Food and drink · County · Kansas
Restaurants and cafes in Riley County, KS
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for restaurants and cafes in Riley County, KS, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 32 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,956 of 2,405 scored counties
#26 of 38 scored counties in Kansas
- Listings
- 324
- 156 chain locations (48%)
- Official establishments
- 125
- +1.6% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $98.7M
- On food away from home · $3,565 a household
- Spending per listing
- $305K
- 18% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 117.0
- 7% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 72,598
- +0.8% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Riley 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 Riley 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
Riley County scores 32 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes, ranking #1,956 of 2,405 scored counties and #26 of 38 scored counties in Kansas. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
Households in Riley County spend about $98.7M a year on food away from home, or $3,565 per household, 12% below the U.S. average. That works out to $305K per restaurant, 18% below the U.S. figure of $371K.
Riley County has 324 restaurants and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. Of those, 156 are chain locations, or 48%, against 34% across the U.S. That is 117.0 per 10,000 households, 7% above the U.S. rate of 109.8.
Official counts show 125 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in Riley County in 2023, up 1.6% from 2019. That is one for every 222 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 4 SBA-backed loans worth $5.9M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Riley County. Population estimates put the population change in Riley County from 2020 to 2025 at +0.8%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Riley 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 | Riley County | Kansas | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 117.0 | 98.4 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $305K | $397K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 222 | 229 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +1.6% | +6.6% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +0.8% | +1.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,565 | $3,910 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $61,098 | $74,275 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 32 | 58 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 123 → 125+1.6% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 3,365
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $57.8M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 9Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 324156 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 266The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 4
- Amount
- $5.9M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Riley 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 Riley County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 72,598+0.8% since 2020
- Households
- 27,695
- Median age
- 30.7
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 46%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 610 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 118
- Median household income
- $61,098+19.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $85,486
- Median home value
- $237,100
- Jobs located here
- 27,758
- Daytime population
- 75,612Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Riley 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 Riley 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 Riley 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 |
| 26Riley County, KS | 32 | 324 | 117.0 | $305K | +0.8% | #1,956 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Riley County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes32
- Sit-down restaurants44
- Fast food and sandwich shops37
- Pizza40
- Coffee shops and cafes22
- Bakeries and dessert shops26
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 Riley County, KS?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 324 restaurants and cafes in Riley County. 156 of them (48%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 125 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 1.6% from 2019. Official counts list 9 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Riley County, KS spend on food away from home?
About $98.7M a year, or $3,565 per household. That is 12% below the U.S. average (an index of 88, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 324 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $305K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 27,695 households in Riley County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Riley County, KS compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Riley County has 117.0 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 7% above the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $305K, 18% below the U.S. figure of $371K. At the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Riley County would have about 266, against 324 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 222 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 1.6% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Riley County, KS growing?
Population estimates put Riley County at 72,598 people in 2025, up 0.8% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 27,695 households. Median household income in Riley County is $61,098, 24% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 19.3%, 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. Riley County scores 32 for restaurants and cafes (lower middle), #1,956 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Riley 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 Riley County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Riley 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 Riley 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.