Food and drink · Small-town market · Louisiana
Restaurants and cafes in the Natchitoches, LA area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for restaurants and cafes in the Natchitoches, LA area, set against other small-town markets and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 22 out of 100: Low
Ranked #501 of 538 scored small-town markets
#7 of 8 scored small-town markets based in Louisiana
- Listings
- 143
- 51 chain locations (36%)
- Official establishments
- 64
- +3.2% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $44.8M
- On food away from home · $3,088 a household
- Spending per listing
- $313K
- 16% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 98.6
- 10% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 36,089
- −3.5% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in the Natchitoches 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 Natchitoches 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
The Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes in the Natchitoches area is 22 (low), #501 of 538 scored small-town markets and #7 of 8 scored small-town markets based in Louisiana. That puts it in the bottom quarter of small-town markets.
Map listings as of September 2026 show 143 restaurants and cafes in the Natchitoches area. Chain locations make up 36% of them, against 34% across the U.S. That comes to 98.6 for every 10,000 households, 10% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.
At $3,088 per household (24% below the U.S. average), households in the Natchitoches area spend about $44.8M a year on food away from home. Spread across 143 restaurants and cafes, that is $313K per restaurant, 16% below the U.S. figure of $371K.
In 2023, official counts showed 64 businesses with payroll in the Natchitoches area classed as restaurants and other eating places, up 3.2% from 2019. That is one for every 227 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Population estimates show the Natchitoches area declined 3.5% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How the Natchitoches area compares
The same measures for Louisiana 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 | Natchitoches area | Louisiana | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 98.6 | 110.6 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $313K | $314K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 227 | 225 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +3.2% | +5.8% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −3.5% | −0.7% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,088 | $3,469 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $46,292 | $60,756 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 22 | 19 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 64+3.2% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,371
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $22.7M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 14Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 14351 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 121The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 0
- Amount
- $0
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in the Natchitoches 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 Natchitoches area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 36,089−3.5% since 2020
- Households
- 14,508
- Median age
- 36.7
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 61%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.7
- Land area
- 1,253 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 29
- Median household income
- $46,292+62.1% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $68,591
- Median home value
- $171,300
- Jobs located here
- 14,086
- Daytime population
- 35,751Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Natchitoches area?
These figures cover the whole small-town market. 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 Natchitoches 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 Louisiana
Every Louisiana market ranked →The highest-scoring small-town markets in Louisiana for restaurants and cafes, numbered among those based in Louisiana (a market based in another state is listed without a number), with the Natchitoches area marked.
Top small-town markets in Louisiana
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1DeRidder, LA | 80 | 76 | 55.3 | $642K | +0.2% | #27 of 538 |
| 2Opelousas, LA | 52 | 244 | 75.8 | $384K | −1.9% | #239 of 538 |
| 3Bogalusa, LA | 50 | 144 | 81.3 | $363K | −0.9% | #261 of 538 |
| 4New Iberia, LA | 41 | 248 | 92.5 | $347K | −4.6% | #361 of 538 |
| 5Morgan City, LA | 32 | 200 | 108.3 | $287K | −5.3% | #444 of 538 |
| Natchez, MS-LA | 32 | 210 | 101.3 | $286K | −0.9% | #445 of 538 |
| 6Minden, LA | 24 | 134 | 93.5 | $302K | −5.2% | #488 of 538 |
| 7Natchitoches, LA | 22 | 143 | 98.6 | $313K | −3.5% | #501 of 538 |
| 8Ruston, LA | 21 | 198 | 107.1 | $281K | +0.1% | #512 of 538 |
Other business types in the Natchitoches area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes22
- Sit-down restaurants22
- Fast food and sandwich shops11
- Pizza32
- Coffee shops and cafes59
- Bakeries and dessert shops35
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 Natchitoches, LA area?
There are 143 restaurants and cafes on map listings in the Natchitoches area as of September 2026. 51 of them (36%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 64 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 3.2% from 2019. Official counts also show 14 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Natchitoches, LA area spend on food away from home?
About $44.8M a year, or $3,088 per household. That is 24% below the U.S. average (an index of 76, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 143 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $313K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 14,508 households in the Natchitoches area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Natchitoches, LA area compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
The Natchitoches area has 98.6 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 10% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $313K, 16% below the U.S. figure of $371K. At the national ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, the Natchitoches area would have about 121, against 143 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 227 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 3.2% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is the Natchitoches, LA area growing?
Population estimates put the Natchitoches area at 36,089 people in 2025, down 3.5% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 14,508 households. The median household income in the Natchitoches area is $46,292 a year, 43% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 62.1% 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. A small-town market is a town of 10,000 to 50,000 people and the county or counties tied to it by commuting. 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 Natchitoches area scores 22 for restaurants and cafes (low), #501 of 538 scored small-town markets.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Natchitoches 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 Natchitoches area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Natchitoches 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 Natchitoches 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.