Food and drink · County · Wisconsin
Sit-down restaurants in Milwaukee County, WI
The sit-down restaurants in Milwaukee County, WI, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 40 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,630 of 2,405 scored counties
#40 of 67 scored counties in Wisconsin
- Listings
- 2,116
- 552 chain locations (26%)
- Official establishments
- 686
- +0.3% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $1.4B
- On food away from home · $3,633 a household
- Spending per listing
- $674K
- 2% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 53.9
- 12% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 924,216
- −1.5% since 2020
See the sit-down restaurants around any address in Milwaukee 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 Milwaukee 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
Households in Milwaukee County spend about $1.4B a year on food away from home, or $3,633 per household, 11% below the U.S. average. Spread across 2,116 sit-down restaurants, that is $674K per restaurant, 2% above the U.S. figure of $664K. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants.
There are 2,116 sit-down restaurants on map listings in Milwaukee County as of September 2026. Of those, 552 are chain locations, or 26%, against 29% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 53.9, 12% below the U.S. rate of 61.3.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in Milwaukee County was 686 in 2023, up 0.3% from 2019. That is one for every 572 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Another 123 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 46 SBA-backed loans worth $31.2M have gone to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Milwaukee County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Milwaukee County declined 1.5%, against +3.1% for the U.S. The Groundwork market score for sit-down restaurants in Milwaukee County is 40 (lower middle), #1,630 of 2,405 scored counties and #40 of 67 scored counties in Wisconsin.
How Milwaukee 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 | Milwaukee County | Wisconsin | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 53.9 | 52.3 | 61.3 |
| Spending per listing | $674K | $757K | $664K |
| Households per official establishment | 572 | 497 | 500 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +0.3% | −1.0% | +1.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −1.5% | +1.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,633 | $3,959 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $64,435 | $77,485 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 40 | 54 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 684 → 686+0.3% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 13,798
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $348M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 123Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 2,116552 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 2,148The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 46
- Amount
- $31.2M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Milwaukee 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 Milwaukee County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 924,216−1.5% since 2020
- Households
- 392,399
- Median age
- 36.5
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 50%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.5
- Land area
- 241 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 3,837
- Median household income
- $64,435+27.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $88,836
- Median home value
- $230,700
- Jobs located here
- 496,935
- Daytime population
- 971,639Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Milwaukee 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 Milwaukee 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 Milwaukee 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 |
| 40Milwaukee County, WI | 40 | 2,116 | 53.9 | $674K | −1.5% | #1,630 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Milwaukee County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes37
- Sit-down restaurants40
- Fast food and sandwich shops51
- Pizza56
- Coffee shops and cafes47
- Bakeries and dessert shops49
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 Milwaukee County, WI?
As of September 2026, map listings count 2,116 sit-down restaurants in Milwaukee County. 552 of them (26%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 686 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023, up 0.3% from 2019. Official counts list 123 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Milwaukee County, WI spend on food away from home?
About $1.4B a year, or $3,633 per household. That is 11% below the U.S. average (an index of 89, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 2,116 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $674K 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 392,399 households in Milwaukee County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Milwaukee County, WI compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?
Milwaukee County has 53.9 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 12% below the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $674K, 2% above the U.S. figure of $664K. At the U.S. ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, Milwaukee County would have about 2,148, against 2,116 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 572 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. The official count rose 0.3% from 2019 to 2023, against +1.5% for the U.S.
How fast is Milwaukee County, WI growing?
Population estimates put Milwaukee County at 924,216 people in 2025, down 1.5% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 392,399 households. Median household income in Milwaukee County is $64,435, 20% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 27.3%, 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. Milwaukee County scores 40 for sit-down restaurants (lower middle), #1,630 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Milwaukee 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 Milwaukee County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Milwaukee 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 Milwaukee 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.