Market rankings · South Dakota
Sit-down restaurants in South Dakota
Every metro area, small-town market and county in South Dakota, ranked by the Groundwork market score for sit-down restaurants, with competitor counts and household spending for each.
- Listings
- 1,910
- 726 chain locations (38%)
- Official establishments
- 675
- −5.5% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $1.4B
- On food away from home
- Listings per 10k households
- 52.3
- 15% below the U.S.
- Spending per listing
- $737K
- 11% above the U.S.
- Rank among states
- #14 of 51
- Market score 62 · Upper middle
A site report maps the sit-down restaurants on map listings around any address in South Dakota by name and distance, and the spending within reach.
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
South Dakota has 1,910 sit-down restaurants on map listings as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 38% of them, against 29% across the U.S. That is 52.3 per 10,000 households, 15% below the U.S. rate of 61.3.
At $3,849 per household (5% below the U.S. average), households in South Dakota spend about $1.4B a year on food away from home. Spread across 1,910 sit-down restaurants, that is $737K per restaurant, 11% above the U.S. figure of $664K. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants.
In 2023, official counts showed 675 businesses with payroll in South Dakota classed as full-service restaurants, down 5.5% from 2019. That is one for every 542 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Across the U.S., the count rose 1.5% over the same years. Since fiscal 2022, 40 SBA-backed loans worth $24.6M have gone to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in South Dakota.
Among the 50 states and DC, South Dakota ranks #14 for sit-down restaurants, with a Groundwork market score of 62 (upper middle). Of the 3 scored metro areas in or partly in South Dakota, the Sioux Falls metro area scores highest (87). Of the 9 scored small-town markets in or partly in South Dakota, the Huron area scores highest (73).
Every market in South Dakota for sit-down restaurants
Download the ranking (CSV)Numbered by Groundwork market score among the markets based in South Dakota, highest first; the U.S. rank compares each market with every other of its kind. A metro area that crosses a state line is listed in each state it reaches, and numbered only in the state its page is under. How the score works.
Metro areas
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Sioux Falls, SD-MN | 87 | 568 | 46.4 | $881K | +9.5% | #6 of 387 |
| 2Rapid City, SD | 51 | 340 | 54.1 | $713K | +6.2% | #178 of 387 |
| Sioux City, IA-NE-SD | 43 | 312 | 56.2 | $678K | +1.0% | #244 of 387 |
Small-town markets
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Huron, SD | 73 | 31 | 41.1 | $869K | +2.4% | #56 of 538 |
| 2Aberdeen, SD | 67 | 81 | 45.2 | $832K | −1.5% | #93 of 538 |
| 3Brookings, SD | 65 | 77 | 55.8 | $673K | +9.6% | #114 of 538 |
| 4Mitchell, SD | 49 | 60 | 54.7 | $662K | +0.6% | #273 of 538 |
| 5Watertown, SD | 49 | 71 | 56.7 | $642K | +4.3% | #275 of 538 |
| 6Pierre, SD | 48 | 49 | 57.4 | $691K | −0.5% | #289 of 538 |
| 7Yankton, SD | 47 | 56 | 57.8 | $648K | +1.5% | #304 of 538 |
| 8Spearfish, SD | 41 | 92 | 76.3 | $484K | +14.0% | #368 of 538 |
| 9Vermillion, SD | 32 | 34 | 61.3 | $565K | +0.2% | #454 of 538 |
Counties
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Lincoln County, SD | 97 | 77 | 27.6 | $1.6M | +17.5% | #1 of 2,405 |
| 2Union County, SD | 80 | 34 | 46.5 | $927K | +3.3% | #129 of 2,405 |
