Market rankings · Michigan

Sit-down restaurants in Michigan

Every metro area, small-town market and county in Michigan, ranked by the Groundwork market score for sit-down restaurants, with competitor counts and household spending for each.

Listings: 19,197; 5,821 chain locations (30%)
Official establishments: 7,198; −0.1% since 2019
Household spending a year: $15.8B; On food away from home
Listings per 10k households: 47.1; 23% below the U.S.
Spending per listing: $823K; 24% above the U.S.
Rank among states: #11 of 51; Market score 64 · Upper middle

A site report maps the sit-down restaurants on map listings around any address in Michigan by name and distance, and the spending within reach.

Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

Survey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure

What this means

There are 19,197 sit-down restaurants on map listings in Michigan as of September 2026. Of those, 5,821 are chain locations, or 30%, against 29% across the U.S. That comes to 47.1 for every 10,000 households, 23% below the U.S. rate of 61.3.

Households in Michigan spend about $15.8B a year on food away from home, or $3,875 per household, 5% below the U.S. average. That is about $823K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 24% above the U.S. figure of $664K. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants.

In 2023, official counts showed 7,198 businesses with payroll in Michigan classed as full-service restaurants, down 0.1% from 2019. That is one for every 566 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Across the U.S., the count rose 1.5% over the same years. Since fiscal 2022, 491 SBA-backed loans worth $201.1M have gone to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Michigan.

Among the 50 states and DC, Michigan ranks #11 for sit-down restaurants, with a Groundwork market score of 64 (upper middle). Of the 16 scored metro areas in or partly in Michigan, the Midland metro area scores highest (79). Of the 19 scored small-town markets in or partly in Michigan, the Holland area scores highest (81).

Every market in Michigan for sit-down restaurants

Download the ranking (CSV)

Numbered by Groundwork market score among the markets based in Michigan, highest first; the U.S. rank compares each market with every other of its kind. A metro area that crosses a state line is listed in each state it reaches, and numbered only in the state its page is under. How the score works.

Metro areas

Metro areas reaching Michigan, ranked for sit-down restaurants by Groundwork market score
Market	Score	Listings	Per 10k households	Spending per listing	Population growth	U.S. rank
1Midland, MI	79	128	36.6	$1.1M	+0.3%	#15 of 387
2Monroe, MI	77	227	36.0	$1.1M	+0.7%	#20 of 387
3Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, MI	76	1,962	44.6	$919K	+2.8%	#25 of 387
4Lansing-East Lansing, MI	70	895	46.1	$826K	+1.4%	#49 of 387
5Jackson, MI	69	220	35.2	$1M	−0.4%	#52 of 387
6Flint, MI	64	635	37.9	$932K	−1.1%	#85 of 387
7Battle Creek, MI	62	222	41.6	$846K	−0.6%	#100 of 387
8Muskegon-Norton Shores, MI	62	282	41.6	$837K	+1.8%	#101 of 387
9Bay City, MI	58	149	33.0	$1M	−1.6%	#120 of 387
10Ann Arbor, MI	58	826	54.9	$805K	−0.4%	#121 of 387
11Kalamazoo-Portage, MI	58	520	48.5	$801K	+0.8%	#122 of 387
12Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI	57	9,096	51.4	$783K	+0.1%	#131 of 387
13Saginaw, MI	56	324	41.6	$840K	−1.1%	#136 of 387
South Bend-Mishawaka, IN-MI	49	632	49.2	$752K	+0.1%	#192 of 387
14Traverse City, MI	41	383	58.5	$688K	+2.2%	#270 of 387
15Niles, MI	38	312	48.8	$753K	−1.3%	#286 of 387

