Groundwork

Food and drink · County · Wisconsin

Restaurants and cafes in Fond du Lac County, WI

The restaurants and cafes in Fond du Lac County, WI, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 60 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #762 of 2,405 scored counties
#12 of 67 scored counties in Wisconsin

Listings
379
110 chain locations (29%)
Official establishments
162
+12.5% since 2019
Household spending a year
$165.1M
On food away from home · $3,818 a household
Spending per listing
$436K
17% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
87.6
20% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
104,669
+0.5% since 2020

See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Fond du Lac 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 Fond du Lac 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

At $3,818 per household (6% below the U.S. average), households in Fond du Lac County spend about $165.1M a year on food away from home. That works out to $436K per restaurant, 17% above the U.S. figure of $371K.

There are 379 restaurants and cafes on map listings in Fond du Lac County as of September 2026. 110 of them (29%) are chain locations, against 34% across the U.S. That is 87.6 per 10,000 households, 20% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.

In 2023, official counts showed 162 businesses with payroll in Fond du Lac County classed as restaurants and other eating places, up 12.5% from 2019. That is one for every 267 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Another 18 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 6 SBA-backed loans worth $4.6M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Fond du Lac County.

Population estimates show Fond du Lac County grew 0.5% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). Fond du Lac County scores 60 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes, ranking #762 of 2,405 scored counties and #12 of 67 scored counties in Wisconsin.

How Fond du Lac 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 Fond du Lac County, WI compared with Wisconsin and the U.S.
MeasureFond du Lac CountyWisconsinU.S.
Listings per 10k households87.6106.3109.8
Spending per listing$436K$373K$371K
Households per official establishment267242209
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+12.5%+4.2%+6.0%
Population growth, 2020–2025+0.5%+1.3%+3.1%
Spending per household on food away from home$3,818$3,959$4,070
Median household income$74,275$77,485$80,734
Groundwork market score6055

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
144 → 162+12.5% over the period
Employees, 2023
3,126
Annual payroll, 2023
$55.1M
One-person businesses, 2023
18Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
379110 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
445The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
6
Amount
$4.6M

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Fond du Lac 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 Fond du Lac County

Population, 2025 estimate
104,669+0.5% since 2020
Households
43,243
Median age
42.0
Homes lived in by their owners
71%
Vehicles per household
1.9
Land area
720 sq. mi.
People per square mile
145
Median household income
$74,275+19.1% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$92,084
Median home value
$222,800
Jobs located here
49,885
Daytime population
99,843Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

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

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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 Fond du Lac 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
12Fond du Lac County, WI6037987.6$436K+0.5%#762 of 2,405

Other business types in Fond du Lac County

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

Questions

How many restaurants and cafes are in Fond du Lac County, WI?

As of September 2026, map listings count 379 restaurants and cafes in Fond du Lac County. 110 of them (29%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 162 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 12.5% from 2019. Official counts list 18 one-person businesses without payroll.

How much do households in Fond du Lac County, WI spend on food away from home?

About $165.1M a year, or $3,818 per household. That is 6% below the U.S. average (an index of 94, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 379 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $436K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 43,243 households in Fond du Lac County and national spending patterns by income.

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

Fond du Lac County has 87.6 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 20% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $436K, 17% above the U.S. figure of $371K. At the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Fond du Lac County would have about 445, against 379 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 267 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 12.5% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.

How fast is Fond du Lac County, WI growing?

Population estimates put Fond du Lac County at 104,669 people in 2025, up 0.5% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 43,243 households. Median household income in Fond du Lac County is $74,275, 8% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 19.1%, 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. Fond du Lac County scores 60 for restaurants and cafes (upper middle), #762 of 2,405 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Fond du Lac 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 Fond du Lac County

Screening a site or an acquisition in Fond du Lac 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 Fond du Lac 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.