Groundwork

Food and drink · County · Wisconsin

Restaurants and cafes in Racine County, WI

How Racine 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 62 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #679 of 2,405 scored counties
#10 of 67 scored counties in Wisconsin

Listings
722
202 chain locations (28%)
Official establishments
300
+8.3% since 2019
Household spending a year
$318.2M
On food away from home · $3,957 a household
Spending per listing
$441K
19% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
89.8
18% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
198,919
+0.4% since 2020

See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Racine 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 Racine 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 $3,957 per household (3% below the U.S. average), households in Racine County spend about $318.2M a year on food away from home. That works out to $441K per restaurant, 19% above the U.S. figure of $371K.

There are 722 restaurants and cafes on map listings in Racine County as of September 2026. Of those, 202 are chain locations, or 28%, against 34% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 89.8, 18% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.

Official counts show 300 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in Racine County in 2023, up 8.3% from 2019. That is one for every 268 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Official counts also show 39 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 13 SBA-backed loans worth $5.4M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Racine County.

Population estimates put the population change in Racine County from 2020 to 2025 at +0.4%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes in Racine County is 62 (upper middle), #679 of 2,405 scored counties and #10 of 67 scored counties in Wisconsin.

How Racine 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 Racine County, WI compared with Wisconsin and the U.S.
MeasureRacine CountyWisconsinU.S.
Listings per 10k households89.8106.3109.8
Spending per listing$441K$373K$371K
Households per official establishment268242209
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+8.3%+4.2%+6.0%
Population growth, 2020–2025+0.4%+1.3%+3.1%
Spending per household on food away from home$3,957$3,959$4,070
Median household income$78,096$77,485$80,734
Groundwork market score6255

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
277 → 300+8.3% over the period
Employees, 2023
4,924
Annual payroll, 2023
$96.1M
One-person businesses, 2023
39Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
722202 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
858The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
13
Amount
$5.4M

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

Population, 2025 estimate
198,919+0.4% since 2020
Households
80,406
Median age
41.8
Homes lived in by their owners
71%
Vehicles per household
1.8
Land area
333 sq. mi.
People per square mile
594
Median household income
$78,096+27.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$99,261
Median home value
$251,400
Jobs located here
75,599
Daytime population
171,951Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Racine 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 Racine 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 Racine 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

Other business types in Racine County

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

Questions

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

As of September 2026, map listings count 722 restaurants and cafes in Racine County. 202 of them (28%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 300 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 8.3% from 2019. Another 39 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.

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

About $318.2M a year, or $3,957 per household. That is 3% below the U.S. average (an index of 97, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 722 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $441K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 80,406 households in Racine County and national spending patterns by income.

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

Racine County has 89.8 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 18% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $441K, 19% above the U.S. figure of $371K. At the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Racine County would have about 858, against 722 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 268 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 8.3% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.

How fast is Racine County, WI growing?

Population estimates put Racine County at 198,919 people in 2025, up 0.4% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 80,406 households. Median household income in Racine County is $78,096, 3% 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. Racine County scores 62 for restaurants and cafes (upper middle), #679 of 2,405 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

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

Screening a site or an acquisition in Racine 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 Racine 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.