Groundwork

Food and drink · County · Mississippi

Restaurants and cafes in Smith County, MS

Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for restaurants and cafes in Smith County, MS, set against other counties and the U.S.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 65 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #532 of 2,405 scored counties
#3 of 67 scored counties in Mississippi

Listings
24
10 chain locations (42%)
Official establishments
12
Businesses with payroll, 2023
Household spending a year
$17.6M
On food away from home · $3,155 a household
Spending per listing
$735K
98% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
42.9
61% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
13,991
−1.5% since 2020

See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Smith 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 Smith 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

Households in Smith County spend about $17.6M a year on food away from home, or $3,155 per household, 22% below the U.S. average. Spread across 24 restaurants and cafes, that is $735K per restaurant, 98% above the U.S. figure of $371K.

Smith County has 24 restaurants and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. 10 of them (42%) are chain locations, against 34% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 42.9, 61% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.

The official count of businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in Smith County was 12 in 2023. That is one for every 466 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Official counts also show 10 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 3 SBA-backed loans worth $499K have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Smith County.

Population estimates show Smith County declined 1.5% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S. For restaurants and cafes, Smith County has a Groundwork market score of 65 (upper middle): #532 of 2,405 scored counties and #3 of 67 scored counties in Mississippi. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.

How Smith 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 Smith County, MS compared with Mississippi and the U.S.
MeasureSmith CountyMississippiU.S.
Listings per 10k households42.999.6109.8
Spending per listing$735K$330K$371K
Households per official establishment466230209
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023n/a+9.8%+6.0%
Population growth, 2020–2025−1.5%−0.1%+3.1%
Spending per household on food away from home$3,155$3,288$4,070
Median household income$60,916$56,447$80,734
Groundwork market score6525

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
6 → 12
Employees, 2023
83
Annual payroll, 2023
$1.1M
One-person businesses, 2023
10Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
2410 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
48The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
3
Amount
$499K

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

Population, 2025 estimate
13,991−1.5% since 2020
Households
5,592
Median age
41.5
Homes lived in by their owners
87%
Vehicles per household
1.9
Land area
636 sq. mi.
People per square mile
22
Median household income
$60,916+41.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$72,047
Median home value
$112,600
Jobs located here
2,109
Daytime population
10,403Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Smith 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 Smith 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 Smith 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

Other business types in Smith County

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

Questions

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

Map listings as of September 2026 show 24 restaurants and cafes in Smith County. 10 of them (42%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 12 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023. Another 10 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.

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

About $17.6M a year, or $3,155 per household. That is 22% below the U.S. average (an index of 78, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 24 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $735K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 5,592 households in Smith County and national spending patterns by income.

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

Smith County has 42.9 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 61% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $735K, 98% above the U.S. figure of $371K. At the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Smith County would have about 48, against 24 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 466 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S.

How fast is Smith County, MS growing?

Population estimates put Smith County at 13,991 people in 2025, down 1.5% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 5,592 households. Median household income in Smith County is $60,916, 25% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 41.3%, 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. Smith County scores 65 for restaurants and cafes (upper middle), #532 of 2,405 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

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

Screening a site or an acquisition in Smith 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 Smith 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.