Food and drink · Small-town market · Wisconsin
Sit-down restaurants in the Rice Lake, WI area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for sit-down restaurants in the Rice Lake, WI area, set against other small-town markets and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 42 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #344 of 538 scored small-town markets
#11 of 13 scored small-town markets based in Wisconsin
- Listings
- 104
- 21 chain locations (20%)
- Official establishments
- 44
- +4.8% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $71.2M
- On food away from home · $3,569 a household
- Spending per listing
- $685K
- 3% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 52.1
- 15% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 46,484
- −0.5% since 2020
See the sit-down restaurants around any address in the Rice Lake 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 Rice Lake 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 Rice Lake area comes to about $71.2M a year: $3,569 per household, 12% below the U.S. average. That works out to $685K per restaurant, 3% above the U.S. figure of $664K. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants.
There are 104 sit-down restaurants on map listings in the Rice Lake area as of September 2026. Of those, 21 are chain locations, or 20%, against 29% across the U.S. That comes to 52.1 for every 10,000 households, 15% below the U.S. rate of 61.3.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in the Rice Lake area was 44 in 2023, up 4.8% from 2019. That is one for every 454 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Official counts list 6 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 5 SBA-backed loans worth $2.5M have gone to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in the Rice Lake area.
Population estimates show the Rice Lake area declined 0.5% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S. The Groundwork market score for sit-down restaurants in the Rice Lake area is 42 (lower middle), #344 of 538 scored small-town markets and #11 of 13 scored small-town markets based in Wisconsin.
How the Rice Lake area 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 | Rice Lake area | Wisconsin | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 52.1 | 52.3 | 61.3 |
| Spending per listing | $685K | $757K | $664K |
| Households per official establishment | 454 | 497 | 500 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +4.8% | −1.0% | +1.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −0.5% | +1.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,569 | $3,959 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $65,933 | $77,485 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 42 | 54 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 44+4.8% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 598
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $11.2M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 6Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 10421 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 107The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 5
- Amount
- $2.5M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in the Rice Lake 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 Rice Lake area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 46,484−0.5% since 2020
- Households
- 19,955
- Median age
- 45.8
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 77%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 863 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 54
- Median household income
- $65,933
- Average household income
- $87,099
- Median home value
- $216,600
- Jobs located here
- 20,886
- Daytime population
- 44,130Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Rice Lake 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 Rice Lake 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 Wisconsin
Every Wisconsin market ranked →The highest-scoring small-town markets in Wisconsin for sit-down restaurants, numbered among those based in Wisconsin (a market based in another state is listed without a number), with the Rice Lake area marked.
Top small-town markets in Wisconsin
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Beaver Dam, WI | 72 | 150 | 41.8 | $906K | −0.3% | #60 of 538 |
| 2Menomonie, WI | 67 | 76 | 43.6 | $873K | +1.7% | #91 of 538 |
| 3Wisconsin Rapids-Marshfield, WI | 67 | 143 | 44.3 | $810K | −0.2% | #95 of 538 |
| 4Watertown-Fort Atkinson, WI | 66 | 162 | 46.5 | $858K | +0.3% | #102 of 538 |
| 5Platteville, WI | 59 | 94 | 47.1 | $765K | +0.9% | #174 of 538 |
| 6Manitowoc, WI | 58 | 162 | 46.0 | $793K | +0.4% | #183 of 538 |
| 7Stevens Point-Plover, WI | 57 | 151 | 50.9 | $757K | +2.2% | #196 of 538 |
| 8Sparta, WI | 55 | 94 | 51.4 | $713K | +0.6% | #216 of 538 |
| Iron Mountain, MI-WI | 47 | 63 | 44.7 | $778K | +0.4% | #298 of 538 |
| 9Shawano, WI | 44 | 99 | 53.1 | $667K | +1.4% | #329 of 538 |
| 11Rice Lake, WI | 42 | 104 | 52.1 | $685K | −0.5% | #344 of 538 |
Other business types in the Rice Lake area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes41
- Sit-down restaurants42
- Fast food and sandwich shops52
- Pizza66
- Coffee shops and cafes44
- Bakeries and dessert shops43
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 Rice Lake, WI area?
As of September 2026, map listings count 104 sit-down restaurants in the Rice Lake area. 21 of them (20%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 44 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023, up 4.8% from 2019. Official counts also show 6 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Rice Lake, WI area spend on food away from home?
About $71.2M a year, or $3,569 per household. That is 12% below the U.S. average (an index of 88, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 104 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $685K 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 19,955 households in the Rice Lake area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Rice Lake, WI area compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?
The Rice Lake area has 52.1 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 15% below the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $685K, 3% above the U.S. figure of $664K. At the U.S. ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, the Rice Lake area would have about 107, against 104 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 454 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. The official count rose 4.8% from 2019 to 2023, against +1.5% for the U.S.
How fast is the Rice Lake, WI area growing?
Population estimates put the Rice Lake area at 46,484 people in 2025, down 0.5% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 19,955 households. Median household income in the Rice Lake area is $65,933, 18% 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 Rice Lake area scores 42 for sit-down restaurants (lower middle), #344 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 Rice Lake 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 Rice Lake area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Rice Lake 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 Rice Lake 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.