Food and drink · County · Wisconsin
Restaurants and cafes in Manitowoc County, WI
How Manitowoc 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 51 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #1,158 of 2,405 scored counties
#30 of 67 scored counties in Wisconsin
- Listings
- 353
- 84 chain locations (24%)
- Official establishments
- 124
- +6.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $128.5M
- On food away from home · $3,651 a household
- Spending per listing
- $364K
- 2% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 100.3
- 9% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 81,710
- +0.4% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Manitowoc 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 Manitowoc 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
Households in Manitowoc County spend about $128.5M a year on food away from home, or $3,651 per household, 10% below the U.S. average. That works out to $364K per restaurant, 2% below the U.S. figure of $371K.
There are 353 restaurants and cafes on map listings in Manitowoc County as of September 2026. 84 of them (24%) are chain locations, against 34% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 100.3, 9% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in Manitowoc County was 124 in 2023, up 6.0% from 2019. That is one for every 284 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Another 21 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 7 SBA-backed loans worth $3.2M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Manitowoc County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Manitowoc County grew 0.4%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes in Manitowoc County is 51 (upper middle), #1,158 of 2,405 scored counties and #30 of 67 scored counties in Wisconsin.
How Manitowoc 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 | Manitowoc County | Wisconsin | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 100.3 | 106.3 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $364K | $373K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 284 | 242 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +6.0% | +4.2% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +0.4% | +1.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,651 | $3,959 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $69,148 | $77,485 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 51 | 55 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 117 → 124+6.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,872
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $30.3M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 21Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 35384 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 347The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 7
- Amount
- $3.2M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Manitowoc 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 Manitowoc County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 81,710+0.4% since 2020
- Households
- 35,188
- Median age
- 45.5
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 77%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 589 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 138
- Median household income
- $69,148+22.1% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $87,528
- Median home value
- $186,900
- Jobs located here
- 33,176
- Daytime population
- 74,436Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Manitowoc 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 Manitowoc 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 Manitowoc 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 |
| 30Manitowoc County, WI | 51 | 353 | 100.3 | $364K | +0.4% | #1,158 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Manitowoc County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes51
- Sit-down restaurants49
- Fast food and sandwich shops68
- Pizza69
- Coffee shops and cafes65
- Bakeries and dessert shops57
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 Manitowoc County, WI?
As of September 2026, map listings count 353 restaurants and cafes in Manitowoc County. 84 of them (24%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 124 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 6.0% from 2019. Official counts list 21 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Manitowoc County, WI spend on food away from home?
About $128.5M a year, or $3,651 per household. That is 10% below the U.S. average (an index of 90, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 353 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $364K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 35,188 households in Manitowoc County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Manitowoc County, WI compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Manitowoc County has 100.3 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 9% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $364K, 2% below the U.S. figure of $371K. At the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Manitowoc County would have about 347, against 353 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 284 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 6.0% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Manitowoc County, WI growing?
Population estimates put Manitowoc County at 81,710 people in 2025, up 0.4% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 35,188 households. Median household income in Manitowoc County is $69,148, 14% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 22.1%, 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. Manitowoc County scores 51 for restaurants and cafes (upper middle), #1,158 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Manitowoc 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 Manitowoc County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Manitowoc 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 Manitowoc 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.