Small-town markets

Small-town markets reaching Michigan, ranked for sit-down restaurants by Groundwork market score
Market	Score	Listings	Per 10k households	Spending per listing	Population growth	U.S. rank
1Holland, MI	81	168	36.9	$1.1M	+2.1%	#15 of 538
2Owosso, MI	79	81	28.8	$1.2M	−0.4%	#21 of 538
3Hillsdale, MI	77	49	27.4	$1.3M	0.0%	#27 of 538
4Big Rapids, MI	74	61	36.5	$912K	+4.7%	#48 of 538
5Alma, MI	71	42	28.4	$1.2M	−1.1%	#63 of 538
6Coldwater, MI	66	65	38.4	$895K	+2.5%	#101 of 538
7Ludington, MI	64	58	45.3	$791K	0.0%	#121 of 538
8Marquette, MI	63	112	39.6	$886K	+2.3%	#129 of 538
9Escanaba, MI	63	61	38.2	$885K	−0.8%	#130 of 538
10Adrian, MI	62	152	39.1	$937K	−1.6%	#141 of 538
11Sturgis, MI	60	90	38.1	$917K	+0.1%	#162 of 538
12Cadillac, MI	51	99	50.5	$679K	+2.0%	#255 of 538
13Iron Mountain, MI-WI	47	63	44.7	$778K	+0.4%	#298 of 538
14Mount Pleasant, MI	46	108	43.3	$761K	+0.3%	#311 of 538
15Alpena, MI	44	57	43.8	$743K	−0.1%	#327 of 538
16Houghton, MI	40	82	53.1	$654K	+1.8%	#372 of 538
Marinette, WI-MI	35	158	53.7	$633K	+0.3%	#423 of 538
17Petoskey, MI	27	146	96.1	$422K	−1.0%	#490 of 538
18Sault Ste. Marie, MI	26	79	56.1	$599K	−1.9%	#491 of 538

Counties

Counties in Michigan, ranked for sit-down restaurants by Groundwork market score
Market	Score	Listings	Per 10k households	Spending per listing	Population growth	U.S. rank
1Clinton County, MI	84	73	23.1	$1.8M	+1.6%	#68 of 2,405
2Ottawa County, MI	84	398	35.8	$1.2M	+3.9%	#72 of 2,405
3Livingston County, MI	79	275	36.0	$1.3M	+1.7%	#138 of 2,405
4Barry County, MI	77	54	22.1	$1.8M	+2.2%	#182 of 2,405
5Cass County, MI	76	50	23.6	$1.6M	+0.2%	#208 of 2,405
6Kalkaska County, MI	76	20	25.7	$1.3M	+4.3%	#210 of 2,405
7Newaygo County, MI	76	52	26.5	$1.3M	+3.1%	#212 of 2,405
8Lapeer County, MI	76	106	30.4	$1.3M	+1.0%	#213 of 2,405
9Midland County, MI	75	128	36.6	$1.1M	+0.3%	#236 of 2,405
10Montcalm County, MI	74	70	28.6	$1.2M	+4.1%	#259 of 2,405
11Monroe County, MI	73	227	36.0	$1.1M	+0.7%	#297 of 2,405
12Allegan County, MI	72	168	36.9	$1.1M	+2.1%	#313 of 2,405
13Shiawassee County, MI	71	81	28.8	$1.2M	−0.4%	#331 of 2,405
14Hillsdale County, MI	70	49	27.4	$1.3M	0.0%	#359 of 2,405
15Eaton County, MI	67	189	41.6	$940K	+0.4%	#458 of 2,405
16Ionia County, MI	66	75	32.1	$1.2M	−0.5%	#476 of 2,405
17Jackson County, MI	66	220	35.2	$1M	−0.4%	#478 of 2,405
18Tuscola County, MI	65	57	26.5	$1.3M	−1.2%	#512 of 2,405
19Osceola County, MI	64	23	24.6	$1.4M	+2.7%	#548 of 2,405
20Gladwin County, MI	64	29	25.7	$1.3M	+2.8%	#549 of 2,405
21Gratiot County, MI	64	42	28.4	$1.2M	−1.1%	#551 of 2,405
22Missaukee County, MI	64	21	35.5	$969K	+1.4%	#560 of 2,405
23Mecosta County, MI	64	61	36.5	$912K	+4.7%	#564 of 2,405
24St. Clair County, MI	63	259	38.2	$980K	+0.1%	#607 of 2,405
25Arenac County, MI	60	23	35.1	$934K	+0.5%	#733 of 2,405

