Food and drink · County · South Dakota
Sit-down restaurants in Lawrence County, SD
How Lawrence 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 37 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,784 of 2,405 scored counties
#14 of 18 scored counties in South Dakota
- Listings
- 92
- 26 chain locations (28%)
- Official establishments
- 35
- +16.7% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $44.6M
- On food away from home · $3,698 a household
- Spending per listing
- $484K
- 27% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 76.3
- 24% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 29,459
- +14.0% since 2020
See the sit-down restaurants around any address in Lawrence 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 Lawrence 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
As of September 2026, map listings count 92 sit-down restaurants in Lawrence County. Chain locations make up 28% of them, against 29% across the U.S. That comes to 76.3 for every 10,000 households, 24% above the U.S. rate of 61.3.
Households in Lawrence County spend about $44.6M a year on food away from home, or $3,698 per household, 9% below the U.S. average. That works out to $484K per restaurant, 27% below 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.
In 2023, official counts showed 35 businesses with payroll in Lawrence County classed as full-service restaurants, up 16.7% from 2019. That is one for every 344 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $117K has gone to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Lawrence County.
Population estimates put the population change in Lawrence County from 2020 to 2025 at +14.0%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). Lawrence County scores 37 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for sit-down restaurants, ranking #1,784 of 2,405 scored counties and #14 of 18 scored counties in South Dakota.
How Lawrence 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 | Lawrence County | South Dakota | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 76.3 | 52.3 | 61.3 |
| Spending per listing | $484K | $737K | $664K |
| Households per official establishment | 344 | 542 | 500 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +16.7% | −5.5% | +1.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +14.0% | +5.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,698 | $3,849 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $73,384 | $75,081 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 37 | 62 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 30 → 35+16.7% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 585
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $15.3M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 0Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 9226 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 67The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $117K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Lawrence 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 Lawrence County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 29,459+14.0% since 2020
- Households
- 12,054
- Median age
- 44.5
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 65%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.1
- Land area
- 800 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 34
- Median household income
- $73,384+39.4% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $94,174
- Median home value
- $346,500
- Jobs located here
- 13,155
- Daytime population
- 27,824Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Lawrence 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 Lawrence 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 Lawrence 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 |
| 14Lawrence County, SD | 37 | 92 | 76.3 | $484K | +14.0% | #1,784 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Lawrence County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes35
- Sit-down restaurants37
- Fast food and sandwich shops55
- Pizza55
- Coffee shops and cafes35
- Bakeries and dessert shops62
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 Lawrence County, SD?
Lawrence County has 92 sit-down restaurants on map listings as of September 2026. 26 of them (28%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 35 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023, up 16.7% from 2019.
How much do households in Lawrence County, SD spend on food away from home?
About $44.6M a year, or $3,698 per household. That is 9% below the U.S. average (an index of 91, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 92 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $484K per restaurant. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants. It is estimated from the incomes of the 12,054 households in Lawrence County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Lawrence County, SD compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?
Lawrence County has 76.3 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 24% above the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $484K, 27% below the U.S. figure of $664K. At the national ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, Lawrence County would have about 67, against 92 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 344 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. The official count rose 16.7% from 2019 to 2023, against +1.5% for the U.S.
How fast is Lawrence County, SD growing?
Population estimates put Lawrence County at 29,459 people in 2025, up 14.0% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 12,054 households. The median household income in Lawrence County is $73,384 a year, 9% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 39.4% 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. 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. Lawrence County scores 37 for sit-down restaurants (lower middle), #1,784 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Lawrence 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 Lawrence County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Lawrence 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 Lawrence 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.