Food and drink · County · Mississippi
Restaurants and cafes in Covington County, MS
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for restaurants and cafes in Covington County, MS, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 41 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,566 of 2,405 scored counties
#32 of 67 scored counties in Mississippi
- Listings
- 59
- 26 chain locations (44%)
- Official establishments
- 22
- −8.3% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $22.2M
- On food away from home · $3,035 a household
- Spending per listing
- $377K
- 2% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 80.6
- 27% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 17,898
- −2.2% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Covington 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 Covington 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
Household spending on food away from home in Covington County comes to about $22.2M a year: $3,035 per household, 25% below the U.S. average. That works out to $377K per restaurant, 2% above the U.S. figure of $371K.
There are 59 restaurants and cafes on map listings in Covington County as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 44% of them, against 34% across the U.S. That comes to 80.6 for every 10,000 households, 27% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.
In 2023, official counts showed 22 businesses with payroll in Covington County classed as restaurants and other eating places, down 8.3% from 2019. That is one for every 333 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Another 8 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
Population estimates put the population change in Covington County from 2020 to 2025 at −2.2%, against +3.1% for the U.S. For restaurants and cafes, Covington County has a Groundwork market score of 41 (lower middle): #1,566 of 2,405 scored counties and #32 of 67 scored counties in Mississippi.
How Covington County compares
The same measures for Mississippi 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 | Covington County | Mississippi | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 80.6 | 99.6 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $377K | $330K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 333 | 230 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −8.3% | +9.8% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −2.2% | −0.1% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,035 | $3,288 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $45,051 | $56,447 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 41 | 25 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 24 → 22−8.3% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 341
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $5.3M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 8Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 5926 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 60The 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 Covington 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 Covington County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 17,898−2.2% since 2020
- Households
- 7,323
- Median age
- 38.7
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 78%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 414 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 44
- Median household income
- $45,051+18.0% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $68,677
- Median home value
- $105,100
- Jobs located here
- 5,811
- Daytime population
- 16,612Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Covington 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 Covington 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 Mississippi
Every Mississippi market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Mississippi for restaurants and cafes, numbered among those based in Mississippi, with Covington County marked.
Top counties in Mississippi
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Greene County, MS | 73 | 16 | 38.9 | $819K | +1.3% | #283 of 2,405 |
| 2Perry County, MS | 67 | 22 | 47.3 | $619K | +1.1% | #467 of 2,405 |
| 3Smith County, MS | 65 | 24 | 42.9 | $735K | −1.5% | #532 of 2,405 |
| 4Walthall County, MS | 64 | 30 | 56.7 | $548K | +0.4% | #587 of 2,405 |
| 5Amite County, MS | 63 | 16 | 27.4 | $975K | −1.7% | #623 of 2,405 |
| 6Marshall County, MS | 63 | 95 | 72.0 | $443K | +2.6% | #636 of 2,405 |
| 7Itawamba County, MS | 62 | 62 | 64.5 | $507K | +1.3% | #662 of 2,405 |
| 8George County, MS | 61 | 70 | 75.3 | $448K | +8.1% | #719 of 2,405 |
| 9Tate County, MS | 60 | 72 | 65.3 | $523K | +2.1% | #745 of 2,405 |
| 10Jasper County, MS | 58 | 34 | 51.2 | $566K | −3.5% | #818 of 2,405 |
| 32Covington County, MS | 41 | 59 | 80.6 | $377K | −2.2% | #1,566 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Covington County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes41
- Sit-down restaurants49
- Fast food and sandwich shops16
- Pizza
- Coffee shops and cafes26
- Bakeries and dessert shops30
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 Covington County, MS?
As of September 2026, map listings count 59 restaurants and cafes in Covington County. 26 of them (44%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 22 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, down 8.3% from 2019. Official counts list 8 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Covington County, MS spend on food away from home?
About $22.2M a year, or $3,035 per household. That is 25% below the U.S. average (an index of 75, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 59 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $377K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 7,323 households in Covington County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Covington County, MS compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Covington County has 80.6 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 27% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $377K, 2% above the U.S. figure of $371K. At the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Covington County would have about 60, against 59 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 333 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count fell 8.3% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Covington County, MS growing?
Population estimates put Covington County at 17,898 people in 2025, down 2.2% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 7,323 households. Median household income in Covington County is $45,051, 44% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 18.0%, 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. Covington County scores 41 for restaurants and cafes (lower middle), #1,566 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Covington 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 Covington County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Covington 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 Covington 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.