Food and drink · County · Wisconsin
Restaurants and cafes in Columbia County, WI
How Columbia County, WI compares with other counties and the U.S. for restaurants and cafes: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 35 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,828 of 2,405 scored counties
#48 of 67 scored counties in Wisconsin
- Listings
- 289
- 72 chain locations (25%)
- Official establishments
- 138
- +22.1% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $98.9M
- On food away from home · $4,093 a household
- Spending per listing
- $342K
- 8% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 119.6
- 9% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 58,132
- −0.7% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Columbia 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 Columbia 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
For restaurants and cafes, Columbia County has a Groundwork market score of 35 (lower middle): #1,828 of 2,405 scored counties and #48 of 67 scored counties in Wisconsin. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
As of September 2026, map listings count 289 restaurants and cafes in Columbia County. Of those, 72 are chain locations, or 25%, against 34% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 119.6, 9% above the U.S. rate of 109.8.
At $4,093 per household (in line with the U.S. average), households in Columbia County spend about $98.9M a year on food away from home. That works out to $342K per restaurant, 8% below the U.S. figure of $371K.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in Columbia County was 138 in 2023, up 22.1% from 2019. That is one for every 175 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 6 SBA-backed loans worth $1.9M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Columbia County. Population estimates put the population change in Columbia County from 2020 to 2025 at −0.7%, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How Columbia County compares
The same measures for Wisconsin 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 | Columbia County | Wisconsin | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 119.6 | 106.3 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $342K | $373K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 175 | 242 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +22.1% | +4.2% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −0.7% | +1.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $4,093 | $3,959 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $85,351 | $77,485 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 35 | 55 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 113 → 138+22.1% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,637
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $35.8M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 7Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 28972 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 267The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 6
- Amount
- $1.9M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Columbia 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 Columbia County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 58,132−0.7% since 2020
- Households
- 24,158
- Median age
- 43.7
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 77%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.1
- Land area
- 766 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 76
- Median household income
- $85,351+25.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $102,726
- Median home value
- $283,200
- Jobs located here
- 21,803
- Daytime population
- 48,504Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Columbia 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 Columbia 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 Wisconsin
Every Wisconsin market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Wisconsin for restaurants and cafes, numbered among those based in Wisconsin, with Columbia County marked.
Top counties in Wisconsin
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Calumet County, WI | 84 | 132 | 61.8 | $681K | +2.9% | #67 of 2,405 |
| 2Washington County, WI | 75 | 442 | 77.4 | $566K | +1.8% | #237 of 2,405 |
| 3St. Croix County, WI | 73 | 355 | 94.6 | $491K | +4.7% | #316 of 2,405 |
| 4Waukesha County, WI | 72 | 1,549 | 91.8 | $518K | +2.4% | #338 of 2,405 |
| 5Pierce County, WI | 70 | 163 | 102.7 | $417K | +3.1% | #415 of 2,405 |
| 6Vernon County, WI | 69 | 101 | 81.3 | $458K | +2.4% | #438 of 2,405 |
| 7Dane County, WI | 67 | 2,496 | 99.2 | $441K | +4.9% | #492 of 2,405 |
| 8Ozaukee County, WI | 64 | 384 | 100.2 | $462K | +3.0% | #604 of 2,405 |
| 9Iowa County, WI | 63 | 98 | 96.9 | $416K | +1.0% | #645 of 2,405 |
| 10Racine County, WI | 62 | 722 | 89.8 | $441K | +0.4% | #679 of 2,405 |
| 48Columbia County, WI | 35 | 289 | 119.6 | $342K | −0.7% | #1,828 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Columbia County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes35
- Sit-down restaurants39
- Fast food and sandwich shops51
- Pizza53
- Coffee shops and cafes41
- Bakeries and dessert shops31
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 Columbia County, WI?
Columbia County has 289 restaurants and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. 72 of them (25%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 138 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 22.1% from 2019. Official counts list 7 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Columbia County, WI spend on food away from home?
About $98.9M a year, or $4,093 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 289 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $342K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 24,158 households in Columbia County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Columbia County, WI compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Columbia County has 119.6 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 9% above the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $342K, 8% below the U.S. figure of $371K. At the national ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Columbia County would have about 267, against 289 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 175 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 22.1% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Columbia County, WI growing?
Population estimates put Columbia County at 58,132 people in 2025, down 0.7% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 24,158 households. The median household income in Columbia County is $85,351 a year, 6% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 25.5% 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. Columbia County scores 35 for restaurants and cafes (lower middle), #1,828 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Columbia 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 Columbia County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Columbia 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 Columbia 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.