Food and drink · County · Kansas
Restaurants and cafes in Douglas County, KS
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for restaurants and cafes in Douglas County, KS, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 42 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,538 of 2,405 scored counties
#19 of 38 scored counties in Kansas
- Listings
- 560
- 236 chain locations (42%)
- Official establishments
- 252
- +5.9% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $195.7M
- On food away from home · $3,882 a household
- Spending per listing
- $349K
- 6% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 111.1
- In line with the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 120,920
- +1.8% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Douglas County
The site report maps the restaurants and cafes 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 Douglas 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
Map listings as of September 2026 show 560 restaurants and cafes in Douglas County. Of those, 236 are chain locations, or 42%, against 34% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 111.1, in line with the U.S. rate of 109.8.
At $3,882 per household (5% below the U.S. average), households in Douglas County spend about $195.7M a year on food away from home. That works out to $349K per restaurant, 6% below the U.S. figure of $371K.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in Douglas County was 252 in 2023, up 5.9% from 2019. That is one for every 200 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Another 19 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 9 SBA-backed loans worth $4.7M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Douglas County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Douglas County grew 1.8%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). For restaurants and cafes, Douglas County has a Groundwork market score of 42 (lower middle): #1,538 of 2,405 scored counties and #19 of 38 scored counties in Kansas.
How Douglas County compares
The same measures for Kansas and the whole U.S. Spending per listing divides a year of household spending on all food away from home by the restaurants and cafes 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 | Douglas County | Kansas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 111.1 | 98.4 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $349K | $397K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 200 | 229 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +5.9% | +6.6% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +1.8% | +1.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,882 | $3,910 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $69,746 | $74,275 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 42 | 58 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 238 → 252+5.9% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 5,720
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $108.4M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 19Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 560236 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 528The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 9
- Amount
- $4.7M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Douglas 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 Douglas County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 120,920+1.8% since 2020
- Households
- 50,406
- Median age
- 35.2
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 50%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 456 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 264
- Median household income
- $69,746+17.4% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $96,109
- Median home value
- $309,400
- Jobs located here
- 51,342
- Daytime population
- 115,968Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Douglas 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 restaurants and cafes on map listings by name and distance.
Or open the report at the center of Douglas County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardRestaurants and cafes across Kansas
Every Kansas market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Kansas for restaurants and cafes, numbered among those based in Kansas, with Douglas County marked.
Top counties in Kansas
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Miami County, KS | 84 | 97 | 70.6 | $597K | +5.9% | #70 of 2,405 |
| 2Leavenworth County, KS | 81 | 230 | 76.2 | $557K | +3.2% | #121 of 2,405 |
| 3Jefferson County, KS | 78 | 55 | 74.2 | $546K | −0.2% | #174 of 2,405 |
| 4Pottawatomie County, KS | 78 | 73 | 77.8 | $544K | +6.9% | #175 of 2,405 |
| 5Butler County, KS | 74 | 200 | 78.9 | $510K | +3.1% | #268 of 2,405 |
| 6Johnson County, KS | 71 | 2,372 | 95.1 | $514K | +4.2% | #369 of 2,405 |
| 7Jackson County, KS | 68 | 41 | 81.8 | $461K | +1.5% | #454 of 2,405 |
| 8Dickinson County, KS | 63 | 67 | 83.6 | $436K | +1.4% | #640 of 2,405 |
| 9Osage County, KS | 61 | 51 | 79.3 | $460K | −0.3% | #715 of 2,405 |
| 10Franklin County, KS | 56 | 93 | 89.3 | $416K | +1.1% | #919 of 2,405 |
| 19Douglas County, KS | 42 | 560 | 111.1 | $349K | +1.8% | #1,538 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Douglas County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes42
- Sit-down restaurants47
- Fast food and sandwich shops45
- Pizza44
- Coffee shops and cafes36
- Bakeries and dessert shops53
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 restaurants and cafes are in Douglas County, KS?
There are 560 restaurants and cafes on map listings in Douglas County as of September 2026. 236 of them (42%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 252 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 5.9% from 2019. Official counts list 19 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Douglas County, KS spend on food away from home?
About $195.7M a year, or $3,882 per household. That is 5% below the U.S. average (an index of 95, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 560 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $349K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 50,406 households in Douglas County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Douglas County, KS compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Douglas County has 111.1 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, in line with the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $349K, 6% below the U.S. figure of $371K. At the national ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Douglas County would have about 528, against 560 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 200 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 5.9% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Douglas County, KS growing?
Population estimates put Douglas County at 120,920 people in 2025, up 1.8% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 50,406 households. The median household income in Douglas County is $69,746 a year, 14% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 17.4% 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. Douglas County scores 42 for restaurants and cafes (lower middle), #1,538 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Douglas County. It maps the restaurants and cafes 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 restaurants and cafes · All 56 business types in Douglas County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Douglas 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 Douglas 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.