Food and drink · Small-town market · South Dakota
Sit-down restaurants in the Aberdeen, SD area
The sit-down restaurants in the Aberdeen, SD area, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other small-town markets.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 67 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #93 of 538 scored small-town markets
#2 of 9 scored small-town markets based in South Dakota
- Listings
- 81
- 33 chain locations (41%)
- Official establishments
- 27
- −15.6% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $67.4M
- On food away from home · $3,760 a household
- Spending per listing
- $832K
- 25% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 45.2
- 26% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 41,583
- −1.5% since 2020
See the sit-down restaurants around any address in the Aberdeen area
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 the Aberdeen area. 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
Map listings as of September 2026 show 81 sit-down restaurants in the Aberdeen area. Of those, 33 are chain locations, or 41%, against 29% across the U.S. That comes to 45.2 for every 10,000 households, 26% below the U.S. rate of 61.3.
Household spending on food away from home in the Aberdeen area comes to about $67.4M a year: $3,760 per household, 8% below the U.S. average. That is about $832K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 25% 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.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in the Aberdeen area was 27 in 2023, down 15.6% from 2019. That is one for every 664 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Official counts also show 6 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 3 SBA-backed loans worth $574K have gone to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in the Aberdeen area.
Population estimates show the Aberdeen area declined 1.5% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S. For sit-down restaurants, the Aberdeen area has a Groundwork market score of 67 (upper middle): #93 of 538 scored small-town markets and #2 of 9 scored small-town markets based in South Dakota. That puts it in the top quarter of small-town markets.
How the Aberdeen area compares
The same measures for South Dakota 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 | Aberdeen area | South Dakota | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 45.2 | 52.3 | 61.3 |
| Spending per listing | $832K | $737K | $664K |
| Households per official establishment | 664 | 542 | 500 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −15.6% | −5.5% | +1.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −1.5% | +5.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,760 | $3,849 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $71,488 | $75,081 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 67 | 62 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 27−15.6% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 454
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $8.8M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 6Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 8133 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 102The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 3
- Amount
- $574K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in the Aberdeen area, 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 the Aberdeen area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 41,583−1.5% since 2020
- Households
- 17,915
- Median age
- 39.5
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 69%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 2,839 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 15
- Median household income
- $71,488+20.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $94,287
- Median home value
- $215,100
- Jobs located here
- 21,165
- Daytime population
- 41,907Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Aberdeen area?
These figures cover the whole small-town market. 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 the Aberdeen area. 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 South Dakota
Every South Dakota market ranked →The highest-scoring small-town markets in South Dakota for sit-down restaurants, numbered among those based in South Dakota, with the Aberdeen area marked.
Top small-town markets in South Dakota
| 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 |
Other business types in the Aberdeen area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes66
- Sit-down restaurants67
- Fast food and sandwich shops59
- Pizza49
- Coffee shops and cafes64
- Bakeries and dessert shops68
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 the Aberdeen, SD area?
There are 81 sit-down restaurants on map listings in the Aberdeen area as of September 2026. 33 of them (41%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 27 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023, down 15.6% from 2019. Another 6 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in the Aberdeen, SD area spend on food away from home?
About $67.4M a year, or $3,760 per household. That is 8% below the U.S. average (an index of 92, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 81 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $832K per restaurant. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants. It is estimated from the incomes of the 17,915 households in the Aberdeen area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Aberdeen, SD area compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?
The Aberdeen area has 45.2 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 26% below the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $832K, 25% above the U.S. figure of $664K. At the national ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, the Aberdeen area would have about 102, against 81 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 664 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. The official count fell 15.6% from 2019 to 2023, against +1.5% for the U.S.
How fast is the Aberdeen, SD area growing?
Population estimates put the Aberdeen area at 41,583 people in 2025, down 1.5% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 17,915 households. The median household income in the Aberdeen area is $71,488 a year, 11% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 20.6% 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. A small-town market is a town of 10,000 to 50,000 people and the county or counties tied to it by commuting. 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. The Aberdeen area scores 67 for sit-down restaurants (upper middle), #93 of 538 scored small-town markets.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Aberdeen area. 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 the Aberdeen area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Aberdeen area?
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 the Aberdeen area. 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.