| 3Meade County, SD | 79 | 44 | 36.8 | $1.1M | +2.7% | #147 of 2,405 |
| 4Minnehaha County, SD | 64 | 456 | 53.8 | $738K | +7.6% | #584 of 2,405 |
| 5Beadle County, SD | 62 | 31 | 41.1 | $869K | +2.4% | #661 of 2,405 |
| 6Brown County, SD | 57 | 74 | 45.4 | $822K | −1.7% | #858 of 2,405 |
| 7Brookings County, SD | 57 | 77 | 55.8 | $673K | +9.6% | #877 of 2,405 |
| 8Butte County, SD | 55 | 22 | 51.1 | $752K | +5.5% | #955 of 2,405 |
| 9Pennington County, SD | 50 | 262 | 56.5 | $680K | +6.6% | #1,177 of 2,405 |
| 10Lake County, SD | 46 | 23 | 48.8 | $798K | −0.2% | #1,348 of 2,405 |
| 11Hughes County, SD | 43 | 40 | 55.1 | $720K | −0.9% | #1,488 of 2,405 |
| 12Codington County, SD | 42 | 71 | 56.7 | $642K | +4.3% | #1,548 of 2,405 |
| 13Yankton County, SD | 39 | 56 | 57.8 | $648K | +1.5% | #1,686 of 2,405 |
| 14Lawrence County, SD | 37 | 92 | 76.3 | $484K | +14.0% | #1,784 of 2,405 |
| 15Davison County, SD | 35 | 51 | 57.3 | $619K | +0.6% | #1,835 of 2,405 |
| 16Roberts County, SD | 33 | 20 | 55.2 | $646K | −0.1% | #1,914 of 2,405 |
| 17Oglala Lakota County, SD | 29 | 11 | 37.6 | $744K | −2.3% | #2,068 of 2,405 |
| 18Clay County, SD | 26 | 34 | 61.3 | $565K | +0.2% | #2,177 of 2,405 |
| Charles Mix County, SD | Not scored | 19 | 62.7 | $570K | −0.5% | |
| Todd County, SD | Not scored | 6 | 23.6 | $1.2M | −4.9% | |
| Custer County, SD | Not scored | 34 | 76.4 | $523K | +13.2% | |
| Turner County, SD | Not scored | 14 | 39.2 | $950K | +7.3% | |
| Grant County, SD | Not scored | 17 | 56.1 | $656K | 0.0% | |
| Hutchinson County, SD | Not scored | 17 | 58.5 | $669K | −0.1% | |
| Fall River County, SD | Not scored | 28 | 77.1 | $448K | +7.1% |
Show all 66 counties
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bon Homme County, SD | Not scored | 8 | 33.1 | $1M | +3.8% | |
| Moody County, SD | Not scored | 13 | 50.8 | $758K | +4.5% | |
| Hamlin County, SD | Not scored | 10 | 45.6 | $882K | +11.9% | |
| Spink County, SD | Not scored | 13 | 52.3 | $712K | −3.0% | |
| McCook County, SD | Not scored | 5 | 22.5 | $1.8M | +5.2% | |
| Tripp County, SD | Not scored | 15 | 66.4 | $510K | +1.8% | |
| Day County, SD | Not scored | 16 | 67.5 | $554K | +0.8% | |
| Brule County, SD | Not scored | 16 | 81.8 | $465K | +0.5% | |
| Walworth County, SD | Not scored | 15 | 62.1 | $556K | −1.4% | |
| Kingsbury County, SD | Not scored | 22 | 104.2 | $359K | +1.6% | |
| Dewey County, SD | Not scored | 5 | 29.6 | $1.1M | +3.8% | |
| Marshall County, SD | Not scored | 7 | 42.4 | $925K | +2.9% | |
| Deuel County, SD | Not scored | 7 | 39.9 | $945K | +2.6% | |
| Edmunds County, SD | Not scored | 7 | 42.9 | $937K | +1.0% | |
| Gregory County, SD | Not scored | 12 | 74.6 | $473K | +1.1% | |
| Clark County, SD | Not scored | 7 | 52.4 | $691K | +4.7% | |
| Corson County, SD | Not scored | 6 | 53.2 | $608K | −2.8% | |
| Lyman County, SD | Not scored | 4 | 33.7 | $1.1M | −0.1% | |
| Hanson County, SD | Not scored | 3 | 26.5 | $1.5M | −0.3% | |
| Bennett County, SD | Not scored | 1 | 10.9 | $2.7M | −2.6% | |
| Hand County, SD | Not scored | 11 | 78.3 | $483K | −0.7% | |
| Stanley County, SD | Not scored | 9 | 69.8 | $559K | +1.8% | |
| Perkins County, SD | Not scored | 9 | 68.8 | $539K | +0.9% | |
| Douglas County, SD | Not scored | 2 | 17.6 | $2.3M | +1.9% | |
| Jackson County, SD | Not scored | 6 | 72.3 | $392K | −4.7% | |
| Aurora County, SD | Not scored | 6 | 56.4 | $632K | +2.6% | |
| Potter County, SD | Not scored | 8 | 75.0 | $490K | −3.8% | |
| Sanborn County, SD | Not scored | 6 | 63.4 | $597K | +2.5% | |
| Ziebach County, SD | Not scored | 3 | 40.8 | $854K | −0.1% | |
