Food and drink · County · Wisconsin
Restaurants and cafes in Dane County, WI
The restaurants and cafes in Dane County, WI, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 67 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #492 of 2,405 scored counties
#7 of 67 scored counties in Wisconsin
- Listings
- 2,496
- 819 chain locations (33%)
- Official establishments
- 1,070
- +0.4% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $1.1B
- On food away from home · $4,376 a household
- Spending per listing
- $441K
- 19% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 99.2
- 10% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 590,375
- +4.9% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Dane 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 Dane 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
As of September 2026, map listings count 2,496 restaurants and cafes in Dane County. 819 of them (33%) are chain locations, against 34% across the U.S. That comes to 99.2 for every 10,000 households, 10% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.
At $4,376 per household (8% above the U.S. average), households in Dane County spend about $1.1B a year on food away from home. That is about $441K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 19% above the U.S. figure of $371K.
Official counts show 1,070 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in Dane County in 2023, up 0.4% from 2019. That is one for every 235 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Official counts list 148 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 47 SBA-backed loans worth $20.7M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Dane County.
Population estimates put the population change in Dane County from 2020 to 2025 at +4.9%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). Dane County scores 67 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes, ranking #492 of 2,405 scored counties and #7 of 67 scored counties in Wisconsin. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How Dane 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 | Dane County | Wisconsin | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 99.2 | 106.3 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $441K | $373K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 235 | 242 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +0.4% | +4.2% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +4.9% | +1.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $4,376 | $3,959 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $89,975 | $77,485 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 67 | 55 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 1,066 → 1,070+0.4% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 21,768
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $493.8M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 148Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 2,496819 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 2,968The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 47
- Amount
- $20.7M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Dane 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 Dane County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 590,375+4.9% since 2020
- Households
- 251,529
- Median age
- 38.0
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 57%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.7
- Land area
- 1,197 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 479
- Median household income
- $89,975+21.8% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $119,712
- Median home value
- $394,800
- Jobs located here
- 369,475
- Daytime population
- 644,560Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Dane 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 Dane 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 Dane 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 |
Other business types in Dane County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes67
- Sit-down restaurants67
- Fast food and sandwich shops76
- Pizza77
- Coffee shops and cafes58
- Bakeries and dessert shops69
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 Dane County, WI?
Dane County has 2,496 restaurants and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. 819 of them (33%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 1,070 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 0.4% from 2019. Official counts also show 148 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Dane County, WI spend on food away from home?
About $1.1B a year, or $4,376 per household. That is 8% above the U.S. average (an index of 108, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 2,496 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $441K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 251,529 households in Dane County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Dane County, WI compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Dane County has 99.2 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 10% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $441K, 19% above the U.S. figure of $371K. At the national ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Dane County would have about 2,968, against 2,496 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 235 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 0.4% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Dane County, WI growing?
Population estimates put Dane County at 590,375 people in 2025, up 4.9% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 251,529 households. The median household income in Dane County is $89,975 a year, 11% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 21.8% 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. Dane County scores 67 for restaurants and cafes (upper middle), #492 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Dane 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 Dane County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Dane 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 Dane 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.