Food and drink · County · Wisconsin
Sit-down restaurants in Waupaca County, WI
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for sit-down restaurants in Waupaca County, WI, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 40 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,632 of 2,405 scored counties
#41 of 67 scored counties in Wisconsin
- Listings
- 124
- 19 chain locations (15%)
- Official establishments
- 44
- +10.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $83.4M
- On food away from home · $3,695 a household
- Spending per listing
- $673K
- In line with the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 54.9
- 10% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 51,461
- −0.6% since 2020
See the sit-down restaurants around any address in Waupaca 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 Waupaca 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
As of September 2026, map listings count 124 sit-down restaurants in Waupaca County. 19 of them (15%) are chain locations, against 29% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 54.9, 10% below the U.S. rate of 61.3.
Household spending on food away from home in Waupaca County comes to about $83.4M a year: $3,695 per household, 9% below the U.S. average. That is about $673K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, in line with 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.
In 2023, official counts showed 44 businesses with payroll in Waupaca County classed as full-service restaurants, up 10.0% from 2019. That is one for every 513 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Official counts also show 7 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $665K have gone to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Waupaca County.
Population estimates put the population change in Waupaca County from 2020 to 2025 at −0.6%, against +3.1% for the U.S. Waupaca County scores 40 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for sit-down restaurants, ranking #1,632 of 2,405 scored counties and #41 of 67 scored counties in Wisconsin.
How Waupaca 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 | Waupaca County | Wisconsin | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 54.9 | 52.3 | 61.3 |
| Spending per listing | $673K | $757K | $664K |
| Households per official establishment | 513 | 497 | 500 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +10.0% | −1.0% | +1.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −0.6% | +1.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,695 | $3,959 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $72,830 | $77,485 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 40 | 54 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 40 → 44+10.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 488
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $9.7M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 7Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 12419 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 126The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 2
- Amount
- $665K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Waupaca 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 Waupaca County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 51,461−0.6% since 2020
- Households
- 22,571
- Median age
- 45.5
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 75%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 748 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 69
- Median household income
- $72,830+24.1% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $93,820
- Median home value
- $211,400
- Jobs located here
- 18,125
- Daytime population
- 43,135Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Waupaca 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 Waupaca 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 Waupaca 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 |
| 41Waupaca County, WI | 40 | 124 | 54.9 | $673K | −0.6% | #1,632 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Waupaca County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes39
- Sit-down restaurants40
- Fast food and sandwich shops56
- Pizza67
- Coffee shops and cafes55
- Bakeries and dessert shops56
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 Waupaca County, WI?
Waupaca County has 124 sit-down restaurants on map listings as of September 2026. 19 of them (15%) 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 10.0% from 2019. Another 7 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Waupaca County, WI spend on food away from home?
About $83.4M a year, or $3,695 per household. That is 9% below the U.S. average (an index of 91, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 124 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $673K per restaurant. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants. It is estimated from the incomes of the 22,571 households in Waupaca County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Waupaca County, WI compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?
Waupaca County has 54.9 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 10% below the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $673K, in line with the U.S. figure of $664K. At the national ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, Waupaca County would have about 126, against 124 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 513 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. The official count rose 10.0% from 2019 to 2023, against +1.5% for the U.S.
How fast is Waupaca County, WI growing?
Population estimates put Waupaca County at 51,461 people in 2025, down 0.6% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 22,571 households. The median household income in Waupaca County is $72,830 a year, 10% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 24.1% 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. 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. Waupaca County scores 40 for sit-down restaurants (lower middle), #1,632 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Waupaca 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 Waupaca County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Waupaca 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 Waupaca 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.