Food and drink · County · Missouri
Restaurants and cafes in Cape Girardeau County, MO
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for restaurants and cafes in Cape Girardeau County, MO, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 32 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,957 of 2,405 scored counties
#68 of 85 scored counties in Missouri
- Listings
- 390
- 177 chain locations (45%)
- Official establishments
- 185
- +8.8% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $118.5M
- On food away from home · $3,653 a household
- Spending per listing
- $304K
- 18% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 120.2
- 9% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 83,999
- +2.7% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Cape Girardeau 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 Cape Girardeau 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
Cape Girardeau County scores 32 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes, ranking #1,957 of 2,405 scored counties and #68 of 85 scored counties in Missouri. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
As of September 2026, map listings count 390 restaurants and cafes in Cape Girardeau County. Chain locations make up 45% of them, against 34% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 120.2, 9% above the U.S. rate of 109.8.
Household spending on food away from home in Cape Girardeau County comes to about $118.5M a year: $3,653 per household, 10% below the U.S. average. That works out to $304K per restaurant, 18% below the U.S. figure of $371K.
Official counts show 185 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in Cape Girardeau County in 2023, up 8.8% from 2019. That is one for every 175 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 6 SBA-backed loans worth $1.9M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Cape Girardeau County. Population estimates put the population change in Cape Girardeau County from 2020 to 2025 at +2.7%, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Cape Girardeau 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 | Cape Girardeau County | Missouri | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 120.2 | 98.6 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $304K | $385K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 175 | 235 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +8.8% | +6.2% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.7% | +1.9% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,653 | $3,799 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $68,464 | $70,702 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 32 | 54 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 170 → 185+8.8% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 4,090
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $75.3M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 21Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 390177 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 320The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 6
- Amount
- $1.9M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Cape Girardeau 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 Cape Girardeau County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 83,999+2.7% since 2020
- Households
- 32,454
- Median age
- 39.0
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 67%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 579 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 143
- Median household income
- $68,464+27.4% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $89,147
- Median home value
- $220,700
- Jobs located here
- 39,481
- Daytime population
- 85,255Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Cape Girardeau 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 Cape Girardeau 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 Cape Girardeau 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 |
| 68Cape Girardeau County, MO | 32 | 390 | 120.2 | $304K | +2.7% | #1,957 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Cape Girardeau County
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 shops36
- Pizza32
- Coffee shops and cafes44
- Bakeries and dessert shops47
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 Cape Girardeau County, MO?
Cape Girardeau County has 390 restaurants and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. 177 of them (45%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 185 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 8.8% from 2019. Another 21 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Cape Girardeau County, MO spend on food away from home?
About $118.5M a year, or $3,653 per household. That is 10% below the U.S. average (an index of 90, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 390 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $304K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 32,454 households in Cape Girardeau County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Cape Girardeau County, MO compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Cape Girardeau County has 120.2 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 9% above the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $304K, 18% below the U.S. figure of $371K. At the national ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Cape Girardeau County would have about 320, against 390 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 175 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 8.8% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Cape Girardeau County, MO growing?
Population estimates put Cape Girardeau County at 83,999 people in 2025, up 2.7% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 32,454 households. The median household income in Cape Girardeau County is $68,464 a year, 15% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 27.4% from the 2015–2019 survey, 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. Cape Girardeau County scores 32 for restaurants and cafes (lower middle), #1,957 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Cape Girardeau 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 Cape Girardeau County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Cape Girardeau 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 Cape Girardeau 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.