending per listing
- $561K
- 51% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 73.1
- 33% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 34,273
- −0.7% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Nicollet 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 Nicollet 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 95 restaurants and cafes in Nicollet County. 41 of them (43%) are chain locations, against 34% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 73.1, 33% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.
Households in Nicollet County spend about $53.3M a year on food away from home, or $4,103 per household, in line with the U.S. average. That works out to $561K per restaurant, 51% above the U.S. figure of $371K.
Official counts show 41 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in Nicollet County in 2023, up 13.9% from 2019. That is one for every 317 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Official counts also show 5 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $213K has gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Nicollet County.
Population estimates put the population change in Nicollet County from 2020 to 2025 at −0.7%, against +3.1% for the U.S. The Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes in Nicollet County is 73 (upper middle), #297 of 2,405 scored counties and #20 of 66 scored counties in Minnesota. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How Nicollet 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 | Nicollet County | Minnesota | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 73.1 | 84.5 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $561K | $512K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 317 | 260 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +13.9% | +2.5% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −0.7% | +2.1% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $4,103 | $4,330 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $79,756 | $89,062 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 73 | 84 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 36 → 41+13.9% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 785
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $14.5M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 5Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 9541 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 144The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $213K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Nicollet 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 Nicollet County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 34,273−0.7% since 2020
- Households
- 13,002
- Median age
- 38.4
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 72%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 448 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 77
- Median household income
- $79,756+18.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $112,374
- Median home value
- $270,300
- Jobs located here
- 15,748
- Daytime population
- 33,573Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Nicollet 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 Nicollet 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 Nicollet 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 |
| 20Nicollet County, MN | 73 | 95 | 73.1 | $561K | −0.7% | #297 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Nicollet County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes73
- Sit-down restaurants75
- Fast food and sandwich shops67
- Pizza63
- Coffee shops and cafes65
- Bakeries and dessert shops74
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 Nicollet County, MN?
Nicollet County has 95 restaurants and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. 41 of them (43%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 41 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 13.9% from 2019. Another 5 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Nicollet County, MN spend on food away from home?
About $53.3M a year, or $4,103 per household. That is in line with the U.S. average (an index of 101, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 95 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $561K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 13,002 households in Nicollet County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Nicollet County, MN compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Nicollet County has 73.1 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 33% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $561K, 51% above the U.S. figure of $371K. At the national ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Nicollet County would have about 144, against 95 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 317 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 13.9% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Nicollet County, MN growing?
Population estimates put Nicollet County at 34,273 people in 2025, down 0.7% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 13,002 households. The median household income in Nicollet County is $79,756 a year, in line with the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 18.3% 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. Nicollet County scores 73 for restaurants and cafes (upper middle), #297 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Nicollet 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 Nicollet County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Nicollet 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 Nicollet 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.