Food and drink · County · Wisconsin
Sit-down restaurants in Marathon County, WI
The sit-down restaurants in Marathon County, WI, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 58 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #804 of 2,405 scored counties
#14 of 67 scored counties in Wisconsin
- Listings
- 253
- 63 chain locations (25%)
- Official establishments
- 112
- +2.8% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $225.9M
- On food away from home · $3,904 a household
- Spending per listing
- $893K
- 35% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 43.7
- 29% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 139,432
- +1.0% since 2020
See the sit-down restaurants around any address in Marathon 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 Marathon 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
At $3,904 per household (4% below the U.S. average), households in Marathon County spend about $225.9M a year on food away from home. Spread across 253 sit-down restaurants, that is $893K per restaurant, 35% above the U.S. figure of $664K. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants.
Marathon County has 253 sit-down restaurants on map listings as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 25% of them, against 29% across the U.S. That is 43.7 per 10,000 households, 29% below the U.S. rate of 61.3.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in Marathon County was 112 in 2023, up 2.8% from 2019. That is one for every 517 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Another 19 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 5 SBA-backed loans worth $3.8M have gone to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Marathon County.
Population estimates put the population change in Marathon County from 2020 to 2025 at +1.0%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for sit-down restaurants in Marathon County is 58 (upper middle), #804 of 2,405 scored counties and #14 of 67 scored counties in Wisconsin.
How Marathon County compares
The same measures for Wisconsin 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 | Marathon County | Wisconsin | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 43.7 | 52.3 | 61.3 |
| Spending per listing | $893K | $757K | $664K |
| Households per official establishment | 517 | 497 | 500 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +2.8% | −1.0% | +1.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +1.0% | +1.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,904 | $3,959 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $77,884 | $77,485 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 58 | 54 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 109 → 112+2.8% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,853
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $39.7M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 19Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 25363 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 340The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 5
- Amount
- $3.8M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Marathon 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 Marathon County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 139,432+1.0% since 2020
- Households
- 57,866
- Median age
- 42.0
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 73%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 1,545 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 90
- Median household income
- $77,884+24.4% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $97,899
- Median home value
- $219,600
- Jobs located here
- 72,449
- Daytime population
- 141,458Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Marathon 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 Marathon 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 Wisconsin
Every Wisconsin market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Wisconsin for sit-down restaurants, numbered among those based in Wisconsin, with Marathon County marked.
Top counties in Wisconsin
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Calumet County, WI | 79 | 71 | 33.2 | $1.3M | +2.9% | #139 of 2,405 |
| 2Washington County, WI | 74 | 227 | 39.8 | $1.1M | +1.8% | #262 of 2,405 |
| 3Waukesha County, WI | 72 | 775 | 46.0 | $1M | +2.4% | #316 of 2,405 |
| 4St. Croix County, WI | 71 | 167 | 44.5 | $1M | +4.7% | #340 of 2,405 |
| 5Ozaukee County, WI | 67 | 181 | 47.2 | $980K | +3.0% | #454 of 2,405 |
| 6Dane County, WI | 67 | 1,298 | 51.6 | $848K | +4.9% | #464 of 2,405 |
| 7Pierce County, WI | 65 | 75 | 47.3 | $906K | +3.1% | #524 of 2,405 |
| 8Vernon County, WI | 64 | 45 | 36.2 | $1M | +2.4% | #556 of 2,405 |
| 9Racine County, WI | 63 | 358 | 44.5 | $889K | +0.4% | #617 of 2,405 |
| 10Dodge County, WI | 61 | 150 | 41.8 | $906K | −0.3% | #699 of 2,405 |
| 14Marathon County, WI | 58 | 253 | 43.7 | $893K | +1.0% | #804 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Marathon County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes58
- Sit-down restaurants58
- Fast food and sandwich shops64
- Pizza71
- Coffee shops and cafes62
- Bakeries and dessert shops66
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 Marathon County, WI?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 253 sit-down restaurants in Marathon County. 63 of them (25%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 112 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023, up 2.8% from 2019. Official counts list 19 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Marathon County, WI spend on food away from home?
About $225.9M a year, or $3,904 per household. That is 4% below the U.S. average (an index of 96, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 253 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $893K 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 57,866 households in Marathon County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Marathon County, WI compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?
Marathon County has 43.7 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 29% below the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $893K, 35% above the U.S. figure of $664K. At the U.S. ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, Marathon County would have about 340, against 253 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 517 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. The official count rose 2.8% from 2019 to 2023, against +1.5% for the U.S.
How fast is Marathon County, WI growing?
Population estimates put Marathon County at 139,432 people in 2025, up 1.0% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 57,866 households. Median household income in Marathon County is $77,884, 4% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 24.4%, 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. Marathon County scores 58 for sit-down restaurants (upper middle), #804 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Marathon 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 Marathon County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Marathon 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 Marathon 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.