Food and drink · County · Wisconsin
Restaurants and cafes in Portage County, WI
How Portage 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 40 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,628 of 2,405 scored counties
#43 of 67 scored counties in Wisconsin
- Listings
- 357
- 104 chain locations (29%)
- Official establishments
- 140
- +5.3% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $114.4M
- On food away from home · $3,853 a household
- Spending per listing
- $320K
- 14% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 120.3
- 10% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 71,943
- +2.2% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Portage 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 Portage 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 Portage County comes to about $114.4M a year: $3,853 per household, 5% below the U.S. average. That works out to $320K per restaurant, 14% below the U.S. figure of $371K.
There are 357 restaurants and cafes on map listings in Portage County as of September 2026. Of those, 104 are chain locations, or 29%, against 34% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 120.3, 10% above the U.S. rate of 109.8.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in Portage County was 140 in 2023, up 5.3% from 2019. That is one for every 212 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Another 17 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 6 SBA-backed loans worth $3.5M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Portage County.
Population estimates show Portage County grew 2.2% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes in Portage County is 40 (lower middle), #1,628 of 2,405 scored counties and #43 of 67 scored counties in Wisconsin.
How Portage 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 | Portage County | Wisconsin | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 120.3 | 106.3 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $320K | $373K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 212 | 242 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +5.3% | +4.2% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.2% | +1.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,853 | $3,959 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $76,070 | $77,485 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 40 | 55 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 133 → 140+5.3% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 2,053
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $37.4M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 17Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 357104 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 308The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 6
- Amount
- $3.5M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Portage 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 Portage County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 71,943+2.2% since 2020
- Households
- 29,679
- Median age
- 40.0
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 70%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 801 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 88
- Median household income
- $76,070+29.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $94,142
- Median home value
- $243,100
- Jobs located here
- 33,759
- Daytime population
- 69,944Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Portage 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 Portage 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 Portage 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 |
| 43Portage County, WI | 40 | 357 | 120.3 | $320K | +2.2% | #1,628 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Portage County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes40
- Sit-down restaurants49
- Fast food and sandwich shops53
- Pizza73
- Coffee shops and cafes53
- Bakeries and dessert shops63
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 Portage County, WI?
As of September 2026, map listings count 357 restaurants and cafes in Portage County. 104 of them (29%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 140 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 5.3% from 2019. Official counts list 17 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Portage County, WI spend on food away from home?
About $114.4M a year, or $3,853 per household. That is 5% below the U.S. average (an index of 95, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 357 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $320K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 29,679 households in Portage County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Portage County, WI compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Portage County has 120.3 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 10% above the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $320K, 14% below the U.S. figure of $371K. At the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Portage County would have about 308, against 357 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 212 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 5.3% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Portage County, WI growing?
Population estimates put Portage County at 71,943 people in 2025, up 2.2% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 29,679 households. Median household income in Portage County is $76,070, 6% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 29.3%, 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. Portage County scores 40 for restaurants and cafes (lower middle), #1,628 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Portage 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 Portage County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Portage 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 Portage 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.