Food and drink · Metro area · Kansas
Restaurants and cafes in the Lawrence, KS metro area
The restaurants and cafes in the Lawrence, KS metro area, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other metro areas.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 36 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #287 of 387 scored metro areas
#4 of 4 scored metro areas based 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 the Lawrence metro area
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 the Lawrence metro 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 560 restaurants and cafes in the Lawrence metro area. 236 of them (42%) are chain locations, against 34% across the U.S. That is 111.1 per 10,000 households, in line with the U.S. rate of 109.8.
Household spending on food away from home in the Lawrence metro area comes to about $195.7M a year: $3,882 per household, 5% below the U.S. average. That is about $349K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 6% below the U.S. figure of $371K.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in the Lawrence metro area 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 the Lawrence metro area.
Population estimates put the population change in the Lawrence metro area from 2020 to 2025 at +1.8%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). For restaurants and cafes, the Lawrence metro area has a Groundwork market score of 36 (lower middle): #287 of 387 scored metro areas and #4 of 4 scored metro areas based in Kansas.
How the Lawrence metro area 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 | Lawrence metro area | 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 | 36 | 58 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 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 the Lawrence metro 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 Lawrence metro area
- 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 the Lawrence metro area?
These figures cover the whole metro area. 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 the Lawrence metro area. 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 metro areas in Kansas for restaurants and cafes, numbered among those based in Kansas (a market based in another state is listed without a number), with the Lawrence metro area marked.
Top metro areas in Kansas
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kansas City, MO-KS | 75 | 8,641 | 96.5 | $432K | +3.4% | #38 of 387 |
| 1Topeka, KS | 68 | 815 | 84.0 | $443K | +0.1% | #71 of 387 |
| St. Joseph, MO-KS | 44 | 431 | 91.9 | $383K | −2.0% | #227 of 387 |
| 2Wichita, KS | 44 | 2,545 | 99.9 | $376K | +2.4% | #229 of 387 |
| 3Manhattan, KS | 41 | 534 | 104.2 | $346K | +1.4% | #254 of 387 |
| 4Lawrence, KS | 36 | 560 | 111.1 | $349K | +1.8% | #287 of 387 |
| Joplin, MO-KS | 33 | 841 | 105.8 | $323K | +3.9% | #312 of 387 |
Other business types in the Lawrence metro area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes36
- Sit-down restaurants43
- Fast food and sandwich shops41
- Pizza33
- Coffee shops and cafes30
- 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 the Lawrence, KS metro area?
The Lawrence metro area has 560 restaurants and cafes on map listings 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 the Lawrence, KS metro area 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 the Lawrence metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Lawrence, KS metro area compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
The Lawrence metro area 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, the Lawrence metro area 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 the Lawrence, KS metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Lawrence metro area 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 the Lawrence metro area 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. The Lawrence metro area scores 36 for restaurants and cafes (lower middle), #287 of 387 scored metro areas.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Lawrence metro area. 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 the Lawrence metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Lawrence metro 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 Lawrence metro 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.