Food and drink · County · Missouri
Restaurants and cafes in Clay County, MO
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for restaurants and cafes in Clay County, MO, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 69 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #433 of 2,405 scored counties
#16 of 85 scored counties in Missouri
- Listings
- 911
- 445 chain locations (49%)
- Official establishments
- 427
- +16.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $428.7M
- On food away from home · $4,195 a household
- Spending per listing
- $471K
- 27% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 89.2
- 19% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 265,032
- +4.3% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Clay 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 Clay 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
At $4,195 per household (3% above the U.S. average), households in Clay County spend about $428.7M a year on food away from home. Spread across 911 restaurants and cafes, that is $471K per restaurant, 27% above the U.S. figure of $371K.
There are 911 restaurants and cafes on map listings in Clay County as of September 2026. 445 of them (49%) are chain locations, against 34% across the U.S. That is 89.2 per 10,000 households, 19% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in Clay County was 427 in 2023, up 16.0% from 2019. That is one for every 239 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Official counts list 73 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 23 SBA-backed loans worth $11.9M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Clay County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Clay County grew 4.3%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). For restaurants and cafes, Clay County has a Groundwork market score of 69 (upper middle): #433 of 2,405 scored counties and #16 of 85 scored counties in Missouri. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How Clay 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 | Clay County | Missouri | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 89.2 | 98.6 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $471K | $385K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 239 | 235 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +16.0% | +6.2% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +4.3% | +1.9% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $4,195 | $3,799 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $88,468 | $70,702 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 69 | 54 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 368 → 427+16.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 9,764
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $215.9M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 73Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 911445 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 1,156The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 23
- Amount
- $11.9M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Clay 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 Clay County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 265,032+4.3% since 2020
- Households
- 102,171
- Median age
- 38.7
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 69%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 398 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 649
- Median household income
- $88,468+25.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $108,962
- Median home value
- $275,600
- Jobs located here
- 117,697
- Daytime population
- 242,115Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Clay 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 Clay 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 Clay 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 |
| 16Clay County, MO | 69 | 911 | 89.2 | $471K | +4.3% | #433 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Clay County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes69
- Sit-down restaurants74
- Fast food and sandwich shops56
- Pizza63
- Coffee shops and cafes65
- Bakeries and dessert shops71
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 Clay County, MO?
As of September 2026, map listings count 911 restaurants and cafes in Clay County. 445 of them (49%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 427 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 16.0% from 2019. Official counts also show 73 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Clay County, MO spend on food away from home?
About $428.7M a year, or $4,195 per household. That is 3% above the U.S. average (an index of 103, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 911 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $471K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 102,171 households in Clay County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Clay County, MO compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Clay County has 89.2 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 19% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $471K, 27% above the U.S. figure of $371K. At the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Clay County would have about 1,156, against 911 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 239 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 16.0% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Clay County, MO growing?
Population estimates put Clay County at 265,032 people in 2025, up 4.3% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 102,171 households. Median household income in Clay County is $88,468, 10% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 25.5%, 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. Clay County scores 69 for restaurants and cafes (upper middle), #433 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Clay 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 Clay County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Clay 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 Clay 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.