Food and drink · County · Wisconsin
Restaurants and cafes in Rusk County, WI
How Rusk 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 42 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,542 of 2,405 scored counties
#41 of 67 scored counties in Wisconsin
- Listings
- 61
- 11 chain locations (18%)
- Official establishments
- 22
- +10.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $21.3M
- On food away from home · $3,345 a household
- Spending per listing
- $348K
- 6% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 96.0
- 13% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 14,146
- −0.2% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Rusk 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 Rusk 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
At $3,345 per household (18% below the U.S. average), households in Rusk County spend about $21.3M a year on food away from home. That works out to $348K per restaurant, 6% below the U.S. figure of $371K.
Rusk County has 61 restaurants and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 18% of them, against 34% across the U.S. That comes to 96.0 for every 10,000 households, 13% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.
In 2023, official counts showed 22 businesses with payroll in Rusk County classed as restaurants and other eating places, up 10.0% from 2019. That is one for every 289 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Official counts list 5 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $122K has gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Rusk County.
Population estimates put the population change in Rusk County from 2020 to 2025 at −0.2%, against +3.1% for the U.S. For restaurants and cafes, Rusk County has a Groundwork market score of 42 (lower middle): #1,542 of 2,405 scored counties and #41 of 67 scored counties in Wisconsin.
How Rusk 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 | Rusk County | Wisconsin | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 96.0 | 106.3 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $348K | $373K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 289 | 242 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +10.0% | +4.2% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −0.2% | +1.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,345 | $3,959 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $59,944 | $77,485 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 42 | 55 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 20 → 22+10.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 270
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $3.8M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 5Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 6111 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 57The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $122K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Rusk 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 Rusk County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 14,146−0.2% since 2020
- Households
- 6,355
- Median age
- 47.7
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 78%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 914 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 16
- Median household income
- $59,944+26.1% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $73,376
- Median home value
- $163,400
- Jobs located here
- 4,892
- Daytime population
- 12,818Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Rusk 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 Rusk 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 Rusk 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 |
| 41Rusk County, WI | 42 | 61 | 96.0 | $348K | −0.2% | #1,542 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Rusk County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
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 Rusk County, WI?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 61 restaurants and cafes in Rusk County. 11 of them (18%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 22 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 10.0% from 2019. Official counts also show 5 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Rusk County, WI spend on food away from home?
About $21.3M a year, or $3,345 per household. That is 18% below the U.S. average (an index of 82, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 61 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $348K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 6,355 households in Rusk County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Rusk County, WI compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Rusk County has 96.0 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 13% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $348K, 6% below the U.S. figure of $371K. At the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Rusk County would have about 57, against 61 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 289 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 10.0% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Rusk County, WI growing?
Population estimates put Rusk County at 14,146 people in 2025, down 0.2% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 6,355 households. Median household income in Rusk County is $59,944, 26% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 26.1%, 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. Rusk County scores 42 for restaurants and cafes (lower middle), #1,542 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Rusk 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 Rusk County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Rusk 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 Rusk 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.