Groundwork

Food and drink · County · Wisconsin

Sit-down restaurants in Vernon County, WI

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

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 64 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #556 of 2,405 scored counties
#8 of 67 scored counties in Wisconsin

Listings
45
4 chain locations (9%)
Official establishments
23
0.0% since 2019
Household spending a year
$46.3M
On food away from home · $3,725 a household
Spending per listing
$1M
55% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
36.2
41% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
31,443
+2.4% since 2020

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

Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

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

What this means

At $3,725 per household (8% below the U.S. average), households in Vernon County spend about $46.3M a year on food away from home. That is about $1M of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 55% above the U.S. figure of $664K. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants.

There are 45 sit-down restaurants on map listings in Vernon County as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 9% of them, against 29% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 36.2, 41% below the U.S. rate of 61.3.

The official count of businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in Vernon County was 23 in 2023, unchanged from 2019. That is one for every 540 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Official counts list 3 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $225K has gone to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Vernon County.

Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Vernon County grew 2.4%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). For sit-down restaurants, Vernon County has a Groundwork market score of 64 (upper middle): #556 of 2,405 scored counties and #8 of 67 scored counties in Wisconsin. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.

How Vernon 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.

Sit-down restaurants in Vernon County, WI compared with Wisconsin and the U.S.
MeasureVernon CountyWisconsinU.S.
Listings per 10k households36.252.361.3
Spending per listing$1M$757K$664K
Households per official establishment540497500
Official establishment growth, 2019–20230.0%−1.0%+1.5%
Population growth, 2020–2025+2.4%+1.3%+3.1%
Spending per household on food away from home$3,725$3,959$4,070
Median household income$71,893$77,485$80,734
Groundwork market score6454

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
23 → 230.0% over the period
Employees, 2023
334
Annual payroll, 2023
$5.2M
One-person businesses, 2023
3Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
454 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
70The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
1
Amount
$225K

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

Population, 2025 estimate
31,443+2.4% since 2020
Households
12,424
Median age
41.5
Homes lived in by their owners
80%
Vehicles per household
1.9
Land area
792 sq. mi.
People per square mile
39
Median household income
$71,893+37.1% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$90,506
Median home value
$223,800
Jobs located here
8,856
Daytime population
26,267Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

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

Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

Sit-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 Vernon County marked.

Top counties in Wisconsin

Counties in Wisconsin ranked for sit-down restaurants by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Calumet County, WI797133.2$1.3M+2.9%#139 of 2,405
2Washington County, WI7422739.8$1.1M+1.8%#262 of 2,405
3Waukesha County, WI7277546.0$1M+2.4%#316 of 2,405
4St. Croix County, WI7116744.5$1M+4.7%#340 of 2,405
5Ozaukee County, WI6718147.2$980K+3.0%#454 of 2,405
6Dane County, WI671,29851.6$848K+4.9%#464 of 2,405
7Pierce County, WI657547.3$906K+3.1%#524 of 2,405
8Vernon County, WI644536.2$1M+2.4%#556 of 2,405
9Racine County, WI6335844.5$889K+0.4%#617 of 2,405
10Dodge County, WI6115041.8$906K−0.3%#699 of 2,405

Other business types in Vernon County

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

Questions

How many sit-down restaurants are in Vernon County, WI?

As of September 2026, map listings count 45 sit-down restaurants in Vernon County. 4 of them (9%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 23 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023, unchanged from 2019. Official counts also show 3 one-person businesses without payroll.

How much do households in Vernon County, WI spend on food away from home?

About $46.3M a year, or $3,725 per household. That is 8% below the U.S. average (an index of 92, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 45 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $1M 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 12,424 households in Vernon County and national spending patterns by income.

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

Vernon County has 36.2 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 41% below the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $1M, 55% above the U.S. figure of $664K. At the U.S. ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, Vernon County would have about 70, against 45 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 540 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. The official count held level from 2019 to 2023, against +1.5% for the U.S.

How fast is Vernon County, WI growing?

Population estimates put Vernon County at 31,443 people in 2025, up 2.4% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 12,424 households. Median household income in Vernon County is $71,893, 11% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 37.1%, 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. Vernon County scores 64 for sit-down restaurants (upper middle), #556 of 2,405 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

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

Screening a site or an acquisition in Vernon 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 Vernon 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.