Food and drink · County · Minnesota
Sit-down restaurants in Blue Earth County, MN
The sit-down restaurants in Blue Earth County, MN, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 44 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,461 of 2,405 scored counties
#61 of 66 scored counties in Minnesota
- Listings
- 157
- 59 chain locations (38%)
- Official establishments
- 58
- +7.4% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $104.6M
- On food away from home · $3,790 a household
- Spending per listing
- $666K
- In line with the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 56.9
- 7% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 70,634
- +2.1% since 2020
See the sit-down restaurants around any address in Blue Earth 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 Blue Earth 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
As of September 2026, map listings count 157 sit-down restaurants in Blue Earth County. Chain locations make up 38% of them, against 29% across the U.S. That is 56.9 per 10,000 households, 7% below the U.S. rate of 61.3.
At $3,790 per household (7% below the U.S. average), households in Blue Earth County spend about $104.6M a year on food away from home. That is about $666K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, in line with 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.
In 2023, official counts showed 58 businesses with payroll in Blue Earth County classed as full-service restaurants, up 7.4% from 2019. That is one for every 476 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 6 SBA-backed loans worth $775K have gone to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Blue Earth County.
Population estimates show Blue Earth County grew 2.1% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). Blue Earth County scores 44 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for sit-down restaurants, ranking #1,461 of 2,405 scored counties and #61 of 66 scored counties in Minnesota.
How Blue Earth 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 | Blue Earth County | Minnesota | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 56.9 | 45.0 | 61.3 |
| Spending per listing | $666K | $962K | $664K |
| Households per official establishment | 476 | 595 | 500 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +7.4% | −0.5% | +1.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.1% | +2.1% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,790 | $4,330 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $74,477 | $89,062 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 44 | 79 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 54 → 58+7.4% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,636
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $34.9M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 0Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 15759 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 158The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 6
- Amount
- $775K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Blue Earth 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 Blue Earth County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 70,634+2.1% since 2020
- Households
- 27,606
- Median age
- 34.2
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 61%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 748 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 93
- Median household income
- $74,477+29.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $93,438
- Median home value
- $266,700
- Jobs located here
- 37,905
- Daytime population
- 76,062Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Blue Earth 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 Blue Earth 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 Blue Earth 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 |
| 61Blue Earth County, MN | 44 | 157 | 56.9 | $666K | +2.1% | #1,461 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Blue Earth County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes39
- Sit-down restaurants44
- Fast food and sandwich shops34
- Pizza42
- Coffee shops and cafes42
- Bakeries and dessert shops57
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 Blue Earth County, MN?
Blue Earth County has 157 sit-down restaurants on map listings as of September 2026. 59 of them (38%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 58 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023, up 7.4% from 2019.
How much do households in Blue Earth County, MN spend on food away from home?
About $104.6M a year, or $3,790 per household. That is 7% below the U.S. average (an index of 93, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 157 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $666K per restaurant. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants. It is estimated from the incomes of the 27,606 households in Blue Earth County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Blue Earth County, MN compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?
Blue Earth County has 56.9 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 7% below the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $666K, in line with the U.S. figure of $664K. At the national ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, Blue Earth County would have about 158, against 157 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 476 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. The official count rose 7.4% from 2019 to 2023, against +1.5% for the U.S.
How fast is Blue Earth County, MN growing?
Population estimates put Blue Earth County at 70,634 people in 2025, up 2.1% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 27,606 households. The median household income in Blue Earth County is $74,477 a year, 8% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 29.7% 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. Blue Earth County scores 44 for sit-down restaurants (lower middle), #1,461 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Blue Earth 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 Blue Earth County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Blue Earth 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 Blue Earth 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.