Food and drink · County · Michigan
Sit-down restaurants in Bay County, MI
How Bay County, MI compares with other counties and the U.S. for sit-down restaurants: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 57 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #840 of 2,405 scored counties
#31 of 75 scored counties in Michigan
- Listings
- 149
- 40 chain locations (27%)
- Official establishments
- 71
- −1.4% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $156.3M
- On food away from home · $3,466 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1M
- 58% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 33.0
- 46% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 102,123
- −1.6% since 2020
See the sit-down restaurants around any address in Bay County
The site report maps the sit-down restaurants 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 Bay 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
Household spending on food away from home in Bay County comes to about $156.3M a year: $3,466 per household, 15% below the U.S. average. Spread across 149 sit-down restaurants, that is $1M per restaurant, 58% above the U.S. figure of $664K. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants.
Bay County has 149 sit-down restaurants on map listings as of September 2026. 40 of them (27%) are chain locations, against 29% across the U.S. That comes to 33.0 for every 10,000 households, 46% below the U.S. rate of 61.3.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in Bay County was 71 in 2023, down 1.4% from 2019. That is one for every 635 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Official counts also show 8 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $50K has gone to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Bay County.
Population estimates show Bay County declined 1.6% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S. For sit-down restaurants, Bay County has a Groundwork market score of 57 (upper middle): #840 of 2,405 scored counties and #31 of 75 scored counties in Michigan.
How Bay County compares
The same measures for Michigan and the whole U.S. Spending per listing divides a year of household spending on all food away from home by the sit-down restaurants 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 | Bay County | Michigan | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 33.0 | 47.1 | 61.3 |
| Spending per listing | $1M | $823K | $664K |
| Households per official establishment | 635 | 566 | 500 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −1.4% | −0.1% | +1.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −1.6% | +0.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,466 | $3,875 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $61,763 | $72,875 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 57 | 64 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 72 → 71−1.4% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,458
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $28.5M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 8Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 14940 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 236The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $50K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Bay 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 Bay County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 102,123−1.6% since 2020
- Households
- 45,103
- Median age
- 45.0
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 77%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 442 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 233
- Median household income
- $61,763+26.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $79,153
- Median home value
- $152,200
- Jobs located here
- 31,089
- Daytime population
- 93,442Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Bay 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 sit-down restaurants on map listings by name and distance.
Or open the report at the center of Bay County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardSit-down restaurants across Michigan
Every Michigan market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Michigan for sit-down restaurants, numbered among those based in Michigan, with Bay County marked.
Top counties in Michigan
| 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 |
| 31Bay County, MI | 57 | 149 | 33.0 | $1M | −1.6% | #840 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Bay County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes54
- Sit-down restaurants57
- Fast food and sandwich shops47
- Pizza54
- Coffee shops and cafes63
- Bakeries and dessert shops45
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 sit-down restaurants are in Bay County, MI?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 149 sit-down restaurants in Bay County. 40 of them (27%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 71 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023, down 1.4% from 2019. Another 8 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Bay County, MI spend on food away from home?
About $156.3M a year, or $3,466 per household. That is 15% below the U.S. average (an index of 85, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 149 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $1M 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 45,103 households in Bay County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Bay County, MI compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?
Bay County has 33.0 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 46% below the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $1M, 58% above the U.S. figure of $664K. At the U.S. ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, Bay County would have about 236, against 149 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 635 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. The official count fell 1.4% from 2019 to 2023, against +1.5% for the U.S.
How fast is Bay County, MI growing?
Population estimates put Bay County at 102,123 people in 2025, down 1.6% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 45,103 households. Median household income in Bay County is $61,763, 23% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 26.5%, 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. Bay County scores 57 for sit-down restaurants (upper middle), #840 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Bay County. 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.
How the score works · Top markets for sit-down restaurants · All 56 business types in Bay County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Bay 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 Bay 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.