Food and drink · County · Minnesota
Restaurants and cafes in Rice County, MN
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for restaurants and cafes in Rice County, MN, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 73 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #318 of 2,405 scored counties
#22 of 66 scored counties in Minnesota
- Listings
- 199
- 59 chain locations (30%)
- Official establishments
- 88
- +8.6% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $95.9M
- On food away from home · $4,082 a household
- Spending per listing
- $482K
- 30% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 84.7
- 23% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 69,939
- +4.2% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Rice 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 Rice 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
Households in Rice County spend about $95.9M a year on food away from home, or $4,082 per household, in line with the U.S. average. That works out to $482K per restaurant, 30% above the U.S. figure of $371K.
There are 199 restaurants and cafes on map listings in Rice County as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 30% of them, against 34% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 84.7, 23% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.
Official counts show 88 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in Rice County in 2023, up 8.6% from 2019. That is one for every 267 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Another 13 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $900K has gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Rice County.
Population estimates show Rice County grew 4.2% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). For restaurants and cafes, Rice County has a Groundwork market score of 73 (upper middle): #318 of 2,405 scored counties and #22 of 66 scored counties in Minnesota. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How Rice 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 | Rice County | Minnesota | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 84.7 | 84.5 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $482K | $512K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 267 | 260 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +8.6% | +2.5% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +4.2% | +2.1% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $4,082 | $4,330 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $83,181 | $89,062 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 73 | 84 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 81 → 88+8.6% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,651
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $31.4M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 13Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 19959 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 259The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $900K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Rice 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 Rice County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 69,939+4.2% since 2020
- Households
- 23,493
- Median age
- 38.9
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 76%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 496 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 137
- Median household income
- $83,181+21.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $104,276
- Median home value
- $320,200
- Jobs located here
- 25,685
- Daytime population
- 60,549Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Rice 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 Rice 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 Rice 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 |
| 22Rice County, MN | 73 | 199 | 84.7 | $482K | +4.2% | #318 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Rice 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 shops69
- Pizza70
- Coffee shops and cafes60
- Bakeries and dessert shops81
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 Rice County, MN?
As of September 2026, map listings count 199 restaurants and cafes in Rice County. 59 of them (30%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 88 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 8.6% from 2019. Official counts list 13 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Rice County, MN spend on food away from home?
About $95.9M a year, or $4,082 per household. That is in line with the U.S. average (an index of 100, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 199 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $482K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 23,493 households in Rice County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Rice County, MN compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Rice County has 84.7 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 23% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $482K, 30% above the U.S. figure of $371K. At the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Rice County would have about 259, against 199 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 267 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 8.6% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Rice County, MN growing?
Population estimates put Rice County at 69,939 people in 2025, up 4.2% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 23,493 households. Median household income in Rice County is $83,181, 3% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 21.3%, 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. Rice County scores 73 for restaurants and cafes (upper middle), #318 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Rice 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 Rice County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Rice 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 Rice 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.