Food and drink · County · Wisconsin
Restaurants and cafes in Milwaukee County, WI
The restaurants and cafes in Milwaukee County, WI, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 37 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,745 of 2,405 scored counties
#45 of 67 scored counties in Wisconsin
- Listings
- 4,229
- 1,219 chain locations (29%)
- Official establishments
- 1,578
- +4.7% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $1.4B
- On food away from home · $3,633 a household
- Spending per listing
- $337K
- 9% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 107.8
- 2% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 924,216
- −1.5% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Milwaukee 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 Milwaukee 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
Household spending on food away from home in Milwaukee County comes to about $1.4B a year: $3,633 per household, 11% below the U.S. average. Spread across 4,229 restaurants and cafes, that is $337K per restaurant, 9% below the U.S. figure of $371K.
There are 4,229 restaurants and cafes on map listings in Milwaukee County as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 29% of them, against 34% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 107.8, 2% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in Milwaukee County was 1,578 in 2023, up 4.7% from 2019. That is one for every 249 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Official counts also show 322 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 76 SBA-backed loans worth $45.4M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Milwaukee County.
Population estimates put the population change in Milwaukee County from 2020 to 2025 at −1.5%, against +3.1% for the U.S. For restaurants and cafes, Milwaukee County has a Groundwork market score of 37 (lower middle): #1,745 of 2,405 scored counties and #45 of 67 scored counties in Wisconsin.
How Milwaukee 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 | Milwaukee County | Wisconsin | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 107.8 | 106.3 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $337K | $373K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 249 | 242 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +4.7% | +4.2% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −1.5% | +1.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,633 | $3,959 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $64,435 | $77,485 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 37 | 55 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 1,507 → 1,578+4.7% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 29,491
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $656.9M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 322Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 4,2291,219 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 3,845The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 76
- Amount
- $45.4M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Milwaukee 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 Milwaukee County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 924,216−1.5% since 2020
- Households
- 392,399
- Median age
- 36.5
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 50%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.5
- Land area
- 241 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 3,837
- Median household income
- $64,435+27.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $88,836
- Median home value
- $230,700
- Jobs located here
- 496,935
- Daytime population
- 971,639Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Milwaukee 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 Milwaukee 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 Milwaukee 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 |
| 45Milwaukee County, WI | 37 | 4,229 | 107.8 | $337K | −1.5% | #1,745 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Milwaukee County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes37
- Sit-down restaurants40
- Fast food and sandwich shops51
- Pizza56
- Coffee shops and cafes47
- Bakeries and dessert shops49
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 Milwaukee County, WI?
As of September 2026, map listings count 4,229 restaurants and cafes in Milwaukee County. 1,219 of them (29%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 1,578 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 4.7% from 2019. Another 322 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Milwaukee County, WI spend on food away from home?
About $1.4B a year, or $3,633 per household. That is 11% below the U.S. average (an index of 89, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 4,229 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $337K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 392,399 households in Milwaukee County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Milwaukee County, WI compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Milwaukee County has 107.8 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 2% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $337K, 9% below the U.S. figure of $371K. At the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Milwaukee County would have about 3,845, against 4,229 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 249 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 4.7% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Milwaukee County, WI growing?
Population estimates put Milwaukee County at 924,216 people in 2025, down 1.5% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 392,399 households. Median household income in Milwaukee County is $64,435, 20% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 27.3%, 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. Milwaukee County scores 37 for restaurants and cafes (lower middle), #1,745 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Milwaukee 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 Milwaukee County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Milwaukee 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 Milwaukee 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.