Food and drink · Small-town market · Wisconsin
Sit-down restaurants in the Watertown-Fort Atkinson, WI area
The sit-down restaurants in the Watertown-Fort Atkinson, WI area, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other small-town markets.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 66 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #102 of 538 scored small-town markets
#4 of 13 scored small-town markets based in Wisconsin
- Listings
- 162
- 45 chain locations (28%)
- Official establishments
- 65
- +1.6% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $139M
- On food away from home · $3,986 a household
- Spending per listing
- $858K
- 29% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 46.5
- 24% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 86,505
- +0.3% since 2020
See the sit-down restaurants around any address in the Watertown-Fort Atkinson 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 Watertown-Fort Atkinson 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
As of September 2026, map listings count 162 sit-down restaurants in the Watertown-Fort Atkinson area. Of those, 45 are chain locations, or 28%, against 29% across the U.S. That comes to 46.5 for every 10,000 households, 24% below the U.S. rate of 61.3.
Households in the Watertown-Fort Atkinson area spend about $139M a year on food away from home, or $3,986 per household, 2% below the U.S. average. Spread across 162 sit-down restaurants, that is $858K per restaurant, 29% above the U.S. figure of $664K. That spending covers all food away from home, which sit-down restaurants share with other businesses in the trade.
Official counts show 65 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in the Watertown-Fort Atkinson area in 2023, up 1.6% from 2019. That is one for every 537 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Another 7 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 3 SBA-backed loans worth $683K have gone to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in the Watertown-Fort Atkinson area.
Population estimates put the population change in the Watertown-Fort Atkinson area from 2020 to 2025 at +0.3%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Watertown-Fort Atkinson area scores 66 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for sit-down restaurants, ranking #102 of 538 scored small-town markets and #4 of 13 scored small-town markets based in Wisconsin. That puts it in the top quarter of small-town markets.
How the Watertown-Fort Atkinson 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 | Watertown-Fort Atkinson area | Wisconsin | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 46.5 | 52.3 | 61.3 |
| Spending per listing | $858K | $757K | $664K |
| Households per official establishment | 537 | 497 | 500 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +1.6% | −1.0% | +1.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +0.3% | +1.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,986 | $3,959 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $83,750 | $77,485 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 66 | 54 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 65+1.6% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 778
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $13.8M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 7Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 16245 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 210The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 3
- Amount
- $683K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in the Watertown-Fort Atkinson 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 Watertown-Fort Atkinson area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 86,505+0.3% since 2020
- Households
- 34,873
- Median age
- 42.2
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 73%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 557 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 155
- Median household income
- $83,750+26.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $100,082
- Median home value
- $274,100
- Jobs located here
- 34,853
- Daytime population
- 76,557Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Watertown-Fort Atkinson 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 Watertown-Fort Atkinson 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 Watertown-Fort Atkinson 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 |
Other business types in the Watertown-Fort Atkinson area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes68
- Sit-down restaurants66
- Fast food and sandwich shops73
- Pizza74
- Coffee shops and cafes66
- Bakeries and dessert shops74
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 Watertown-Fort Atkinson, WI area?
The Watertown-Fort Atkinson area has 162 sit-down restaurants on map listings as of September 2026. 45 of them (28%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 65 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023, up 1.6% from 2019. Official counts list 7 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Watertown-Fort Atkinson, WI area spend on food away from home?
About $139M a year, or $3,986 per household. That is 2% below the U.S. average (an index of 98, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 162 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $858K per restaurant. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants. It is estimated from the incomes of the 34,873 households in the Watertown-Fort Atkinson area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Watertown-Fort Atkinson, WI area compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?
The Watertown-Fort Atkinson area has 46.5 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 24% below the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $858K, 29% above the U.S. figure of $664K. At the national ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, the Watertown-Fort Atkinson area would have about 210, against 162 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 537 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. The official count rose 1.6% from 2019 to 2023, against +1.5% for the U.S.
How fast is the Watertown-Fort Atkinson, WI area growing?
Population estimates put the Watertown-Fort Atkinson area at 86,505 people in 2025, up 0.3% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 34,873 households. The median household income in the Watertown-Fort Atkinson area is $83,750 a year, 4% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 26.3% from the 2015–2019 survey, 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. 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 Watertown-Fort Atkinson area scores 66 for sit-down restaurants (upper middle), #102 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 Watertown-Fort Atkinson 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 Watertown-Fort Atkinson area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Watertown-Fort Atkinson 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 Watertown-Fort Atkinson 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.