Food and drink · Small-town market · Wisconsin
Restaurants and cafes in the Watertown-Fort Atkinson, WI area
How the Watertown-Fort Atkinson, WI area compares with other small-town markets and the U.S. for restaurants and cafes: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 68 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #93 of 538 scored small-town markets
#3 of 13 scored small-town markets based in Wisconsin
- Listings
- 336
- 94 chain locations (28%)
- Official establishments
- 141
- +8.5% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $139M
- On food away from home · $3,986 a household
- Spending per listing
- $414K
- 12% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 96.3
- 12% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 86,505
- +0.3% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in the Watertown-Fort Atkinson area
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 the Watertown-Fort Atkinson area. 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
Map listings as of September 2026 show 336 restaurants and cafes in the Watertown-Fort Atkinson area. 94 of them (28%) are chain locations, against 34% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 96.3, 12% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.
Households in the Watertown-Fort Atkinson area spend about $139M a year on food away from home, or $3,986 per household, 2% below the U.S. average. That works out to $414K per restaurant, 12% above the U.S. figure of $371K.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in the Watertown-Fort Atkinson area was 141 in 2023, up 8.5% from 2019. That is one for every 247 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Official counts list 19 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 4 SBA-backed loans worth $712K have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in the Watertown-Fort Atkinson area.
Population estimates put the population change in the Watertown-Fort Atkinson area from 2020 to 2025 at +0.3%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Watertown-Fort Atkinson area scores 68 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes, ranking #93 of 538 scored small-town markets and #3 of 13 scored small-town markets based in Wisconsin. That puts it in the top quarter of small-town markets.
How the Watertown-Fort Atkinson area 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 | Watertown-Fort Atkinson area | Wisconsin | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 96.3 | 106.3 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $414K | $373K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 247 | 242 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +8.5% | +4.2% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +0.3% | +1.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,986 | $3,959 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $83,750 | $77,485 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 68 | 55 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 141+8.5% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 2,310
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $38.4M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 19Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 33694 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 375The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 4
- Amount
- $712K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in the Watertown-Fort Atkinson area, 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 the Watertown-Fort Atkinson area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 86,505+0.3% since 2020
- Households
- 34,873
- Median age
- 42.2
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 73%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 557 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 155
- Median household income
- $83,750+26.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $100,082
- Median home value
- $274,100
- Jobs located here
- 34,853
- Daytime population
- 76,557Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Watertown-Fort Atkinson area?
These figures cover the whole small-town market. 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 the Watertown-Fort Atkinson area. 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 small-town markets in Wisconsin for restaurants and cafes, numbered among those based in Wisconsin (a market based in another state is listed without a number), with the Watertown-Fort Atkinson area marked.
Top small-town markets in Wisconsin
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Beaver Dam, WI | 76 | 321 | 89.4 | $424K | −0.3% | #48 of 538 |
| 2Menomonie, WI | 74 | 168 | 96.3 | $395K | +1.7% | #57 of 538 |
| 3Watertown-Fort Atkinson, WI | 68 | 336 | 96.3 | $414K | +0.3% | #93 of 538 |
| 4Sparta, WI | 65 | 176 | 96.2 | $381K | +0.6% | #129 of 538 |
| 5Manitowoc, WI | 64 | 353 | 100.3 | $364K | +0.4% | #135 of 538 |
| 6Wisconsin Rapids-Marshfield, WI | 63 | 307 | 95.2 | $377K | −0.2% | #146 of 538 |
| 7Platteville, WI | 56 | 223 | 111.7 | $323K | +0.9% | #207 of 538 |
| 8Stevens Point-Plover, WI | 48 | 357 | 120.3 | $320K | +2.2% | #281 of 538 |
| 9Whitewater-Elkhorn, WI | 43 | 558 | 129.5 | $318K | +0.8% | #349 of 538 |
| Iron Mountain, MI-WI | 42 | 143 | 101.4 | $343K | +0.4% | #353 of 538 |
Other business types in the Watertown-Fort Atkinson area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes68
- Sit-down restaurants66
- Fast food and sandwich shops73
- Pizza74
- Coffee shops and cafes66
- Bakeries and dessert shops74
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 the Watertown-Fort Atkinson, WI area?
There are 336 restaurants and cafes on map listings in the Watertown-Fort Atkinson area as of September 2026. 94 of them (28%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 141 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 8.5% from 2019. Official counts also show 19 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Watertown-Fort Atkinson, WI area spend on food away from home?
About $139M a year, or $3,986 per household. That is 2% below the U.S. average (an index of 98, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 336 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $414K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 34,873 households in the Watertown-Fort Atkinson area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Watertown-Fort Atkinson, WI area compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
The Watertown-Fort Atkinson area has 96.3 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 12% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $414K, 12% above the U.S. figure of $371K. At the national ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, the Watertown-Fort Atkinson area would have about 375, against 336 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 247 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 8.5% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is the Watertown-Fort Atkinson, WI area growing?
Population estimates put the Watertown-Fort Atkinson area at 86,505 people in 2025, up 0.3% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 34,873 households. The median household income in the Watertown-Fort Atkinson area is $83,750 a year, 4% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 26.3% from the 2015–2019 survey, 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. A small-town market is a town of 10,000 to 50,000 people and the county or counties tied to it by commuting. 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. The Watertown-Fort Atkinson area scores 68 for restaurants and cafes (upper middle), #93 of 538 scored small-town markets.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Watertown-Fort Atkinson area. 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 the Watertown-Fort Atkinson area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Watertown-Fort Atkinson area?
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 the Watertown-Fort Atkinson area. 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.