Food and drink · County · South Dakota
Sit-down restaurants in Brown County, SD
How Brown County, SD 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 57 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #858 of 2,405 scored counties
#6 of 18 scored counties in South Dakota
- Listings
- 74
- 32 chain locations (43%)
- Official establishments
- 23
- −20.7% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $60.8M
- On food away from home · $3,733 a household
- Spending per listing
- $822K
- 24% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 45.4
- 26% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 37,561
- −1.7% since 2020
See the sit-down restaurants around any address in Brown 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 Brown 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 Brown County spend about $60.8M a year on food away from home, or $3,733 per household, 8% below the U.S. average. That works out to $822K per restaurant, 24% above the U.S. figure of $664K. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants.
There are 74 sit-down restaurants on map listings in Brown County as of September 2026. Of those, 32 are chain locations, or 43%, against 29% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 45.4, 26% below the U.S. rate of 61.3.
In 2023, official counts showed 23 businesses with payroll in Brown County classed as full-service restaurants, down 20.7% from 2019. That is one for every 708 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 Brown County.
Population estimates show Brown County declined 1.7% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S. Brown County scores 57 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for sit-down restaurants, ranking #858 of 2,405 scored counties and #6 of 18 scored counties in South Dakota.
How Brown County 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 | Brown County | South Dakota | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 45.4 | 52.3 | 61.3 |
| Spending per listing | $822K | $737K | $664K |
| Households per official establishment | 708 | 542 | 500 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −20.7% | −5.5% | +1.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −1.7% | +5.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,733 | $3,849 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $70,898 | $75,081 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 57 | 62 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 29 → 23−20.7% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 415
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $8.2M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 6Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 7432 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 92The 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 Brown 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 Brown County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 37,561−1.7% since 2020
- Households
- 16,285
- Median age
- 39.1
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 68%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 1,713 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 22
- Median household income
- $70,898+21.8% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $92,772
- Median home value
- $221,100
- Jobs located here
- 19,972
- Daytime population
- 38,336Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Brown 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 Brown 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 South Dakota
Every South Dakota market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in South Dakota for sit-down restaurants, numbered among those based in South Dakota, with Brown County marked.
Top counties in South Dakota
| 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 |
Other business types in Brown County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes53
- Sit-down restaurants57
- Fast food and sandwich shops46
- Pizza38
- Coffee shops and cafes54
- Bakeries and dessert shops63
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 Brown County, SD?
As of September 2026, map listings count 74 sit-down restaurants in Brown County. 32 of them (43%) 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, down 20.7% from 2019. Another 6 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Brown County, SD spend on food away from home?
About $60.8M a year, or $3,733 per household. That is 8% below the U.S. average (an index of 92, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 74 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $822K 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 16,285 households in Brown County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Brown County, SD compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?
Brown County has 45.4 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 26% below the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $822K, 24% above the U.S. figure of $664K. At the U.S. ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, Brown County would have about 92, against 74 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 708 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. The official count fell 20.7% from 2019 to 2023, against +1.5% for the U.S.
How fast is Brown County, SD growing?
Population estimates put Brown County at 37,561 people in 2025, down 1.7% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 16,285 households. Median household income in Brown County is $70,898, 12% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 21.8%, 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. Brown County scores 57 for sit-down restaurants (upper middle), #858 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Brown 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 Brown County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Brown 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 Brown 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.