Food and drink · Small-town market · Mississippi
Restaurants and cafes in the Oxford, MS area
The restaurants and cafes in the Oxford, MS area, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other small-town markets.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 32 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #448 of 538 scored small-town markets
#8 of 17 scored small-town markets based in Mississippi
- Listings
- 376
- 139 chain locations (37%)
- Official establishments
- 166
- +9.2% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $85.6M
- On food away from home · $3,561 a household
- Spending per listing
- $228K
- 39% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 156.4
- 42% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 71,972
- +5.3% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in the Oxford 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 Oxford 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 Oxford area is 32 (lower middle), #448 of 538 scored small-town markets and #8 of 17 scored small-town markets based in Mississippi. That puts it in the bottom quarter of small-town markets.
As of September 2026, map listings count 376 restaurants and cafes in the Oxford area. Chain locations make up 37% of them, against 34% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 156.4, 42% above the U.S. rate of 109.8.
At $3,561 per household (13% below the U.S. average), households in the Oxford area spend about $85.6M a year on food away from home. That is about $228K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 39% below the U.S. figure of $371K.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in the Oxford area was 166 in 2023, up 9.2% from 2019. That is one for every 145 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $290K have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in the Oxford area. Population estimates show the Oxford area grew 5.3% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How the Oxford area 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 | Oxford area | Mississippi | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 156.4 | 99.6 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $228K | $330K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 145 | 230 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +9.2% | +9.8% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +5.3% | −0.1% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,561 | $3,288 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $65,018 | $56,447 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 32 | 25 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 166+9.2% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 4,177
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $82.9M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 23Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 376139 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 231The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 2
- Amount
- $290K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in the Oxford 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 Oxford area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 71,972+5.3% since 2020
- Households
- 24,040
- Median age
- 36.1
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 65%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 1,099 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 64
- Median household income
- $65,018
- Average household income
- $95,595
- Median home value
- $256,900
- Jobs located here
- 29,062
- Daytime population
- 71,841Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Oxford 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 Oxford 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 Mississippi
Every Mississippi market ranked →The highest-scoring small-town markets in Mississippi for restaurants and cafes, numbered among those based in Mississippi, with the Oxford area marked.
Top small-town markets in Mississippi
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Picayune, MS | 63 | 187 | 85.5 | $383K | +5.6% | #145 of 538 |
| 2Laurel, MS | 44 | 253 | 80.1 | $392K | −1.5% | #329 of 538 |
| 3Brookhaven, MS | 43 | 112 | 85.1 | $374K | +0.5% | #340 of 538 |
| 4Starkville, MS | 36 | 238 | 91.8 | $344K | +0.8% | #406 of 538 |
| 5Greenwood, MS | 34 | 128 | 88.5 | $323K | −8.8% | #426 of 538 |
| 6Tupelo, MS | 32 | 557 | 107.5 | $316K | +0.8% | #442 of 538 |
| 7Natchez, MS-LA | 32 | 210 | 101.3 | $286K | −0.9% | #445 of 538 |
| 8Oxford, MS | 32 | 376 | 156.4 | $228K | +5.3% | #448 of 538 |
| 9Columbus, MS | 27 | 257 | 95.4 | $326K | −2.7% | #476 of 538 |
| 10Greenville, MS | 25 | 186 | 108.7 | $263K | −9.4% | #484 of 538 |
Other business types in the Oxford area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes32
- Sit-down restaurants33
- Fast food and sandwich shops34
- Pizza46
- Coffee shops and cafes37
- Bakeries and dessert shops34
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 Oxford, MS area?
The Oxford area has 376 restaurants and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. 139 of them (37%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 166 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 9.2% from 2019. Official counts list 23 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Oxford, MS area spend on food away from home?
About $85.6M a year, or $3,561 per household. That is 13% below the U.S. average (an index of 87, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 376 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $228K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 24,040 households in the Oxford area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Oxford, MS area compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
The Oxford area has 156.4 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 42% above the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $228K, 39% below the U.S. figure of $371K. At the national ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, the Oxford area would have about 231, against 376 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 145 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 9.2% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is the Oxford, MS area growing?
Population estimates put the Oxford area at 71,972 people in 2025, up 5.3% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 24,040 households. The median household income in the Oxford area is $65,018 a year, 19% below the U.S. median of $80,734.
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 Oxford area scores 32 for restaurants and cafes (lower middle), #448 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 Oxford 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 Oxford area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Oxford 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 Oxford 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.