Food and drink · County · Minnesota
Sit-down restaurants in Carlton County, MN
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for sit-down restaurants in Carlton County, MN, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 74 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #267 of 2,405 scored counties
#18 of 66 scored counties in Minnesota
- Listings
- 52
- 19 chain locations (37%)
- Official establishments
- 19
- −9.5% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $55.2M
- On food away from home · $3,921 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.1M
- 60% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 36.9
- 40% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 36,711
- +1.4% since 2020
See the sit-down restaurants around any address in Carlton 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 Carlton 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 52 sit-down restaurants in Carlton County. Chain locations make up 37% of them, against 29% across the U.S. That is 36.9 per 10,000 households, 40% below the U.S. rate of 61.3.
Household spending on food away from home in Carlton County comes to about $55.2M a year: $3,921 per household, 4% below the U.S. average. Spread across 52 sit-down restaurants, that is $1.1M per restaurant, 60% 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.
Official counts show 19 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in Carlton County in 2023, down 9.5% from 2019. That is one for every 742 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Carlton County grew 1.4%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). For sit-down restaurants, Carlton County has a Groundwork market score of 74 (upper middle): #267 of 2,405 scored counties and #18 of 66 scored counties in Minnesota. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How Carlton 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 | Carlton County | Minnesota | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 36.9 | 45.0 | 61.3 |
| Spending per listing | $1.1M | $962K | $664K |
| Households per official establishment | 742 | 595 | 500 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −9.5% | −0.5% | +1.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +1.4% | +2.1% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,921 | $4,330 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $80,573 | $89,062 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 74 | 79 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 21 → 19−9.5% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 329
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $8.8M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 0Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 5219 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 83The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 0
- Amount
- $0
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Carlton 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 Carlton County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 36,711+1.4% since 2020
- Households
- 14,090
- Median age
- 41.4
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 80%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.1
- Land area
- 861 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 42
- Median household income
- $80,573+27.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $99,202
- Median home value
- $245,100
- Jobs located here
- 12,806
- Daytime population
- 32,171Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Carlton 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 Carlton 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 Carlton 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 |
| 18Carlton County, MN | 74 | 52 | 36.9 | $1.1M | +1.4% | #267 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Carlton County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes78
- Sit-down restaurants74
- Fast food and sandwich shops80
- Pizza67
- Coffee shops and cafes61
- Bakeries and dessert shops
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 Carlton County, MN?
Carlton County has 52 sit-down restaurants on map listings as of September 2026. 19 of them (37%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 19 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023, down 9.5% from 2019.
How much do households in Carlton County, MN spend on food away from home?
About $55.2M a year, or $3,921 per household. That is 4% below the U.S. average (an index of 96, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 52 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $1.1M per restaurant. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants. It is estimated from the incomes of the 14,090 households in Carlton County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Carlton County, MN compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?
Carlton County has 36.9 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 40% below the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $1.1M, 60% above the U.S. figure of $664K. At the national ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, Carlton County would have about 83, against 52 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 742 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. The official count fell 9.5% from 2019 to 2023, against +1.5% for the U.S.
How fast is Carlton County, MN growing?
Population estimates put Carlton County at 36,711 people in 2025, up 1.4% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 14,090 households. The median household income in Carlton County is $80,573 a year, in line with the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 27.7% 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. Carlton County scores 74 for sit-down restaurants (upper middle), #267 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Carlton 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 Carlton County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Carlton 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 Carlton 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.