Food and drink · County · Missouri
Restaurants and cafes in Cole County, MO
How Cole County, MO 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 51 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #1,135 of 2,405 scored counties
#38 of 85 scored counties in Missouri
- Listings
- 295
- 147 chain locations (50%)
- Official establishments
- 148
- +7.3% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $120.7M
- On food away from home · $3,884 a household
- Spending per listing
- $409K
- 10% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 94.9
- 14% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 77,908
- +1.7% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Cole 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 Cole 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
Map listings as of September 2026 show 295 restaurants and cafes in Cole County. Of those, 147 are chain locations, or 50%, against 34% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 94.9, 14% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.
Households in Cole County spend about $120.7M a year on food away from home, or $3,884 per household, 5% below the U.S. average. That is about $409K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 10% above the U.S. figure of $371K.
In 2023, official counts showed 148 businesses with payroll in Cole County classed as restaurants and other eating places, up 7.3% from 2019. That is one for every 210 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Official counts list 23 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 7 SBA-backed loans worth $915K have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Cole County.
Population estimates put the population change in Cole County from 2020 to 2025 at +1.7%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). Cole County scores 51 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes, ranking #1,135 of 2,405 scored counties and #38 of 85 scored counties in Missouri.
How Cole 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 | Cole County | Missouri | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 94.9 | 98.6 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $409K | $385K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 210 | 235 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +7.3% | +6.2% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +1.7% | +1.9% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,884 | $3,799 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $74,876 | $70,702 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 51 | 54 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 138 → 148+7.3% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 3,184
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $63.7M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 23Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 295147 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 326The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 7
- Amount
- $915K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Cole 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 Cole County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 77,908+1.7% since 2020
- Households
- 31,086
- Median age
- 40.1
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 68%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 392 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 197
- Median household income
- $74,876+24.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $95,025
- Median home value
- $229,600
- Jobs located here
- 56,757
- Daytime population
- 96,838Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Cole 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 Cole 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 Cole 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 |
| 38Cole County, MO | 51 | 295 | 94.9 | $409K | +1.7% | #1,135 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Cole County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes51
- Sit-down restaurants48
- Fast food and sandwich shops47
- Pizza39
- Coffee shops and cafes61
- Bakeries and dessert shops66
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 Cole County, MO?
There are 295 restaurants and cafes on map listings in Cole County as of September 2026. 147 of them (50%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 148 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 7.3% from 2019. Official counts also show 23 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Cole County, MO spend on food away from home?
About $120.7M a year, or $3,884 per household. That is 5% below the U.S. average (an index of 95, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 295 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $409K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 31,086 households in Cole County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Cole County, MO compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Cole County has 94.9 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 14% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $409K, 10% above the U.S. figure of $371K. At the national ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Cole County would have about 326, against 295 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 210 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 7.3% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Cole County, MO growing?
Population estimates put Cole County at 77,908 people in 2025, up 1.7% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 31,086 households. The median household income in Cole County is $74,876 a year, 7% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 24.7% 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. Cole County scores 51 for restaurants and cafes (upper middle), #1,135 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Cole 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 Cole County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Cole 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 Cole 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.