Groundwork

Food and drink · County · South Dakota

Sit-down restaurants in Pennington County, SD

Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for sit-down restaurants in Pennington County, SD, set against other counties and the U.S.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 50 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #1,177 of 2,405 scored counties
#9 of 18 scored counties in South Dakota

Listings
262
106 chain locations (40%)
Official establishments
105
+7.1% since 2019
Household spending a year
$178.2M
On food away from home · $3,844 a household
Spending per listing
$680K
3% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
56.5
8% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
116,792
+6.6% since 2020

See the sit-down restaurants around any address in Pennington 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 Pennington County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Survey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure

What this means

Households in Pennington County spend about $178.2M a year on food away from home, or $3,844 per household, 6% below the U.S. average. Spread across 262 sit-down restaurants, that is $680K per restaurant, 3% above the U.S. figure of $664K. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants.

Pennington County has 262 sit-down restaurants on map listings as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 40% of them, against 29% across the U.S. That comes to 56.5 for every 10,000 households, 8% below the U.S. rate of 61.3.

In 2023, official counts showed 105 businesses with payroll in Pennington County classed as full-service restaurants, up 7.1% from 2019. That is one for every 442 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Official counts list 15 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $1.3M have gone to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Pennington County.

Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Pennington County grew 6.6%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for sit-down restaurants in Pennington County is 50 (upper middle), #1,177 of 2,405 scored counties and #9 of 18 scored counties in South Dakota.

How Pennington 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.

Sit-down restaurants in Pennington County, SD compared with South Dakota and the U.S.
MeasurePennington CountySouth DakotaU.S.
Listings per 10k households56.552.361.3
Spending per listing$680K$737K$664K
Households per official establishment442542500
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+7.1%−5.5%+1.5%
Population growth, 2020–2025+6.6%+5.3%+3.1%
Spending per household on food away from home$3,844$3,849$4,070
Median household income$74,517$75,081$80,734
Groundwork market score5062

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
98 → 105+7.1% over the period
Employees, 2023
2,558
Annual payroll, 2023
$74.3M
One-person businesses, 2023
15Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
262106 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
269The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
2
Amount
$1.3M

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Pennington 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 Pennington County

Population, 2025 estimate
116,792+6.6% since 2020
Households
46,370
Median age
41.0
Homes lived in by their owners
69%
Vehicles per household
2.0
Land area
2,777 sq. mi.
People per square mile
41
Median household income
$74,517+30.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$99,289
Median home value
$302,200
Jobs located here
59,416
Daytime population
120,445Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Pennington 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 Pennington County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Sit-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 Pennington County marked.

Top counties in South Dakota

Counties in South Dakota ranked for sit-down restaurants by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Lincoln County, SD977727.6$1.6M+17.5%#1 of 2,405
2Union County, SD803446.5$927K+3.3%#129 of 2,405
3Meade County, SD794436.8$1.1M+2.7%#147 of 2,405
4Minnehaha County, SD6445653.8$738K+7.6%#584 of 2,405
5Beadle County, SD623141.1$869K+2.4%#661 of 2,405
6Brown County, SD577445.4$822K−1.7%#858 of 2,405
7Brookings County, SD577755.8$673K+9.6%#877 of 2,405
8Butte County, SD552251.1$752K+5.5%#955 of 2,405
9Pennington County, SD5026256.5$680K+6.6%#1,177 of 2,405
10Lake County, SD462348.8$798K−0.2%#1,348 of 2,405

Other business types in Pennington County

Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.

Funeral services

Questions

How many sit-down restaurants are in Pennington County, SD?

Map listings as of September 2026 show 262 sit-down restaurants in Pennington County. 106 of them (40%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 105 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023, up 7.1% from 2019. Official counts also show 15 one-person businesses without payroll.

How much do households in Pennington County, SD spend on food away from home?

About $178.2M a year, or $3,844 per household. That is 6% below the U.S. average (an index of 94, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 262 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $680K 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 46,370 households in Pennington County and national spending patterns by income.

How does Pennington County, SD compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?

Pennington County has 56.5 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 8% below the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $680K, 3% above the U.S. figure of $664K. At the U.S. ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, Pennington County would have about 269, against 262 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 442 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. The official count rose 7.1% from 2019 to 2023, against +1.5% for the U.S.

How fast is Pennington County, SD growing?

Population estimates put Pennington County at 116,792 people in 2025, up 6.6% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 46,370 households. Median household income in Pennington County is $74,517, 8% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 30.6%, 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. Pennington County scores 50 for sit-down restaurants (upper middle), #1,177 of 2,405 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Pennington 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 Pennington County

Screening a site or an acquisition in Pennington County?

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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.