Food and drink · Small-town market · South Dakota
Restaurants and cafes in the Aberdeen, SD area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for restaurants and cafes in the Aberdeen, SD area, set against other small-town markets and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 66 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #110 of 538 scored small-town markets
#1 of 9 scored small-town markets based in South Dakota
- Listings
- 156
- 67 chain locations (43%)
- Official establishments
- 68
- −5.6% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $67.4M
- On food away from home · $3,760 a household
- Spending per listing
- $432K
- 16% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 87.1
- 21% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 41,583
- −1.5% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in the Aberdeen area
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 the Aberdeen area. 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 156 restaurants and cafes in the Aberdeen area. 67 of them (43%) are chain locations, against 34% across the U.S. That comes to 87.1 for every 10,000 households, 21% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.
At $3,760 per household (8% below the U.S. average), households in the Aberdeen area spend about $67.4M a year on food away from home. That is about $432K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 16% above the U.S. figure of $371K.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in the Aberdeen area was 68 in 2023, down 5.6% from 2019. That is one for every 263 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Official counts list 14 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 4 SBA-backed loans worth $907K have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in the Aberdeen area.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of the Aberdeen area declined 1.5%, against +3.1% for the U.S. The Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes in the Aberdeen area is 66 (upper middle), #110 of 538 scored small-town markets and #1 of 9 scored small-town markets based in South Dakota. That puts it in the top quarter of small-town markets.
How the Aberdeen area compares
The same measures for South Dakota 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 | Aberdeen area | South Dakota | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 87.1 | 106.8 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $432K | $361K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 263 | 232 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −5.6% | +6.4% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −1.5% | +5.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,760 | $3,849 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $71,488 | $75,081 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 66 | 56 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 68−5.6% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,249
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $24.1M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 14Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 15667 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 182The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 4
- Amount
- $907K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in the Aberdeen area, 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 the Aberdeen area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 41,583−1.5% since 2020
- Households
- 17,915
- Median age
- 39.5
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 69%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 2,839 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 15
- Median household income
- $71,488+20.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $94,287
- Median home value
- $215,100
- Jobs located here
- 21,165
- Daytime population
- 41,907Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Aberdeen area?
These figures cover the whole small-town market. 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 the Aberdeen area. 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 South Dakota
Every South Dakota market ranked →The highest-scoring small-town markets in South Dakota for restaurants and cafes, numbered among those based in South Dakota, with the Aberdeen area marked.
Top small-town markets in South Dakota
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Aberdeen, SD | 66 | 156 | 87.1 | $432K | −1.5% | #110 of 538 |
| 2Huron, SD | 64 | 73 | 96.9 | $369K | +2.4% | #134 of 538 |
| 3Pierre, SD | 58 | 93 | 108.9 | $364K | −0.5% | #186 of 538 |
| 4Brookings, SD | 56 | 160 | 116.0 | $324K | +9.6% | #206 of 538 |
| 5Watertown, SD | 51 | 134 | 107.0 | $340K | +4.3% | #256 of 538 |
| 6Yankton, SD | 43 | 116 | 119.6 | $313K | +1.5% | #350 of 538 |
| 7Mitchell, SD | 41 | 119 | 108.4 | $334K | +0.6% | #362 of 538 |
| 8Spearfish, SD | 38 | 200 | 165.9 | $223K | +14.0% | #393 of 538 |
| 9Vermillion, SD | 30 | 76 | 137.0 | $253K | +0.2% | #462 of 538 |
Other business types in the Aberdeen area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes66
- Sit-down restaurants67
- Fast food and sandwich shops59
- Pizza49
- Coffee shops and cafes64
- Bakeries and dessert shops68
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 the Aberdeen, SD area?
The Aberdeen area has 156 restaurants and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. 67 of them (43%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 68 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, down 5.6% from 2019. Official counts also show 14 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Aberdeen, SD area spend on food away from home?
About $67.4M a year, or $3,760 per household. That is 8% below the U.S. average (an index of 92, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 156 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $432K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 17,915 households in the Aberdeen area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Aberdeen, SD area compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
The Aberdeen area has 87.1 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 21% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $432K, 16% above the U.S. figure of $371K. At the national ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, the Aberdeen area would have about 182, against 156 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 fell 5.6% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is the Aberdeen, SD area growing?
Population estimates put the Aberdeen area at 41,583 people in 2025, down 1.5% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 17,915 households. The median household income in the Aberdeen area is $71,488 a year, 11% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 20.6% 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. A small-town market is a town of 10,000 to 50,000 people and the county or counties tied to it by commuting. 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. The Aberdeen area scores 66 for restaurants and cafes (upper middle), #110 of 538 scored small-town markets.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Aberdeen area. 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 the Aberdeen area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Aberdeen area?
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 the Aberdeen area. 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.