Groundwork

Food and drink · County · South Dakota

Restaurants and cafes in Lawrence County, SD

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

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 35 out of 100: Lower middle

Ranked #1,853 of 2,405 scored counties
#16 of 18 scored counties in South Dakota

Listings
200
55 chain locations (28%)
Official establishments
73
+12.3% since 2019
Household spending a year
$44.6M
On food away from home · $3,698 a household
Spending per listing
$223K
40% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
165.9
51% above the U.S.
Population, 2025
29,459
+14.0% since 2020

See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Lawrence 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 Lawrence 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

For restaurants and cafes, Lawrence County has a Groundwork market score of 35 (lower middle): #1,853 of 2,405 scored counties and #16 of 18 scored counties in South Dakota. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.

Map listings as of September 2026 show 200 restaurants and cafes in Lawrence County. Of those, 55 are chain locations, or 28%, against 34% across the U.S. That is 165.9 per 10,000 households, 51% above the U.S. rate of 109.8.

At $3,698 per household (9% below the U.S. average), households in Lawrence County spend about $44.6M a year on food away from home. That works out to $223K per restaurant, 40% below the U.S. figure of $371K.

The official count of businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in Lawrence County was 73 in 2023, up 12.3% from 2019. That is one for every 165 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 5 SBA-backed loans worth $1.9M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Lawrence County. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Lawrence County grew 14.0%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%).

How Lawrence County 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.

Restaurants and cafes in Lawrence County, SD compared with South Dakota and the U.S.
MeasureLawrence CountySouth DakotaU.S.
Listings per 10k households165.9106.8109.8
Spending per listing$223K$361K$371K
Households per official establishment165232209
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+12.3%+6.4%+6.0%
Population growth, 2020–2025+14.0%+5.3%+3.1%
Spending per household on food away from home$3,698$3,849$4,070
Median household income$73,384$75,081$80,734
Groundwork market score3556

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
65 → 73+12.3% over the period
Employees, 2023
1,124
Annual payroll, 2023
$24.8M
One-person businesses, 2023
9Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
20055 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
120The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
5
Amount
$1.9M

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

Population, 2025 estimate
29,459+14.0% since 2020
Households
12,054
Median age
44.5
Homes lived in by their owners
65%
Vehicles per household
2.1
Land area
800 sq. mi.
People per square mile
34
Median household income
$73,384+39.4% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$94,174
Median home value
$346,500
Jobs located here
13,155
Daytime population
27,824Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

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

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Restaurants and cafes across South Dakota

Every South Dakota market ranked →

The highest-scoring counties in South Dakota for restaurants and cafes, numbered among those based in South Dakota, with Lawrence County marked.

Top counties in South Dakota

Counties in South Dakota ranked for restaurants and cafes by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Lincoln County, SD9418265.3$694K+17.5%#6 of 2,405
2Union County, SD816791.7$471K+3.3%#128 of 2,405
3Meade County, SD759982.7$469K+2.7%#249 of 2,405
4Minnehaha County, SD55892105.2$377K+7.6%#982 of 2,405
5Brown County, SD5314387.8$425K−1.7%#1,045 of 2,405
6Oglala Lakota County, SD511965.0$431K−2.3%#1,127 of 2,405
7Beadle County, SD517396.9$369K+2.4%#1,156 of 2,405
8Hughes County, SD4977106.2$374K−0.9%#1,237 of 2,405
9Brookings County, SD49160116.0$324K+9.6%#1,252 of 2,405
10Lake County, SD4749103.9$374K−0.2%#1,314 of 2,405
16Lawrence County, SD35200165.9$223K+14.0%#1,853 of 2,405

Other business types in Lawrence County

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

Funeral services

Questions

How many restaurants and cafes are in Lawrence County, SD?

There are 200 restaurants and cafes on map listings in Lawrence County as of September 2026. 55 of them (28%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 73 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 12.3% from 2019. Official counts list 9 one-person businesses without payroll.

How much do households in Lawrence County, SD spend on food away from home?

About $44.6M a year, or $3,698 per household. That is 9% below the U.S. average (an index of 91, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 200 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $223K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 12,054 households in Lawrence County and national spending patterns by income.

How does Lawrence County, SD compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?

Lawrence County has 165.9 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 51% above the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $223K, 40% below the U.S. figure of $371K. At the national ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Lawrence County would have about 120, against 200 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 165 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 12.3% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.

How fast is Lawrence County, SD growing?

Population estimates put Lawrence County at 29,459 people in 2025, up 14.0% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 12,054 households. The median household income in Lawrence County is $73,384 a year, 9% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 39.4% 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. Lawrence County scores 35 for restaurants and cafes (lower middle), #1,853 of 2,405 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

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

Screening a site or an acquisition in Lawrence 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 Lawrence County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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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.