Food and drink · County · Wisconsin
Restaurants and cafes in Waukesha County, WI
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for restaurants and cafes in Waukesha County, WI, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 72 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #338 of 2,405 scored counties
#4 of 67 scored counties in Wisconsin
- Listings
- 1,549
- 610 chain locations (39%)
- Official establishments
- 680
- 0.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $802.4M
- On food away from home · $4,758 a household
- Spending per listing
- $518K
- 40% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 91.8
- 16% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 417,210
- +2.4% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Waukesha 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 Waukesha 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
As of September 2026, map listings count 1,549 restaurants and cafes in Waukesha County. 610 of them (39%) are chain locations, against 34% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 91.8, 16% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.
Household spending on food away from home in Waukesha County comes to about $802.4M a year: $4,758 per household, 17% above the U.S. average. That works out to $518K per restaurant, 40% above the U.S. figure of $371K.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in Waukesha County was 680 in 2023, unchanged from 2019. That is one for every 248 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Official counts also show 94 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 49 SBA-backed loans worth $27.2M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Waukesha County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Waukesha County grew 2.4%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). For restaurants and cafes, Waukesha County has a Groundwork market score of 72 (upper middle): #338 of 2,405 scored counties and #4 of 67 scored counties in Wisconsin. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How Waukesha 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 | Waukesha County | Wisconsin | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 91.8 | 106.3 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $518K | $373K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 248 | 242 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | 0.0% | +4.2% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.4% | +1.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $4,758 | $3,959 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $106,076 | $77,485 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 72 | 55 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 680 → 6800.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 14,708
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $299.5M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 94Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 1,549610 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 2,164The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 49
- Amount
- $27.2M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Waukesha 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 Waukesha County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 417,210+2.4% since 2020
- Households
- 168,658
- Median age
- 44.2
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 76%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 550 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 749
- Median household income
- $106,076+21.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $137,605
- Median home value
- $398,200
- Jobs located here
- 265,439
- Daytime population
- 468,429Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Waukesha 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 Waukesha 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 Waukesha 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 |
Other business types in Waukesha County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes72
- Sit-down restaurants72
- Fast food and sandwich shops73
- Pizza76
- Coffee shops and cafes71
- Bakeries and dessert shops66
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 Waukesha County, WI?
Waukesha County has 1,549 restaurants and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. 610 of them (39%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 680 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, unchanged from 2019. Another 94 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Waukesha County, WI spend on food away from home?
About $802.4M a year, or $4,758 per household. That is 17% above the U.S. average (an index of 117, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 1,549 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $518K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 168,658 households in Waukesha County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Waukesha County, WI compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Waukesha County has 91.8 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 16% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $518K, 40% above the U.S. figure of $371K. At the national ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Waukesha County would have about 2,164, against 1,549 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 248 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count held level from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Waukesha County, WI growing?
Population estimates put Waukesha County at 417,210 people in 2025, up 2.4% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 168,658 households. The median household income in Waukesha County is $106,076 a year, 31% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 21.5% 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. 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. Waukesha County scores 72 for restaurants and cafes (upper middle), #338 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Waukesha 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 Waukesha County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Waukesha 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 Waukesha 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.