Food and drink · County · Missouri
Restaurants and cafes in Buchanan County, MO
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for restaurants and cafes in Buchanan County, MO, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 26 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #2,148 of 2,405 scored counties
#77 of 85 scored counties in Missouri
- Listings
- 353
- 182 chain locations (52%)
- Official establishments
- 161
- +11.8% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $115M
- On food away from home · $3,438 a household
- Spending per listing
- $326K
- 12% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 105.6
- 4% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 83,540
- −1.1% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Buchanan 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 Buchanan 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
For restaurants and cafes, Buchanan County has a Groundwork market score of 26 (lower middle): #2,148 of 2,405 scored counties and #77 of 85 scored counties in Missouri. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
At $3,438 per household (16% below the U.S. average), households in Buchanan County spend about $115M a year on food away from home. That is about $326K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 12% below the U.S. figure of $371K.
There are 353 restaurants and cafes on map listings in Buchanan County as of September 2026. Of those, 182 are chain locations, or 52%, against 34% across the U.S. That is 105.6 per 10,000 households, 4% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.
In 2023, official counts showed 161 businesses with payroll in Buchanan County classed as restaurants and other eating places, up 11.8% from 2019. That is one for every 208 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 7 SBA-backed loans worth $6.6M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Buchanan County. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Buchanan County declined 1.1%, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How Buchanan County compares
The same measures for Missouri 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 | Buchanan County | Missouri | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 105.6 | 98.6 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $326K | $385K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 208 | 235 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +11.8% | +6.2% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −1.1% | +1.9% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,438 | $3,799 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $62,158 | $70,702 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 26 | 54 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 144 → 161+11.8% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 3,576
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $70.9M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 23Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 353182 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 310The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 7
- Amount
- $6.6M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Buchanan 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 Buchanan County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 83,540−1.1% since 2020
- Households
- 33,439
- Median age
- 40.4
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 66%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 408 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 205
- Median household income
- $62,158+19.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $82,732
- Median home value
- $166,300
- Jobs located here
- 45,678
- Daytime population
- 92,127Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Buchanan 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 Buchanan 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 Missouri
Every Missouri market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Missouri for restaurants and cafes, numbered among those based in Missouri, with Buchanan County marked.
Top counties in Missouri
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Lincoln County, MO | 93 | 122 | 53.5 | $759K | +11.4% | #10 of 2,405 |
| 2Warren County, MO | 89 | 90 | 65.0 | $617K | +9.2% | #32 of 2,405 |
| 3Christian County, MO | 84 | 237 | 67.4 | $594K | +8.3% | #72 of 2,405 |
| 4Andrew County, MO | 82 | 31 | 44.4 | $861K | +0.7% | #99 of 2,405 |
| 5Jefferson County, MO | 82 | 539 | 61.0 | $656K | +2.7% | #104 of 2,405 |
| 6Cass County, MO | 82 | 330 | 76.4 | $548K | +7.1% | #109 of 2,405 |
| 7Ray County, MO | 80 | 50 | 54.8 | $680K | +1.1% | #131 of 2,405 |
| 8Osage County, MO | 80 | 34 | 64.3 | $593K | +2.7% | #136 of 2,405 |
| 9Webster County, MO | 78 | 103 | 73.8 | $490K | +10.4% | #180 of 2,405 |
| 10Douglas County, MO | 76 | 22 | 47.3 | $647K | +6.4% | #216 of 2,405 |
| 77Buchanan County, MO | 26 | 353 | 105.6 | $326K | −1.1% | #2,148 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Buchanan County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes26
- Sit-down restaurants40
- Fast food and sandwich shops18
- Pizza22
- Coffee shops and cafes32
- Bakeries and dessert shops29
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 Buchanan County, MO?
As of September 2026, map listings count 353 restaurants and cafes in Buchanan County. 182 of them (52%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 161 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 11.8% from 2019. Official counts also show 23 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Buchanan County, MO spend on food away from home?
About $115M a year, or $3,438 per household. That is 16% below the U.S. average (an index of 84, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 353 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $326K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 33,439 households in Buchanan County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Buchanan County, MO compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Buchanan County has 105.6 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 4% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $326K, 12% below the U.S. figure of $371K. At the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Buchanan County would have about 310, against 353 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 208 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 11.8% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Buchanan County, MO growing?
Population estimates put Buchanan County at 83,540 people in 2025, down 1.1% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 33,439 households. Median household income in Buchanan County is $62,158, 23% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 19.7%, 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. Buchanan County scores 26 for restaurants and cafes (lower middle), #2,148 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Buchanan 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 Buchanan County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Buchanan 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 Buchanan 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.