Groundwork

Food and drink · County · Kansas

Restaurants and cafes in Shawnee County, KS

The restaurants and cafes in Shawnee County, KS, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 55 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #954 of 2,405 scored counties
#11 of 38 scored counties in Kansas

Listings
648
282 chain locations (44%)
Official establishments
289
+5.1% since 2019
Household spending a year
$277.7M
On food away from home · $3,681 a household
Spending per listing
$429K
16% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
85.9
22% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
178,607
0.0% since 2020

See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Shawnee 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 Shawnee 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

As of September 2026, map listings count 648 restaurants and cafes in Shawnee County. 282 of them (44%) are chain locations, against 34% across the U.S. That is 85.9 per 10,000 households, 22% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.

Household spending on food away from home in Shawnee County comes to about $277.7M a year: $3,681 per household, 10% below the U.S. average. That is about $429K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 16% above the U.S. figure of $371K.

The official count of businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in Shawnee County was 289 in 2023, up 5.1% from 2019. That is one for every 261 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Official counts list 41 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 13 SBA-backed loans worth $7.4M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Shawnee County.

Population estimates show Shawnee County held about level from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S. Shawnee County scores 55 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes, ranking #954 of 2,405 scored counties and #11 of 38 scored counties in Kansas.

How Shawnee 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 Shawnee County, KS compared with Kansas and the U.S.
MeasureShawnee CountyKansasU.S.
Listings per 10k households85.998.4109.8
Spending per listing$429K$397K$371K
Households per official establishment261229209
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+5.1%+6.6%+6.0%
Population growth, 2020–20250.0%+1.3%+3.1%
Spending per household on food away from home$3,681$3,910$4,070
Median household income$67,104$74,275$80,734
Groundwork market score5558

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
275 → 289+5.1% over the period
Employees, 2023
6,145
Annual payroll, 2023
$116.9M
One-person businesses, 2023
41Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
648282 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
749The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
13
Amount
$7.4M

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

Population, 2025 estimate
178,6070.0% since 2020
Households
75,458
Median age
40.6
Homes lived in by their owners
67%
Vehicles per household
1.8
Land area
544 sq. mi.
People per square mile
327
Median household income
$67,104+18.2% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$88,163
Median home value
$180,900
Jobs located here
103,349
Daytime population
200,016Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

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

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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 Shawnee 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
11Shawnee County, KS5564885.9$429K0.0%#954 of 2,405

Other business types in Shawnee County

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

Questions

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

Shawnee County has 648 restaurants and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. 282 of them (44%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 289 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 5.1% from 2019. Official counts also show 41 one-person businesses without payroll.

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

About $277.7M a year, or $3,681 per household. That is 10% below the U.S. average (an index of 90, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 648 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $429K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 75,458 households in Shawnee County and national spending patterns by income.

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

Shawnee County has 85.9 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 22% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $429K, 16% above the U.S. figure of $371K. At the national ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Shawnee County would have about 749, against 648 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 261 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 5.1% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.

How fast is Shawnee County, KS growing?

Population estimates put Shawnee County at 178,607 people in 2025, unchanged since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 75,458 households. The median household income in Shawnee County is $67,104 a year, 17% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 18.2% 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. Shawnee County scores 55 for restaurants and cafes (upper middle), #954 of 2,405 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

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

Screening a site or an acquisition in Shawnee 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 Shawnee 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.