Food and drink · Small-town market · South Dakota
Restaurants and cafes in the Spearfish, SD area
The restaurants and cafes in the Spearfish, SD area, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other small-town markets.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 38 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #393 of 538 scored small-town markets
#8 of 9 scored small-town markets based 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 the Spearfish 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 Spearfish 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 200 restaurants and cafes in the Spearfish area. 55 of them (28%) are chain locations, against 34% across the U.S. That comes to 165.9 for every 10,000 households, 51% above the U.S. rate of 109.8.
Households in the Spearfish area spend about $44.6M a year on food away from home, or $3,698 per household, 9% below the U.S. average. Spread across 200 restaurants and cafes, that is $223K per restaurant, 40% below the U.S. figure of $371K.
In 2023, official counts showed 73 businesses with payroll in the Spearfish area classed as restaurants and other eating places, up 12.3% from 2019. That is one for every 165 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Official counts list 9 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 5 SBA-backed loans worth $1.9M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in the Spearfish area.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of the Spearfish area grew 14.0%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Spearfish area scores 38 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes, ranking #393 of 538 scored small-town markets and #8 of 9 scored small-town markets based in South Dakota.
How the Spearfish 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 | Spearfish area | South Dakota | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 165.9 | 106.8 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $223K | $361K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 165 | 232 | 209 |
| 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 score | 38 | 56 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 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 the Spearfish 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 Spearfish area
- 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 the Spearfish 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 Spearfish 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 Spearfish 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 Spearfish area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes38
- Sit-down restaurants41
- Fast food and sandwich shops63
- Pizza61
- Coffee shops and cafes39
- Bakeries and dessert shops66
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 Spearfish, SD area?
The Spearfish area has 200 restaurants and cafes on map listings 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 also show 9 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Spearfish, SD area 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 the Spearfish area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Spearfish, SD area compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
The Spearfish area 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, the Spearfish area 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 the Spearfish, SD area growing?
Population estimates put the Spearfish area 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 the Spearfish area 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. 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 Spearfish area scores 38 for restaurants and cafes (lower middle), #393 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 Spearfish 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 Spearfish area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Spearfish 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 Spearfish 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.