Groundwork

Food and drink · County · Kansas

Restaurants and cafes in Geary County, KS

How Geary County, KS compares with other counties and the U.S. for restaurants and cafes: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 35 out of 100: Lower middle

Ranked #1,830 of 2,405 scored counties
#24 of 38 scored counties in Kansas

Listings
137
61 chain locations (45%)
Official establishments
52
−1.9% since 2019
Household spending a year
$46.4M
On food away from home · $3,274 a household
Spending per listing
$338K
9% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
96.8
12% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
36,338
−1.2% since 2020

See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Geary 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 Geary County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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

What this means

For restaurants and cafes, Geary County has a Groundwork market score of 35 (lower middle): #1,830 of 2,405 scored counties and #24 of 38 scored counties in Kansas. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.

As of September 2026, map listings count 137 restaurants and cafes in Geary County. 61 of them (45%) are chain locations, against 34% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 96.8, 12% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.

Households in Geary County spend about $46.4M a year on food away from home, or $3,274 per household, 20% below the U.S. average. Spread across 137 restaurants and cafes, that is $338K per restaurant, 9% below the U.S. figure of $371K.

In 2023, official counts showed 52 businesses with payroll in Geary County classed as restaurants and other eating places, down 1.9% from 2019. That is one for every 272 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $130K has gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Geary County. Population estimates show Geary County declined 1.2% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S.

How Geary 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.

Restaurants and cafes in Geary County, KS compared with Kansas and the U.S.
MeasureGeary CountyKansasU.S.
Listings per 10k households96.898.4109.8
Spending per listing$338K$397K$371K
Households per official establishment272229209
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023−1.9%+6.6%+6.0%
Population growth, 2020–2025−1.2%+1.3%+3.1%
Spending per household on food away from home$3,274$3,910$4,070
Median household income$59,317$74,275$80,734
Groundwork market score3558

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
53 → 52−1.9% over the period
Employees, 2023
931
Annual payroll, 2023
$17.3M
One-person businesses, 2023
6Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
13761 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
125The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
1
Amount
$130K

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Geary 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 Geary County

Population, 2025 estimate
36,338−1.2% since 2020
Households
14,158
Median age
28.6
Homes lived in by their owners
44%
Vehicles per household
1.8
Land area
385 sq. mi.
People per square mile
93
Median household income
$59,317+11.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$70,877
Median home value
$172,700
Jobs located here
9,470
Daytime population
34,100Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

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

Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

Restaurants 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 Geary County marked.

Top counties in Kansas

Counties in Kansas ranked for restaurants and cafes by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Miami County, KS849770.6$597K+5.9%#70 of 2,405
2Leavenworth County, KS8123076.2$557K+3.2%#121 of 2,405
3Jefferson County, KS785574.2$546K−0.2%#174 of 2,405
4Pottawatomie County, KS787377.8$544K+6.9%#175 of 2,405
5Butler County, KS7420078.9$510K+3.1%#268 of 2,405
6Johnson County, KS712,37295.1$514K+4.2%#369 of 2,405
7Jackson County, KS684181.8$461K+1.5%#454 of 2,405
8Dickinson County, KS636783.6$436K+1.4%#640 of 2,405
9Osage County, KS615179.3$460K−0.3%#715 of 2,405
10Franklin County, KS569389.3$416K+1.1%#919 of 2,405
24Geary County, KS3513796.8$338K−1.2%#1,830 of 2,405

Other business types in Geary County

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

Questions

How many restaurants and cafes are in Geary County, KS?

Geary County has 137 restaurants and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. 61 of them (45%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 52 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, down 1.9% from 2019. Official counts list 6 one-person businesses without payroll.

How much do households in Geary County, KS spend on food away from home?

About $46.4M a year, or $3,274 per household. That is 20% below the U.S. average (an index of 80, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 137 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $338K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 14,158 households in Geary County and national spending patterns by income.

How does Geary County, KS compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?

Geary County has 96.8 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 12% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $338K, 9% below the U.S. figure of $371K. At the national ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Geary County would have about 125, against 137 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 272 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count fell 1.9% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.

How fast is Geary County, KS growing?

Population estimates put Geary County at 36,338 people in 2025, down 1.2% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 14,158 households. The median household income in Geary County is $59,317 a year, 27% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 11.6% 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. Geary County scores 35 for restaurants and cafes (lower middle), #1,830 of 2,405 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

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

Screening a site or an acquisition in Geary 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 Geary 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.