Food and drink · County · Wisconsin
Restaurants and cafes in Vilas County, WI
The restaurants and cafes in Vilas County, WI, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 24 out of 100: Low
Ranked #2,220 of 2,405 scored counties
#64 of 67 scored counties in Wisconsin
- Listings
- 231
- 13 chain locations (6%)
- Official establishments
- 109
- +10.1% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $40.1M
- On food away from home · $3,599 a household
- Spending per listing
- $174K
- 53% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 207.2
- 89% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 23,761
- +2.9% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Vilas 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 Vilas 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
Vilas County scores 24 (low) on the Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes, ranking #2,220 of 2,405 scored counties and #64 of 67 scored counties in Wisconsin. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
Household spending on food away from home in Vilas County comes to about $40.1M a year: $3,599 per household, 12% below the U.S. average. Spread across 231 restaurants and cafes, that is $174K per restaurant, 53% below the U.S. figure of $371K.
Vilas County has 231 restaurants and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. 13 of them (6%) are chain locations, against 34% across the U.S. That comes to 207.2 for every 10,000 households, 89% above the U.S. rate of 109.8.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in Vilas County was 109 in 2023, up 10.1% from 2019. That is one for every 102 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $1.9M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Vilas County. Population estimates put the population change in Vilas County from 2020 to 2025 at +2.9%, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Vilas 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 | Vilas County | Wisconsin | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 207.2 | 106.3 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $174K | $373K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 102 | 242 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +10.1% | +4.2% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.9% | +1.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,599 | $3,959 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $68,431 | $77,485 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 24 | 55 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 99 → 109+10.1% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 879
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $22.7M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 13Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 23113 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 108The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 2
- Amount
- $1.9M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Vilas 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 Vilas County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 23,761+2.9% since 2020
- Households
- 11,147
- Median age
- 53.2
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 84%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 858 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 28
- Median household income
- $68,431+45.4% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $88,583
- Median home value
- $300,000
- Jobs located here
- 7,876
- Daytime population
- 22,608Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Vilas 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 Vilas 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 Vilas 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 |
| 64Vilas County, WI | 24 | 231 | 207.2 | $174K | +2.9% | #2,220 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Vilas County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes24
- Sit-down restaurants24
- Fast food and sandwich shops73
- Pizza65
- Coffee shops and cafes26
- Bakeries and dessert shops26
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 Vilas County, WI?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 231 restaurants and cafes in Vilas County. 13 of them (6%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 109 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 10.1% from 2019. Official counts list 13 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Vilas County, WI spend on food away from home?
About $40.1M a year, or $3,599 per household. That is 12% below the U.S. average (an index of 88, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 231 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $174K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 11,147 households in Vilas County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Vilas County, WI compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Vilas County has 207.2 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 89% above the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $174K, 53% below the U.S. figure of $371K. At the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Vilas County would have about 108, against 231 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 102 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 10.1% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Vilas County, WI growing?
Population estimates put Vilas County at 23,761 people in 2025, up 2.9% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 11,147 households. Median household income in Vilas County is $68,431, 15% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 45.4%, 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. Vilas County scores 24 for restaurants and cafes (low), #2,220 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Vilas 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 Vilas County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Vilas 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 Vilas 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.