Groundwork

Food and drink · County · Mississippi

Restaurants and cafes in Simpson County, MS

How Simpson County, MS compares with other counties and the U.S. for restaurants and cafes: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 34 out of 100: Lower middle

Ranked #1,872 of 2,405 scored counties
#40 of 67 scored counties in Mississippi

Listings
94
51 chain locations (54%)
Official establishments
33
+3.1% since 2019
Household spending a year
$30.8M
On food away from home · $3,224 a household
Spending per listing
$327K
12% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
98.5
10% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
25,498
−1.5% since 2020

See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Simpson 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 Simpson 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

The Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes in Simpson County is 34 (lower middle), #1,872 of 2,405 scored counties and #40 of 67 scored counties in Mississippi. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.

Household spending on food away from home in Simpson County comes to about $30.8M a year: $3,224 per household, 21% below the U.S. average. That is about $327K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 12% below the U.S. figure of $371K.

There are 94 restaurants and cafes on map listings in Simpson County as of September 2026. Of those, 51 are chain locations, or 54%, against 34% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 98.5, 10% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.

The official count of businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in Simpson County was 33 in 2023, up 3.1% from 2019. That is one for every 289 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $620K have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Simpson County. Population estimates show Simpson County declined 1.5% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S.

How Simpson 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.

Restaurants and cafes in Simpson County, MS compared with Mississippi and the U.S.
MeasureSimpson CountyMississippiU.S.
Listings per 10k households98.599.6109.8
Spending per listing$327K$330K$371K
Households per official establishment289230209
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+3.1%+9.8%+6.0%
Population growth, 2020–2025−1.5%−0.1%+3.1%
Spending per household on food away from home$3,224$3,288$4,070
Median household income$56,381$56,447$80,734
Groundwork market score3425

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
32 → 33+3.1% over the period
Employees, 2023
577
Annual payroll, 2023
$8.8M
One-person businesses, 2023
9Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
9451 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
83The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
2
Amount
$620K

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

Population, 2025 estimate
25,498−1.5% since 2020
Households
9,543
Median age
41.1
Homes lived in by their owners
81%
Vehicles per household
2.1
Land area
589 sq. mi.
People per square mile
44
Median household income
$56,381+28.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$74,917
Median home value
$122,200
Jobs located here
7,443
Daytime population
22,197Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

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

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Restaurants 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 Simpson County marked.

Top counties in Mississippi

Counties in Mississippi ranked for restaurants and cafes by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Greene County, MS731638.9$819K+1.3%#283 of 2,405
2Perry County, MS672247.3$619K+1.1%#467 of 2,405
3Smith County, MS652442.9$735K−1.5%#532 of 2,405
4Walthall County, MS643056.7$548K+0.4%#587 of 2,405
5Amite County, MS631627.4$975K−1.7%#623 of 2,405
6Marshall County, MS639572.0$443K+2.6%#636 of 2,405
7Itawamba County, MS626264.5$507K+1.3%#662 of 2,405
8George County, MS617075.3$448K+8.1%#719 of 2,405
9Tate County, MS607265.3$523K+2.1%#745 of 2,405
10Jasper County, MS583451.2$566K−3.5%#818 of 2,405
40Simpson County, MS349498.5$327K−1.5%#1,872 of 2,405

Other business types in Simpson County

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

Questions

How many restaurants and cafes are in Simpson County, MS?

As of September 2026, map listings count 94 restaurants and cafes in Simpson County. 51 of them (54%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 33 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 3.1% from 2019. Official counts also show 9 one-person businesses without payroll.

How much do households in Simpson County, MS spend on food away from home?

About $30.8M a year, or $3,224 per household. That is 21% below the U.S. average (an index of 79, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 94 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $327K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 9,543 households in Simpson County and national spending patterns by income.

How does Simpson County, MS compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?

Simpson County has 98.5 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 10% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $327K, 12% below the U.S. figure of $371K. At the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Simpson County would have about 83, against 94 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 289 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 3.1% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.

How fast is Simpson County, MS growing?

Population estimates put Simpson County at 25,498 people in 2025, down 1.5% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 9,543 households. Median household income in Simpson County is $56,381, 30% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 28.6%, 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. Simpson County scores 34 for restaurants and cafes (lower middle), #1,872 of 2,405 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

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

Screening a site or an acquisition in Simpson 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 Simpson 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.