Groundwork

Food and drink · County · Wisconsin

Restaurants and cafes in Door County, WI

Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for restaurants and cafes in Door County, WI, set against other counties and the U.S.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 26 out of 100: Lower middle

Ranked #2,175 of 2,405 scored counties
#62 of 67 scored counties in Wisconsin

Listings
373
29 chain locations (8%)
Official establishments
137
−1.4% since 2019
Household spending a year
$58.5M
On food away from home · $3,904 a household
Spending per listing
$157K
58% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
248.9
2.3 times the U.S.
Population, 2025
30,616
+1.6% since 2020

See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Door 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 Door 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, Door County has a Groundwork market score of 26 (lower middle): #2,175 of 2,405 scored counties and #62 of 67 scored counties in Wisconsin. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.

As of September 2026, map listings count 373 restaurants and cafes in Door County. 29 of them (8%) are chain locations, against 34% across the U.S. That comes to 248.9 for every 10,000 households, 2.3 times the U.S. rate of 109.8.

Households in Door County spend about $58.5M a year on food away from home, or $3,904 per household, 4% below the U.S. average. That works out to $157K per restaurant, 58% below the U.S. figure of $371K.

In 2023, official counts showed 137 businesses with payroll in Door County classed as restaurants and other eating places, down 1.4% from 2019. That is one for every 109 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 3 SBA-backed loans worth $1.5M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Door County. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Door County grew 1.6%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%).

How Door 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.

Restaurants and cafes in Door County, WI compared with Wisconsin and the U.S.
MeasureDoor CountyWisconsinU.S.
Listings per 10k households248.9106.3109.8
Spending per listing$157K$373K$371K
Households per official establishment109242209
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023−1.4%+4.2%+6.0%
Population growth, 2020–2025+1.6%+1.3%+3.1%
Spending per household on food away from home$3,904$3,959$4,070
Median household income$74,795$77,485$80,734
Groundwork market score2655

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
139 → 137−1.4% over the period
Employees, 2023
1,262
Annual payroll, 2023
$52.1M
One-person businesses, 2023
17Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
37329 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
158The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
3
Amount
$1.5M

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

Population, 2025 estimate
30,616+1.6% since 2020
Households
14,986
Median age
53.6
Homes lived in by their owners
78%
Vehicles per household
2.0
Land area
482 sq. mi.
People per square mile
63
Median household income
$74,795+21.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$105,001
Median home value
$342,600
Jobs located here
12,670
Daytime population
28,917Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

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

Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

Restaurants 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 Door County marked.

Top counties in Wisconsin

Counties in Wisconsin ranked for restaurants and cafes by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Calumet County, WI8413261.8$681K+2.9%#67 of 2,405
2Washington County, WI7544277.4$566K+1.8%#237 of 2,405
3St. Croix County, WI7335594.6$491K+4.7%#316 of 2,405
4Waukesha County, WI721,54991.8$518K+2.4%#338 of 2,405
5Pierce County, WI70163102.7$417K+3.1%#415 of 2,405
6Vernon County, WI6910181.3$458K+2.4%#438 of 2,405
7Dane County, WI672,49699.2$441K+4.9%#492 of 2,405
8Ozaukee County, WI64384100.2$462K+3.0%#604 of 2,405
9Iowa County, WI639896.9$416K+1.0%#645 of 2,405
10Racine County, WI6272289.8$441K+0.4%#679 of 2,405
62Door County, WI26373248.9$157K+1.6%#2,175 of 2,405

Other business types in Door County

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

Questions

How many restaurants and cafes are in Door County, WI?

Door County has 373 restaurants and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. 29 of them (8%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 137 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, down 1.4% from 2019. Official counts list 17 one-person businesses without payroll.

How much do households in Door County, WI spend on food away from home?

About $58.5M a year, or $3,904 per household. That is 4% below the U.S. average (an index of 96, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 373 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $157K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 14,986 households in Door County and national spending patterns by income.

How does Door County, WI compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?

Door County has 248.9 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 2.3 times the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $157K, 58% below the U.S. figure of $371K. At the national ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Door County would have about 158, against 373 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 109 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count fell 1.4% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.

How fast is Door County, WI growing?

Population estimates put Door County at 30,616 people in 2025, up 1.6% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 14,986 households. The median household income in Door County is $74,795 a year, 7% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 21.5% 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. Door County scores 26 for restaurants and cafes (lower middle), #2,175 of 2,405 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

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

Screening a site or an acquisition in Door 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 Door 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.