Food and drink · Small-town market · South Dakota
Sit-down restaurants in the Mitchell, SD area
How the Mitchell, SD area compares with other small-town markets and the U.S. for sit-down restaurants: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 49 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #273 of 538 scored small-town markets
#4 of 9 scored small-town markets based in South Dakota
- Listings
- 60
- 23 chain locations (38%)
- Official establishments
- 21
- −27.6% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $39.7M
- On food away from home · $3,618 a household
- Spending per listing
- $662K
- In line with the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 54.7
- 11% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 25,913
- +0.6% since 2020
See the sit-down restaurants around any address in the Mitchell 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 Mitchell 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
Household spending on food away from home in the Mitchell area comes to about $39.7M a year: $3,618 per household, 11% below the U.S. average. That works out to $662K per restaurant, in line with the U.S. figure of $664K. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants.
There are 60 sit-down restaurants on map listings in the Mitchell area as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 38% of them, against 29% across the U.S. That comes to 54.7 for every 10,000 households, 11% below the U.S. rate of 61.3.
Official counts show 21 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in the Mitchell area in 2023, down 27.6% from 2019. That is one for every 523 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Official counts also show 6 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $1.4M have gone to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in the Mitchell area.
Population estimates show the Mitchell area grew 0.6% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). For sit-down restaurants, the Mitchell area has a Groundwork market score of 49 (lower middle): #273 of 538 scored small-town markets and #4 of 9 scored small-town markets based in South Dakota.
How the Mitchell 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 | Mitchell area | South Dakota | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 54.7 | 52.3 | 61.3 |
| Spending per listing | $662K | $737K | $664K |
| Households per official establishment | 523 | 542 | 500 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −27.6% | −5.5% | +1.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +0.6% | +5.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,618 | $3,849 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $69,101 | $75,081 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 49 | 62 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 21−27.6% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 386
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $7.8M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 6Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 6023 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 60The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 2
- Amount
- $1.4M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in the Mitchell 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 Mitchell area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 25,913+0.6% since 2020
- Households
- 10,977
- Median age
- 41.1
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 66%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.1
- Land area
- 1,440 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 18
- Median household income
- $69,101
- Average household income
- $87,541
- Median home value
- $197,700
- Jobs located here
- 13,823
- Daytime population
- 25,767Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Mitchell 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 Mitchell 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 Mitchell 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 Mitchell area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes41
- Sit-down restaurants49
- Fast food and sandwich shops41
- Pizza49
- Coffee shops and cafes32
- Bakeries and dessert shops59
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 Mitchell, SD area?
As of September 2026, map listings count 60 sit-down restaurants in the Mitchell area. 23 of them (38%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 21 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023, down 27.6% from 2019. Another 6 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in the Mitchell, SD area spend on food away from home?
About $39.7M a year, or $3,618 per household. That is 11% below the U.S. average (an index of 89, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 60 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $662K 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 10,977 households in the Mitchell area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Mitchell, SD area compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?
The Mitchell area has 54.7 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 11% below the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $662K, in line with the U.S. figure of $664K. The count on map listings matches the U.S. ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 523 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. The official count fell 27.6% from 2019 to 2023, against +1.5% for the U.S.
How fast is the Mitchell, SD area growing?
Population estimates put the Mitchell area at 25,913 people in 2025, up 0.6% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 10,977 households. Median household income in the Mitchell area is $69,101, 14% below the U.S. median of $80,734.
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 Mitchell area scores 49 for sit-down restaurants (lower middle), #273 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 Mitchell 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 Mitchell area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Mitchell 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 Mitchell 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.