Groundwork

Food and drink · County · Michigan

Sit-down restaurants in Charlevoix County, MI

The sit-down restaurants in Charlevoix County, MI, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 34 out of 100: Lower middle

Ranked #1,880 of 2,405 scored counties
#68 of 75 scored counties in Michigan

Listings
78
15 chain locations (19%)
Official establishments
37
−7.5% since 2019
Household spending a year
$48.5M
On food away from home · $3,955 a household
Spending per listing
$622K
6% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
63.6
4% above the U.S.
Population, 2025
26,036
0.0% since 2020

See the sit-down restaurants around any address in Charlevoix 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 Charlevoix County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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

For sit-down restaurants, Charlevoix County has a Groundwork market score of 34 (lower middle): #1,880 of 2,405 scored counties and #68 of 75 scored counties in Michigan. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.

As of September 2026, map listings count 78 sit-down restaurants in Charlevoix County. 15 of them (19%) are chain locations, against 29% across the U.S. That comes to 63.6 for every 10,000 households, 4% above the U.S. rate of 61.3.

At $3,955 per household (3% below the U.S. average), households in Charlevoix County spend about $48.5M a year on food away from home. That is about $622K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 6% below the U.S. figure of $664K. That spending covers all food away from home, which sit-down restaurants share with other businesses in the trade.

Official counts show 37 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in Charlevoix County in 2023, down 7.5% from 2019. That is one for every 332 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $302K have gone to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Charlevoix County. Population estimates show Charlevoix County held about level from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S.

How Charlevoix 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.

Sit-down restaurants in Charlevoix County, MI compared with Michigan and the U.S.
MeasureCharlevoix CountyMichiganU.S.
Listings per 10k households63.647.161.3
Spending per listing$622K$823K$664K
Households per official establishment332566500
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023−7.5%−0.1%+1.5%
Population growth, 2020–20250.0%+0.6%+3.1%
Spending per household on food away from home$3,955$3,875$4,070
Median household income$76,531$72,875$80,734
Groundwork market score3464

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
40 → 37−7.5% over the period
Employees, 2023
461
Annual payroll, 2023
$19.5M
One-person businesses, 2023
0Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
7815 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
73The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
2
Amount
$302K

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Charlevoix 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 Charlevoix County

Population, 2025 estimate
26,0360.0% since 2020
Households
12,267
Median age
49.9
Homes lived in by their owners
83%
Vehicles per household
1.9
Land area
416 sq. mi.
People per square mile
63
Median household income
$76,531+37.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$104,936
Median home value
$276,800
Jobs located here
10,239
Daytime population
25,942Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Charlevoix 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 Charlevoix County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

Sit-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 Charlevoix County marked.

Top counties in Michigan

Counties in Michigan ranked for sit-down restaurants by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Clinton County, MI847323.1$1.8M+1.6%#68 of 2,405
2Ottawa County, MI8439835.8$1.2M+3.9%#72 of 2,405
3Livingston County, MI7927536.0$1.3M+1.7%#138 of 2,405
4Barry County, MI775422.1$1.8M+2.2%#182 of 2,405
5Cass County, MI765023.6$1.6M+0.2%#208 of 2,405
6Kalkaska County, MI762025.7$1.3M+4.3%#210 of 2,405
7Newaygo County, MI765226.5$1.3M+3.1%#212 of 2,405
8Lapeer County, MI7610630.4$1.3M+1.0%#213 of 2,405
9Midland County, MI7512836.6$1.1M+0.3%#236 of 2,405
10Montcalm County, MI747028.6$1.2M+4.1%#259 of 2,405
68Charlevoix County, MI347863.6$622K0.0%#1,880 of 2,405

Other business types in Charlevoix County

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

Questions

How many sit-down restaurants are in Charlevoix County, MI?

Charlevoix County has 78 sit-down restaurants on map listings as of September 2026. 15 of them (19%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 37 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023, down 7.5% from 2019.

How much do households in Charlevoix County, MI spend on food away from home?

About $48.5M a year, or $3,955 per household. That is 3% below the U.S. average (an index of 97, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 78 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $622K per restaurant. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants. It is estimated from the incomes of the 12,267 households in Charlevoix County and national spending patterns by income.

How does Charlevoix County, MI compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?

Charlevoix County has 63.6 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 4% above the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $622K, 6% below the U.S. figure of $664K. At the national ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, Charlevoix County would have about 73, against 78 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 332 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. The official count fell 7.5% from 2019 to 2023, against +1.5% for the U.S.

How fast is Charlevoix County, MI growing?

Population estimates put Charlevoix County at 26,036 people in 2025, unchanged since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 12,267 households. The median household income in Charlevoix County is $76,531 a year, 5% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 37.3% 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. 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. Charlevoix County scores 34 for sit-down restaurants (lower middle), #1,880 of 2,405 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

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

Screening a site or an acquisition in Charlevoix 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 Charlevoix 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.