Groundwork

Food and drink · County · Louisiana

Restaurants and cafes in Ouachita Parish, LA

The restaurants and cafes in Ouachita Parish, LA, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 29 out of 100: Lower middle

Ranked #2,064 of 2,405 scored counties
#45 of 56 scored counties in Louisiana

Listings
632
272 chain locations (43%)
Official establishments
256
+3.6% since 2019
Household spending a year
$203.2M
On food away from home · $3,304 a household
Spending per listing
$321K
13% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
102.8
6% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
158,542
−1.0% since 2020

See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Ouachita Parish

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 Ouachita Parish. 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

Ouachita Parish scores 29 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes, ranking #2,064 of 2,405 scored counties and #45 of 56 scored counties in Louisiana. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.

Household spending on food away from home in Ouachita Parish comes to about $203.2M a year: $3,304 per household, 19% below the U.S. average. Spread across 632 restaurants and cafes, that is $321K per restaurant, 13% below the U.S. figure of $371K.

There are 632 restaurants and cafes on map listings in Ouachita Parish as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 43% of them, against 34% across the U.S. That comes to 102.8 for every 10,000 households, 6% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.

The official count of businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in Ouachita Parish was 256 in 2023, up 3.6% from 2019. That is one for every 240 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 5 SBA-backed loans worth $2.2M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Ouachita Parish. Population estimates show Ouachita Parish declined 1.0% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S.

How Ouachita Parish 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.

Restaurants and cafes in Ouachita Parish, LA compared with Louisiana and the U.S.
MeasureOuachita ParishLouisianaU.S.
Listings per 10k households102.8110.6109.8
Spending per listing$321K$314K$371K
Households per official establishment240225209
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+3.6%+5.8%+6.0%
Population growth, 2020–2025−1.0%−0.7%+3.1%
Spending per household on food away from home$3,304$3,469$4,070
Median household income$54,688$60,756$80,734
Groundwork market score2919

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
247 → 256+3.6% over the period
Employees, 2023
5,742
Annual payroll, 2023
$107.4M
One-person businesses, 2023
84Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
632272 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
548The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
5
Amount
$2.2M

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Ouachita Parish, 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 Ouachita Parish

Population, 2025 estimate
158,542−1.0% since 2020
Households
61,489
Median age
37.0
Homes lived in by their owners
61%
Vehicles per household
1.7
Land area
610 sq. mi.
People per square mile
260
Median household income
$54,688+33.0% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$80,881
Median home value
$194,400
Jobs located here
68,646
Daytime population
165,193Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Ouachita Parish?

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 Ouachita Parish. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Restaurants and cafes across Louisiana

Every Louisiana market ranked →

The highest-scoring counties in Louisiana for restaurants and cafes, numbered among those based in Louisiana, with Ouachita Parish marked.

Top counties in Louisiana

Counties in Louisiana ranked for restaurants and cafes by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Grant Parish, LA741520.2$1.7M−0.3%#253 of 2,405
2East Feliciana Parish, LA743148.4$773K−2.8%#254 of 2,405
3Livingston Parish, LA7442479.1$476K+8.5%#275 of 2,405
4Beauregard Parish, LA707655.3$642K+0.2%#391 of 2,405
5Winn Parish, LA693164.7$477K+9.1%#431 of 2,405
6Ascension Parish, LA6844894.0$454K+6.4%#456 of 2,405
7De Soto Parish, LA666965.7$487K+2.0%#509 of 2,405
8St. Helena Parish, LA651331.1$919K−1.2%#530 of 2,405
9Assumption Parish, LA643640.8$793K−5.9%#582 of 2,405
10Jackson Parish, LA613766.4$436K+5.6%#720 of 2,405
45Ouachita Parish, LA29632102.8$321K−1.0%#2,064 of 2,405

Other business types in Ouachita Parish

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

Questions

How many restaurants and cafes are in Ouachita Parish, LA?

As of September 2026, map listings count 632 restaurants and cafes in Ouachita Parish. 272 of them (43%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 256 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 3.6% from 2019. Official counts also show 84 one-person businesses without payroll.

How much do households in Ouachita Parish, LA spend on food away from home?

About $203.2M a year, or $3,304 per household. That is 19% below the U.S. average (an index of 81, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 632 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $321K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 61,489 households in Ouachita Parish and national spending patterns by income.

How does Ouachita Parish, LA compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?

Ouachita Parish has 102.8 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 6% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $321K, 13% below the U.S. figure of $371K. At the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Ouachita Parish would have about 548, against 632 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 240 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 3.6% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.

How fast is Ouachita Parish, LA growing?

Population estimates put Ouachita Parish at 158,542 people in 2025, down 1.0% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 61,489 households. Median household income in Ouachita Parish is $54,688, 32% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 33.0%, 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. Ouachita Parish scores 29 for restaurants and cafes (lower middle), #2,064 of 2,405 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Ouachita Parish. 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 Ouachita Parish

Screening a site or an acquisition in Ouachita Parish?

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 Ouachita Parish. 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.