Food and drink · County · South Dakota
Sit-down restaurants in Meade County, SD
How Meade 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 79 out of 100: High
Ranked #147 of 2,405 scored counties
#3 of 18 scored counties in South Dakota
- Listings
- 44
- 14 chain locations (32%)
- Official establishments
- 13
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $46.5M
- On food away from home · $3,883 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.1M
- 59% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 36.8
- 40% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 30,711
- +2.7% since 2020
See the sit-down restaurants around any address in Meade 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 Meade 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
Meade County scores 79 (high) on the Groundwork market score for sit-down restaurants, ranking #147 of 2,405 scored counties and #3 of 18 scored counties in South Dakota. That puts it in the top 10% of counties for sit-down restaurants.
Households in Meade County spend about $46.5M a year on food away from home, or $3,883 per household, 5% below the U.S. average. That works out to $1.1M per restaurant, 59% above the U.S. figure of $664K. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants.
There are 44 sit-down restaurants on map listings in Meade County as of September 2026. Of those, 14 are chain locations, or 32%, against 29% across the U.S. That is 36.8 per 10,000 households, 40% below the U.S. rate of 61.3.
In 2023, official counts showed 13 businesses with payroll in Meade County classed as full-service restaurants. That is one for every 921 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $2.6M have gone to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Meade County. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Meade County grew 2.7%, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Meade 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 | Meade County | South Dakota | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 36.8 | 52.3 | 61.3 |
| Spending per listing | $1.1M | $737K | $664K |
| Households per official establishment | 921 | 542 | 500 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | −5.5% | +1.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.7% | +5.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,883 | $3,849 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $74,790 | $75,081 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 79 | 62 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 17 → 13
- Employees, 2023
- 138
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $3.1M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 3Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 4414 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 70The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 2
- Amount
- $2.6M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Meade 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 Meade County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 30,711+2.7% since 2020
- Households
- 11,968
- Median age
- 40.4
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 73%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.3
- Land area
- 3,471 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 9
- Median household income
- $74,790+23.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $94,155
- Median home value
- $310,900
- Jobs located here
- 7,923
- Daytime population
- 24,809Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Meade 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 Meade 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 Meade 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 Meade County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes75
- Sit-down restaurants79
- Fast food and sandwich shops83
- Pizza70
- Coffee shops and cafes67
- 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 Meade County, SD?
As of September 2026, map listings count 44 sit-down restaurants in Meade County. 14 of them (32%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 13 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023. Official counts list 3 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Meade County, SD spend on food away from home?
About $46.5M a year, or $3,883 per household. That is 5% below the U.S. average (an index of 95, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 44 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $1.1M 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 11,968 households in Meade County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Meade County, SD compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?
Meade County has 36.8 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 40% below the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $1.1M, 59% above the U.S. figure of $664K. At the U.S. ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, Meade County would have about 70, against 44 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 921 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S.
How fast is Meade County, SD growing?
Population estimates put Meade County at 30,711 people in 2025, up 2.7% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 11,968 households. Median household income in Meade County is $74,790, 7% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 23.5%, 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. Meade County scores 79 for sit-down restaurants (high), #147 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Meade 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 Meade County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Meade 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 Meade 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.