Food and drink · County · Minnesota
Sit-down restaurants in Aitkin County, MN
The sit-down restaurants in Aitkin County, MN, 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 #1,874 of 2,405 scored counties
#66 of 66 scored counties in Minnesota
- Listings
- 38
- 1 chain location (3%)
- Official establishments
- 19
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $24.3M
- On food away from home · $3,365 a household
- Spending per listing
- $640K
- 4% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 52.6
- 14% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 16,252
- +3.5% since 2020
See the sit-down restaurants around any address in Aitkin 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 Aitkin 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
For sit-down restaurants, Aitkin County has a Groundwork market score of 34 (lower middle): #1,874 of 2,405 scored counties and #66 of 66 scored counties in Minnesota. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
Household spending on food away from home in Aitkin County comes to about $24.3M a year: $3,365 per household, 17% below the U.S. average. That is about $640K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 4% below the U.S. figure of $664K. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants.
There are 38 sit-down restaurants on map listings in Aitkin County as of September 2026. One of them (3%) is a chain location, against 29% across the U.S. That is 52.6 per 10,000 households, 14% below the U.S. rate of 61.3.
In 2023, official counts showed 19 businesses with payroll in Aitkin County classed as full-service restaurants. That is one for every 380 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $150K have gone to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Aitkin County. Population estimates put the population change in Aitkin County from 2020 to 2025 at +3.5%, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Aitkin County compares
The same measures for Minnesota 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 | Aitkin County | Minnesota | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 52.6 | 45.0 | 61.3 |
| Spending per listing | $640K | $962K | $664K |
| Households per official establishment | 380 | 595 | 500 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | −0.5% | +1.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +3.5% | +2.1% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,365 | $4,330 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $60,833 | $89,062 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 34 | 79 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 19 → 19
- Employees, 2023
- 203
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $4.2M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 0Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 381 chain location
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 37The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 2
- Amount
- $150K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Aitkin 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 Aitkin County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 16,252+3.5% since 2020
- Households
- 7,222
- Median age
- 54.8
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 85%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 1,821 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 9
- Median household income
- $60,833+23.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $77,208
- Median home value
- $255,800
- Jobs located here
- 4,487
- Daytime population
- 13,541Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Aitkin 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 Aitkin 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 Minnesota
Every Minnesota market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Minnesota for sit-down restaurants, numbered among those based in Minnesota, with Aitkin County marked.
Top counties in Minnesota
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Sherburne County, MN | 92 | 98 | 27.6 | $1.7M | +6.8% | #10 of 2,405 |
| 2Carver County, MN | 90 | 145 | 35.2 | $1.5M | +6.6% | #20 of 2,405 |
| 3Isanti County, MN | 89 | 44 | 27.0 | $1.5M | +7.3% | #26 of 2,405 |
| 4Wright County, MN | 89 | 196 | 36.3 | $1.3M | +11.1% | #29 of 2,405 |
| 5Clay County, MN | 88 | 80 | 30.3 | $1.3M | +3.6% | #37 of 2,405 |
| 6Anoka County, MN | 88 | 505 | 36.7 | $1.2M | +4.7% | #41 of 2,405 |
| 7Scott County, MN | 86 | 211 | 38.4 | $1.3M | +5.1% | #52 of 2,405 |
| 8Washington County, MN | 84 | 415 | 39.3 | $1.3M | +6.9% | #69 of 2,405 |
| 9Dakota County, MN | 82 | 689 | 39.5 | $1.2M | +3.9% | #92 of 2,405 |
| 10Chisago County, MN | 81 | 91 | 42.6 | $1.1M | +4.3% | #115 of 2,405 |
| 66Aitkin County, MN | 34 | 38 | 52.6 | $640K | +3.5% | #1,874 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Aitkin County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes46
- Sit-down restaurants34
- Fast food and sandwich shops
- Pizza
- Coffee shops and cafes59
- Bakeries and dessert shops55
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 Aitkin County, MN?
As of September 2026, map listings count 38 sit-down restaurants in Aitkin County. One of them (3%) is a chain location. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 19 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023.
How much do households in Aitkin County, MN spend on food away from home?
About $24.3M a year, or $3,365 per household. That is 17% below the U.S. average (an index of 83, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 38 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $640K 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 7,222 households in Aitkin County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Aitkin County, MN compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?
Aitkin County has 52.6 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 14% below the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $640K, 4% below the U.S. figure of $664K. At the U.S. ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, Aitkin County would have about 37, against 38 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 380 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S.
How fast is Aitkin County, MN growing?
Population estimates put Aitkin County at 16,252 people in 2025, up 3.5% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 7,222 households. Median household income in Aitkin County is $60,833, 25% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 23.3%, 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. Aitkin County scores 34 for sit-down restaurants (lower middle), #1,874 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Aitkin 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 Aitkin County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Aitkin 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 Aitkin 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.