Groundwork

Food and drink · County · Missouri

Restaurants and cafes in Jackson County, MO

Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for restaurants and cafes in Jackson County, MO, set against other counties and the U.S.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 45 out of 100: Lower middle

Ranked #1,413 of 2,405 scored counties
#47 of 85 scored counties in Missouri

Listings
3,258
1,215 chain locations (37%)
Official establishments
1,335
+5.5% since 2019
Household spending a year
$1.1B
On food away from home · $3,735 a household
Spending per listing
$352K
5% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
106.2
3% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
732,994
+2.1% since 2020

See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Jackson 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 Jackson County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Survey 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 3,258 restaurants and cafes in Jackson County. 1,215 of them (37%) are chain locations, against 34% across the U.S. That is 106.2 per 10,000 households, 3% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.

Household spending on food away from home in Jackson County comes to about $1.1B a year: $3,735 per household, 8% below the U.S. average. That is about $352K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 5% below the U.S. figure of $371K.

In 2023, official counts showed 1,335 businesses with payroll in Jackson County classed as restaurants and other eating places, up 5.5% from 2019. That is one for every 230 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Official counts list 261 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 65 SBA-backed loans worth $36.9M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Jackson County.

Population estimates put the population change in Jackson County from 2020 to 2025 at +2.1%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). Jackson County scores 45 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes, ranking #1,413 of 2,405 scored counties and #47 of 85 scored counties in Missouri.

How Jackson 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.

Restaurants and cafes in Jackson County, MO compared with Missouri and the U.S.
MeasureJackson CountyMissouriU.S.
Listings per 10k households106.298.6109.8
Spending per listing$352K$385K$371K
Households per official establishment230235209
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+5.5%+6.2%+6.0%
Population growth, 2020–2025+2.1%+1.9%+3.1%
Spending per household on food away from home$3,735$3,799$4,070
Median household income$68,577$70,702$80,734
Groundwork market score4554

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
1,266 → 1,335+5.5% over the period
Employees, 2023
30,346
Annual payroll, 2023
$734.6M
One-person businesses, 2023
261Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
3,2581,215 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
3,090The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
65
Amount
$36.9M

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Jackson 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 Jackson County

Population, 2025 estimate
732,994+2.1% since 2020
Households
306,798
Median age
38.4
Homes lived in by their owners
59%
Vehicles per household
1.7
Land area
605 sq. mi.
People per square mile
1,191
Median household income
$68,577+24.4% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$92,212
Median home value
$230,500
Jobs located here
400,567
Daytime population
769,958Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Jackson 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 Jackson County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Restaurants 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 Jackson County marked.

Top counties in Missouri

Counties in Missouri ranked for restaurants and cafes by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Lincoln County, MO9312253.5$759K+11.4%#10 of 2,405
2Warren County, MO899065.0$617K+9.2%#32 of 2,405
3Christian County, MO8423767.4$594K+8.3%#72 of 2,405
4Andrew County, MO823144.4$861K+0.7%#99 of 2,405
5Jefferson County, MO8253961.0$656K+2.7%#104 of 2,405
6Cass County, MO8233076.4$548K+7.1%#109 of 2,405
7Ray County, MO805054.8$680K+1.1%#131 of 2,405
8Osage County, MO803464.3$593K+2.7%#136 of 2,405
9Webster County, MO7810373.8$490K+10.4%#180 of 2,405
10Douglas County, MO762247.3$647K+6.4%#216 of 2,405
47Jackson County, MO453,258106.2$352K+2.1%#1,413 of 2,405

Other business types in Jackson County

Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.

Questions

How many restaurants and cafes are in Jackson County, MO?

There are 3,258 restaurants and cafes on map listings in Jackson County as of September 2026. 1,215 of them (37%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 1,335 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 5.5% from 2019. Official counts also show 261 one-person businesses without payroll.

How much do households in Jackson County, MO spend on food away from home?

About $1.1B a year, or $3,735 per household. That is 8% below the U.S. average (an index of 92, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 3,258 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $352K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 306,798 households in Jackson County and national spending patterns by income.

How does Jackson County, MO compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?

Jackson County has 106.2 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 3% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $352K, 5% below the U.S. figure of $371K. At the national ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Jackson County would have about 3,090, against 3,258 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 230 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 5.5% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.

How fast is Jackson County, MO growing?

Population estimates put Jackson County at 732,994 people in 2025, up 2.1% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 306,798 households. The median household income in Jackson County is $68,577 a year, 15% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 24.4% 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. Jackson County scores 45 for restaurants and cafes (lower middle), #1,413 of 2,405 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Jackson 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 Jackson County

Screening a site or an acquisition in Jackson 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 Jackson 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.