Food and drink · County · Minnesota
Sit-down restaurants in McLeod County, MN
How McLeod County, MN compares with other counties and the U.S. for sit-down restaurants: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 66 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #484 of 2,405 scored counties
#26 of 66 scored counties in Minnesota
- Listings
- 62
- 35 chain locations (56%)
- Official establishments
- 23
- +9.5% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $60.1M
- On food away from home · $3,952 a household
- Spending per listing
- $970K
- 46% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 40.7
- 34% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 36,631
- −0.3% since 2020
See the sit-down restaurants around any address in McLeod 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 McLeod 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
Households in McLeod County spend about $60.1M a year on food away from home, or $3,952 per household, 3% below the U.S. average. Spread across 62 sit-down restaurants, that is $970K per restaurant, 46% above the U.S. figure of $664K. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants.
There are 62 sit-down restaurants on map listings in McLeod County as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 56% of them, against 29% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 40.7, 34% below the U.S. rate of 61.3.
In 2023, official counts showed 23 businesses with payroll in McLeod County classed as full-service restaurants, up 9.5% from 2019. That is one for every 662 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $25K has gone to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in McLeod County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of McLeod County declined 0.3%, against +3.1% for the U.S. For sit-down restaurants, McLeod County has a Groundwork market score of 66 (upper middle): #484 of 2,405 scored counties and #26 of 66 scored counties in Minnesota. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How McLeod 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 | McLeod County | Minnesota | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 40.7 | 45.0 | 61.3 |
| Spending per listing | $970K | $962K | $664K |
| Households per official establishment | 662 | 595 | 500 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +9.5% | −0.5% | +1.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −0.3% | +2.1% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,952 | $4,330 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $80,084 | $89,062 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 66 | 79 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 21 → 23+9.5% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 533
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $10.1M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 0Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 6235 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 91The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $25K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in McLeod 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 McLeod County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 36,631−0.3% since 2020
- Households
- 15,215
- Median age
- 42.2
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 77%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.1
- Land area
- 492 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 75
- Median household income
- $80,084+28.9% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $99,958
- Median home value
- $246,100
- Jobs located here
- 16,606
- Daytime population
- 33,985Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in McLeod 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 McLeod 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 McLeod 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 |
| 26McLeod County, MN | 66 | 62 | 40.7 | $970K | −0.3% | #484 of 2,405 |
Other business types in McLeod County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes70
- Sit-down restaurants66
- Fast food and sandwich shops73
- Pizza53
- Coffee shops and cafes66
- Bakeries and dessert shops78
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 McLeod County, MN?
As of September 2026, map listings count 62 sit-down restaurants in McLeod County. 35 of them (56%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 23 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023, up 9.5% from 2019.
How much do households in McLeod County, MN spend on food away from home?
About $60.1M a year, or $3,952 per household. That is 3% below the U.S. average (an index of 97, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 62 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $970K 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 15,215 households in McLeod County and national spending patterns by income.
How does McLeod County, MN compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?
McLeod County has 40.7 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 34% below the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $970K, 46% above the U.S. figure of $664K. At the U.S. ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, McLeod County would have about 91, against 62 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 662 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. The official count rose 9.5% from 2019 to 2023, against +1.5% for the U.S.
How fast is McLeod County, MN growing?
Population estimates put McLeod County at 36,631 people in 2025, down 0.3% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 15,215 households. Median household income in McLeod County is $80,084, in line with the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 28.9%, 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. McLeod County scores 66 for sit-down restaurants (upper middle), #484 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in McLeod 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 McLeod County
Screening a site or an acquisition in McLeod 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 McLeod 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.