Food and drink · Metro area · Michigan
Sit-down restaurants in the Traverse City, MI metro area
How the Traverse City, MI metro area compares with other metro areas and the U.S. for sit-down restaurants: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 41 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #270 of 387 scored metro areas
#14 of 15 scored metro areas based in Michigan
- Listings
- 383
- 72 chain locations (19%)
- Official establishments
- 164
- +2.5% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $263.4M
- On food away from home · $4,026 a household
- Spending per listing
- $688K
- 4% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 58.5
- 5% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 156,972
- +2.2% since 2020
See the sit-down restaurants around any address in the Traverse City metro area
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 the Traverse City metro area. 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 383 sit-down restaurants in the Traverse City metro area. Of those, 72 are chain locations, or 19%, against 29% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 58.5, 5% below the U.S. rate of 61.3.
At $4,026 per household (in line with the U.S. average), households in the Traverse City metro area spend about $263.4M a year on food away from home. That is about $688K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 4% above 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.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in the Traverse City metro area was 164 in 2023, up 2.5% from 2019. That is one for every 399 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Official counts list 14 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 17 SBA-backed loans worth $5.9M have gone to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in the Traverse City metro area.
Population estimates show the Traverse City metro area grew 2.2% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). For sit-down restaurants, the Traverse City metro area has a Groundwork market score of 41 (lower middle): #270 of 387 scored metro areas and #14 of 15 scored metro areas based in Michigan.
How the Traverse City metro area 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 | Traverse City metro area | Michigan | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 58.5 | 47.1 | 61.3 |
| Spending per listing | $688K | $823K | $664K |
| Households per official establishment | 399 | 566 | 500 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +2.5% | −0.1% | +1.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.2% | +0.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $4,026 | $3,875 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $80,889 | $72,875 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 41 | 64 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 164+2.5% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 3,341
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $109.7M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 14Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 38372 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 397The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 17
- Amount
- $5.9M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in the Traverse City metro area, 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 the Traverse City metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 156,972+2.2% since 2020
- Households
- 65,429
- Median age
- 46.4
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 82%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 1,691 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 92
- Median household income
- $80,889+32.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $106,351
- Median home value
- $324,300
- Jobs located here
- 61,451
- Daytime population
- 155,130Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Traverse City metro area?
These figures cover the whole metro area. 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 the Traverse City metro area. 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 metro areas in Michigan for sit-down restaurants, numbered among those based in Michigan, with the Traverse City metro area marked.
Top metro areas in Michigan
| 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 |
| 14Traverse City, MI | 41 | 383 | 58.5 | $688K | +2.2% | #270 of 387 |
Other business types in the Traverse City metro area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes31
- Sit-down restaurants41
- Fast food and sandwich shops64
- Pizza52
- Coffee shops and cafes34
- Bakeries and dessert shops33
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 the Traverse City, MI metro area?
The Traverse City metro area has 383 sit-down restaurants on map listings as of September 2026. 72 of them (19%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 164 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023, up 2.5% from 2019. Official counts also show 14 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Traverse City, MI metro area spend on food away from home?
About $263.4M a year, or $4,026 per household. That is in line with the U.S. average (an index of 99, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 383 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $688K per restaurant. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants. It is estimated from the incomes of the 65,429 households in the Traverse City metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Traverse City, MI metro area compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?
The Traverse City metro area has 58.5 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 5% below the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $688K, 4% above the U.S. figure of $664K. At the national ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, the Traverse City metro area would have about 397, against 383 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 399 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. The official count rose 2.5% from 2019 to 2023, against +1.5% for the U.S.
How fast is the Traverse City, MI metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Traverse City metro area at 156,972 people in 2025, up 2.2% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 65,429 households. The median household income in the Traverse City metro area is $80,889 a year, in line with the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 32.6% 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. The Traverse City metro area scores 41 for sit-down restaurants (lower middle), #270 of 387 scored metro areas.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Traverse City metro area. 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 the Traverse City metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Traverse City metro area?
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 the Traverse City metro area. 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.