Show all 83 counties

Counties in Michigan, ranked for sit-down restaurants by Groundwork market score, continued
Market	Score	Listings	Per 10k households	Spending per listing	Population growth	U.S. rank
26Genesee County, MI	60	635	37.9	$932K	−1.1%	#734 of 2,405
27Macomb County, MI	60	1,674	46.7	$847K	+0.7%	#742 of 2,405
28Kent County, MI	59	1,365	53.2	$775K	+2.5%	#782 of 2,405
29Muskegon County, MI	58	282	41.6	$837K	+1.8%	#813 of 2,405
30Alcona County, MI	57	16	30.2	$1.1M	+3.7%	#838 of 2,405
31Bay County, MI	57	149	33.0	$1M	−1.6%	#840 of 2,405
32Branch County, MI	57	65	38.4	$895K	+2.5%	#848 of 2,405
33Calhoun County, MI	57	222	41.6	$846K	−0.6%	#854 of 2,405
34Oakland County, MI	56	3,087	58.2	$794K	+1.2%	#905 of 2,405
35Washtenaw County, MI	55	826	54.9	$805K	−0.4%	#944 of 2,405
36Kalamazoo County, MI	55	520	48.5	$801K	+0.8%	#945 of 2,405
37Delta County, MI	54	61	38.2	$885K	−0.8%	#979 of 2,405
38Mason County, MI	54	58	45.3	$791K	0.0%	#987 of 2,405
39Lenawee County, MI	53	152	39.1	$937K	−1.6%	#1,020 of 2,405
40Marquette County, MI	53	112	39.6	$886K	+2.3%	#1,023 of 2,405
41Sanilac County, MI	52	57	32.5	$1M	−1.0%	#1,065 of 2,405
42St. Joseph County, MI	52	90	38.1	$917K	+0.1%	#1,069 of 2,405
43Van Buren County, MI	52	129	42.1	$865K	+0.7%	#1,071 of 2,405
44Saginaw County, MI	52	324	41.6	$840K	−1.1%	#1,073 of 2,405
45Clare County, MI	52	47	37.5	$814K	+2.3%	#1,078 of 2,405
46Antrim County, MI	51	57	51.4	$728K	+5.3%	#1,135 of 2,405
47Benzie County, MI	49	38	49.3	$772K	+3.1%	#1,210 of 2,405
48Leelanau County, MI	49	61	63.2	$723K	+3.0%	#1,226 of 2,405
49Ingham County, MI	49	633	54.1	$675K	+1.7%	#1,235 of 2,405
50Presque Isle County, MI	48	23	34.6	$977K	+1.0%	#1,254 of 2,405
51Dickinson County, MI	47	51	42.8	$812K	−0.3%	#1,297 of 2,405
52Crawford County, MI	46	26	41.7	$772K	+5.7%	#1,351 of 2,405
53Manistee County, MI	46	58	54.9	$641K	+2.3%	#1,377 of 2,405
54Oceana County, MI	45	47	45.1	$768K	+1.7%	#1,403 of 2,405
55Berrien County, MI	42	312	48.8	$753K	−1.3%	#1,520 of 2,405
56Wayne County, MI	41	3,695	52.7	$677K	−1.1%	#1,586 of 2,405
57Gogebic County, MI	39	24	34.3	$928K	−0.4%	#1,657 of 2,405
58Ogemaw County, MI	39	36	38.4	$829K	+1.6%	#1,661 of 2,405
59Isabella County, MI	39	108	43.3	$761K	+0.3%	#1,664 of 2,405
60Lake County, MI	39	23	44.3	$670K	+9.1%	#1,681 of 2,405
61Grand Traverse County, MI	39	264	65.5	$618K	+1.4%	#1,693 of 2,405
62Alpena County, MI	38	57	43.8	$743K	−0.1%	#1,713 of 2,405
63Iron County, MI	37	26	46.9	$682K	+1.1%	#1,754 of 2,405
64Menominee County, MI	36	43	41.5	$794K	−2.2%	#1,787 of 2,405
65Otsego County, MI	36	74	65.9	$558K	+3.8%	#1,810 of 2,405
66Cheboygan County, MI	34	54	48.4	$719K	+0.9%	#1,863 of 2,405
67Houghton County, MI	34	74	51.7	$673K	+1.6%	#1,869 of 2,405
68Charlevoix County, MI	34	78	63.6	$622K	0.0%	#1,880 of 2,405
69Wexford County, MI	34	78	57.0	$601K	+2.3%	#1,887 of 2,405
70Roscommon County, MI	32	57	49.2	$664K	+1.9%	#1,952 of 2,405
71Emmet County, MI	24	146	96.1	$422K	−1.0%	#2,234 of 2,405
72Huron County, MI	23	72	50.9	$656K	−2.7%	#2,241 of 2,405
73Mackinac County, MI	23	72	138.5	$250K	+3.8%	#2,262 of 2,405
74Chippewa County, MI	22	79	56.1	$599K	−1.9%	#2,264 of 2,405
75Iosco County, MI	20	69	58.9	$525K	+0.3%	#2,303 of 2,405
Montmorency County, MI	Not scored	18	36.6	$828K	+7.3%
Alger County, MI	Not scored	29	82.1	$403K	−2.3%
Oscoda County, MI	Not scored	11	29.0	$1M	+6.0%
Baraga County, MI	Not scored	20	58.3	$553K	+0.3%
Schoolcraft County, MI	Not scored	18	46.3	$718K	+1.7%
Luce County, MI	Not scored	16	65.2	$477K	−1.1%
Ontonagon County, MI	Not scored	21	66.7	$462K	+0.4%
Keweenaw County, MI	Not scored	8	70.5	$480K	+6.2%

