Food and drink · County · South Dakota
Sit-down restaurants in Lake County, SD
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for sit-down restaurants in Lake County, SD, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 46 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,348 of 2,405 scored counties
#10 of 18 scored counties in South Dakota
- Listings
- 23
- 5 chain locations (22%)
- Official establishments
- 12
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $18.3M
- On food away from home · $3,890 a household
- Spending per listing
- $798K
- 20% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 48.8
- 20% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 10,993
- −0.2% since 2020
See the sit-down restaurants around any address in Lake 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 Lake 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
Household spending on food away from home in Lake County comes to about $18.3M a year: $3,890 per household, 4% below the U.S. average. Spread across 23 sit-down restaurants, that is $798K per restaurant, 20% above the U.S. figure of $664K. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants.
There are 23 sit-down restaurants on map listings in Lake County as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 22% of them, against 29% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 48.8, 20% below the U.S. rate of 61.3.
In 2023, official counts showed 12 businesses with payroll in Lake County classed as full-service restaurants. That is one for every 393 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $250K has gone to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Lake County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Lake County declined 0.2%, against +3.1% for the U.S. The Groundwork market score for sit-down restaurants in Lake County is 46 (lower middle), #1,348 of 2,405 scored counties and #10 of 18 scored counties in South Dakota.
How Lake 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 | Lake County | South Dakota | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 48.8 | 52.3 | 61.3 |
| Spending per listing | $798K | $737K | $664K |
| Households per official establishment | 393 | 542 | 500 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | −5.5% | +1.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −0.2% | +5.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,890 | $3,849 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $76,808 | $75,081 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 46 | 62 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 15 → 12
- Employees, 2023
- 123
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $2.4M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 0Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 235 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 28The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $250K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Lake 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 Lake County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 10,993−0.2% since 2020
- Households
- 4,716
- Median age
- 44.3
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 74%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.3
- Land area
- 563 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 19
- Median household income
- $76,808+24.2% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $104,754
- Median home value
- $247,600
- Jobs located here
- 5,183
- Daytime population
- 10,346Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Lake 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 Lake 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 Lake 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 Lake County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes47
- Sit-down restaurants46
- Fast food and sandwich shops66
- Pizza
- Coffee shops and cafes39
- 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 Lake County, SD?
As of September 2026, map listings count 23 sit-down restaurants in Lake County. 5 of them (22%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 12 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023.
How much do households in Lake County, SD spend on food away from home?
About $18.3M a year, or $3,890 per household. That is 4% below the U.S. average (an index of 96, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 23 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $798K 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 4,716 households in Lake County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Lake County, SD compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?
Lake County has 48.8 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 20% below the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $798K, 20% above the U.S. figure of $664K. At the U.S. ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, Lake County would have about 28, against 23 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 393 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S.
How fast is Lake County, SD growing?
Population estimates put Lake County at 10,993 people in 2025, down 0.2% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 4,716 households. Median household income in Lake County is $76,808, 5% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 24.2%, 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. Lake County scores 46 for sit-down restaurants (lower middle), #1,348 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Lake 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 Lake County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Lake 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 Lake 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.