Food and drink · Small-town market · Missouri
Restaurants and cafes in the Fort Leonard Wood, MO area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for restaurants and cafes in the Fort Leonard Wood, MO area, set against other small-town markets and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 37 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #400 of 538 scored small-town markets
#13 of 17 scored small-town markets based in Missouri
- Listings
- 205
- 91 chain locations (44%)
- Official establishments
- 72
- +7.5% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $58.4M
- On food away from home · $3,465 a household
- Spending per listing
- $285K
- 23% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 121.7
- 11% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 54,442
- +0.8% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in the Fort Leonard Wood area
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 the Fort Leonard Wood area. 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 $3,465 per household (15% below the U.S. average), households in the Fort Leonard Wood area spend about $58.4M a year on food away from home. That is about $285K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 23% below the U.S. figure of $371K.
There are 205 restaurants and cafes on map listings in the Fort Leonard Wood area as of September 2026. Of those, 91 are chain locations, or 44%, against 34% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 121.7, 11% above the U.S. rate of 109.8.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in the Fort Leonard Wood area was 72 in 2023, up 7.5% from 2019. That is one for every 234 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Another 16 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 6 SBA-backed loans worth $1.6M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in the Fort Leonard Wood area.
Population estimates put the population change in the Fort Leonard Wood area from 2020 to 2025 at +0.8%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Fort Leonard Wood area scores 37 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes, ranking #400 of 538 scored small-town markets and #13 of 17 scored small-town markets based in Missouri.
How the Fort Leonard Wood area 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 | Fort Leonard Wood area | Missouri | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 121.7 | 98.6 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $285K | $385K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 234 | 235 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +7.5% | +6.2% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +0.8% | +1.9% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,465 | $3,799 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $64,466 | $70,702 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 37 | 54 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 72+7.5% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,339
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $25.7M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 16Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 20591 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 157The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 6
- Amount
- $1.6M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in the Fort Leonard Wood area, 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 the Fort Leonard Wood area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 54,442+0.8% since 2020
- Households
- 16,851
- Median age
- 30.3
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 61%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 547 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 98
- Median household income
- $64,466+20.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $80,072
- Median home value
- $189,800
- Jobs located here
- 9,976
- Daytime population
- 49,673Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Fort Leonard Wood area?
These figures cover the whole small-town market. 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 the Fort Leonard Wood area. 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 small-town markets in Missouri for restaurants and cafes, numbered among those based in Missouri (a market based in another state is listed without a number), with the Fort Leonard Wood area marked.
Top small-town markets in Missouri
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Warrensburg, MO | 80 | 180 | 85.4 | $418K | +4.9% | #30 of 538 |
| 2Mexico, MO | 69 | 63 | 68.3 | $485K | −1.0% | #82 of 538 |
| 3Sedalia, MO | 66 | 145 | 85.3 | $395K | +2.9% | #113 of 538 |
| 4Kirksville, MO | 53 | 97 | 93.0 | $364K | +1.9% | #233 of 538 |
| 5Farmington, MO | 52 | 218 | 87.8 | $378K | +2.1% | #241 of 538 |
| Quincy, IL-MO | 52 | 304 | 97.7 | $363K | −2.0% | #246 of 538 |
| 6Lebanon, MO | 50 | 138 | 94.8 | $333K | +2.5% | #263 of 538 |
| 7Hannibal, MO | 48 | 137 | 89.6 | $382K | +0.4% | #274 of 538 |
| 8Sikeston, MO | 47 | 176 | 88.8 | $376K | −0.3% | #288 of 538 |
| 9Moberly, MO | 44 | 85 | 91.9 | $351K | +0.2% | #334 of 538 |
| 13Fort Leonard Wood, MO | 37 | 205 | 121.7 | $285K | +0.8% | #400 of 538 |
Other business types in the Fort Leonard Wood area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes37
- Sit-down restaurants35
- Fast food and sandwich shops41
- Pizza39
- Coffee shops and cafes44
- Bakeries and dessert shops44
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 the Fort Leonard Wood, MO area?
As of September 2026, map listings count 205 restaurants and cafes in the Fort Leonard Wood area. 91 of them (44%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 72 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 7.5% from 2019. Official counts list 16 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Fort Leonard Wood, MO area spend on food away from home?
About $58.4M a year, or $3,465 per household. That is 15% below the U.S. average (an index of 85, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 205 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $285K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 16,851 households in the Fort Leonard Wood area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Fort Leonard Wood, MO area compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
The Fort Leonard Wood area has 121.7 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 11% above the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $285K, 23% below the U.S. figure of $371K. At the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, the Fort Leonard Wood area would have about 157, against 205 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 234 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 7.5% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is the Fort Leonard Wood, MO area growing?
Population estimates put the Fort Leonard Wood area at 54,442 people in 2025, up 0.8% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 16,851 households. Median household income in the Fort Leonard Wood area is $64,466, 20% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 20.5%, 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. A small-town market is a town of 10,000 to 50,000 people and the county or counties tied to it by commuting. 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. The Fort Leonard Wood area scores 37 for restaurants and cafes (lower middle), #400 of 538 scored small-town markets.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Fort Leonard Wood area. 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 the Fort Leonard Wood area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Fort Leonard Wood area?
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 the Fort Leonard Wood area. 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.