| Miner County, SD | Not scored | 4 | 42.9 | $877K | −0.8% | |
| McPherson County, SD | Not scored | 5 | 54.6 | $679K | −2.2% | |
| Faulk County, SD | Not scored | 1 | 11.6 | $3.1M | +2.4% | |
| Mellette County, SD | Not scored | 3 | 46.8 | $721K | +11.5% | |
| Buffalo County, SD | Not scored | 2 | 39.4 | $761K | −6.8% | |
| Jerauld County, SD | Not scored | 4 | 51.0 | $734K | +0.6% | |
| Haakon County, SD | Not scored | 6 | 87.3 | $435K | −3.6% | |
| Campbell County, SD | Not scored | 8 | 106.1 | $354K | −0.1% | |
| Sully County, SD | Not scored | 3 | 47.1 | $830K | +1.9% | |
| Hyde County, SD | Not scored | 2 | 39.8 | $972K | −4.6% | |
| Harding County, SD | Not scored | 4 | 80.3 | $498K | +2.2% | |
| Jones County, SD | Not scored | 6 | 175.4 | $206K | −1.5% |
Markets with fewer than 5 sit-down restaurants on map listings, and counties under 10,000 people, aren’t scored; they’re listed last in each table.
Questions
How many sit-down restaurants are in South Dakota?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 1,910 sit-down restaurants in South Dakota. 726 of them (38%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 675 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023, down 5.5% from 2019. Another 64 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in South Dakota spend on food away from home?
About $1.4B a year, or $3,849 per household. That is 5% below the U.S. average (an index of 95, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 1,910 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $737K 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 365,544 households in South Dakota and national spending patterns by income.
How does South Dakota compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?
South Dakota has 52.3 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 15% below the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $737K, 11% above the U.S. figure of $664K. At the U.S. ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, South Dakota would have about 2,120, against 1,910 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 542 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. The official count fell 5.5% from 2019 to 2023, against +1.5% for the U.S.
Which market in South Dakota has the highest market score for sit-down restaurants?
Among 3 scored metro areas in or partly in South Dakota, the Sioux Falls metro area scores highest, at 87 (high). Among 9 scored small-town markets in or partly in South Dakota, the Huron area scores highest, at 73 (upper middle). Among 18 scored counties in South Dakota, Lincoln County scores highest, at 97 (very high). Scores compare each market with others of its kind across the U.S.
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. South Dakota scores 62 for sit-down restaurants (upper middle), #14 of the 50 states and DC.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in South Dakota. 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.
Sit-down restaurants in other states
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Top markets for sit-down restaurants across the U.S. · All business types in South Dakota
Related business types in South Dakota
- Restaurants and cafes3,903 listings
- Fast food and sandwich shops492 listings
- Pizza400 listings
- Coffee shops and cafes461 listings
- Bakeries and dessert shops251 listings
Screening a site or an acquisition in South Dakota?
A site report maps the competitors on map listings near an address and sizes the households and spending around it.
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.