Markets with fewer than 5 sit-down restaurants on map listings, and counties under 10,000 people, aren’t scored; they’re listed last in each table.

Questions

How many sit-down restaurants are in Michigan?

As of September 2026, map listings count 19,197 sit-down restaurants in Michigan. 5,821 of them (30%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 7,198 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023, down 0.1% from 2019. Official counts also show 1,283 one-person businesses without payroll.

How much do households in Michigan spend on food away from home?

About $15.8B a year, or $3,875 per household. That is 5% below the U.S. average (an index of 95, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 19,197 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $823K per restaurant. That spending covers all food away from home, which sit-down restaurants share with other businesses in the trade. It is estimated from the incomes of the 4,076,369 households in Michigan and national spending patterns by income.

How does Michigan compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?

Michigan has 47.1 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 23% below the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $823K, 24% above the U.S. figure of $664K. At the U.S. ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, Michigan would have about 23,803, against 19,197 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 566 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. The official count fell 0.1% from 2019 to 2023, against +1.5% for the U.S.

Which market in Michigan has the highest market score for sit-down restaurants?

Among 16 scored metro areas in or partly in Michigan, the Midland metro area scores highest, at 79 (high). Among 19 scored small-town markets in or partly in Michigan, the Holland area scores highest, at 81 (high). Among 75 scored counties in Michigan, Clinton County scores highest, at 84 (high). Scores compare each market with others of its kind across the U.S.

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. Michigan scores 64 for sit-down restaurants (upper middle), #11 of the 50 states and DC.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Michigan. It maps the sit-down restaurants 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.

Restaurants and cafes37,452 listings
Fast food and sandwich shops5,209 listings
Pizza3,376 listings
Coffee shops and cafes3,819 listings
Bakeries and dessert shops3,652 listings

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