Groundwork

Food and drink · County · Wisconsin

Restaurants and cafes in Wood County, WI

How Wood 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 50 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #1,186 of 2,405 scored counties
#31 of 67 scored counties in Wisconsin

Listings
307
94 chain locations (31%)
Official establishments
114
+4.6% since 2019
Household spending a year
$115.8M
On food away from home · $3,590 a household
Spending per listing
$377K
2% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
95.2
13% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
74,060
−0.2% since 2020

See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Wood 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 Wood 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 $3,590 per household (12% below the U.S. average), households in Wood County spend about $115.8M a year on food away from home. That is about $377K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 2% above the U.S. figure of $371K.

There are 307 restaurants and cafes on map listings in Wood County as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 31% of them, against 34% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 95.2, 13% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.

The official count of businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in Wood County was 114 in 2023, up 4.6% from 2019. That is one for every 283 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Another 16 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $563K has gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Wood County.

Population estimates put the population change in Wood County from 2020 to 2025 at −0.2%, against +3.1% for the U.S. The Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes in Wood County is 50 (upper middle), #1,186 of 2,405 scored counties and #31 of 67 scored counties in Wisconsin.

How Wood 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 Wood County, WI compared with Wisconsin and the U.S.
MeasureWood CountyWisconsinU.S.
Listings per 10k households95.2106.3109.8
Spending per listing$377K$373K$371K
Households per official establishment283242209
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+4.6%+4.2%+6.0%
Population growth, 2020–2025−0.2%+1.3%+3.1%
Spending per household on food away from home$3,590$3,959$4,070
Median household income$67,989$77,485$80,734
Groundwork market score5055

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
109 → 114+4.6% over the period
Employees, 2023
1,660
Annual payroll, 2023
$29.5M
One-person businesses, 2023
16Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
30794 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
312The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
1
Amount
$563K

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

Population, 2025 estimate
74,060−0.2% since 2020
Households
32,253
Median age
43.8
Homes lived in by their owners
73%
Vehicles per household
1.9
Land area
793 sq. mi.
People per square mile
93
Median household income
$67,989+23.8% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$86,117
Median home value
$175,600
Jobs located here
37,937
Daytime population
75,209Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Wood 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 Wood 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 Wood 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
31Wood County, WI5030795.2$377K−0.2%#1,186 of 2,405

Other business types in Wood County

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

Questions

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

As of September 2026, map listings count 307 restaurants and cafes in Wood County. 94 of them (31%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 114 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 4.6% from 2019. Official counts list 16 one-person businesses without payroll.

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

About $115.8M a year, or $3,590 per household. That is 12% below the U.S. average (an index of 88, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 307 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $377K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 32,253 households in Wood County and national spending patterns by income.

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

Wood County has 95.2 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 13% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $377K, 2% above the U.S. figure of $371K. At the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Wood County would have about 312, against 307 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 283 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 4.6% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.

How fast is Wood County, WI growing?

Population estimates put Wood County at 74,060 people in 2025, down 0.2% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 32,253 households. Median household income in Wood County is $67,989, 16% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 23.8%, 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. Wood County scores 50 for restaurants and cafes (upper middle), #1,186 of 2,405 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

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

Screening a site or an acquisition in Wood 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 Wood 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.