Food and drink · Metro area · Missouri
Restaurants and cafes in the Jefferson City, MO metro area
The restaurants and cafes in the Jefferson City, MO metro area, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other metro areas.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 71 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #53 of 387 scored metro areas
#2 of 8 scored metro areas based in Missouri
- Listings
- 504
- 241 chain locations (48%)
- Official establishments
- 232
- +4.5% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $221.4M
- On food away from home · $3,779 a household
- Spending per listing
- $439K
- 18% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 86.0
- 22% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 152,712
- +2.2% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in the Jefferson City metro 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 Jefferson City metro 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
Household spending on food away from home in the Jefferson City metro area comes to about $221.4M a year: $3,779 per household, 7% below the U.S. average. Spread across 504 restaurants and cafes, that is $439K per restaurant, 18% above the U.S. figure of $371K.
There are 504 restaurants and cafes on map listings in the Jefferson City metro area as of September 2026. 241 of them (48%) are chain locations, against 34% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 86.0, 22% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.
Official counts show 232 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in the Jefferson City metro area in 2023, up 4.5% from 2019. That is one for every 253 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Another 44 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 8 SBA-backed loans worth $2.1M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in the Jefferson City metro area.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of the Jefferson City metro area grew 2.2%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). For restaurants and cafes, the Jefferson City metro area has a Groundwork market score of 71 (upper middle): #53 of 387 scored metro areas and #2 of 8 scored metro areas based in Missouri. That puts it in the top quarter of metro areas.
How the Jefferson City metro 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 | Jefferson City metro area | Missouri | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 86.0 | 98.6 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $439K | $385K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 253 | 235 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +4.5% | +6.2% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.2% | +1.9% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,779 | $3,799 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $74,030 | $70,702 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 71 | 54 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 232+4.5% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 4,603
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $86.9M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 44Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 504241 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 597The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 8
- Amount
- $2.1M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in the Jefferson City metro 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 Jefferson City metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 152,712+2.2% since 2020
- Households
- 58,587
- Median age
- 40.3
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 72%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 2,248 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 67
- Median household income
- $74,030+25.1% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $92,629
- Median home value
- $217,500
- Jobs located here
- 80,011
- Daytime population
- 160,422Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Jefferson City metro area?
These figures cover the whole metro area. 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 Jefferson City metro 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 metro areas in Missouri for restaurants and cafes, numbered among those based in Missouri, with the Jefferson City metro area marked.
Top metro areas in Missouri
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Kansas City, MO-KS | 75 | 8,641 | 96.5 | $432K | +3.4% | #38 of 387 |
| 2Jefferson City, MO | 71 | 504 | 86.0 | $439K | +2.2% | #53 of 387 |
| 3St. Louis, MO-IL | 64 | 11,274 | 97.2 | $423K | −0.2% | #103 of 387 |
| 4Columbia, MO | 53 | 873 | 101.0 | $380K | +3.9% | #172 of 387 |
| 5Springfield, MO | 51 | 1,847 | 92.9 | $385K | +5.1% | #186 of 387 |
| 6St. Joseph, MO-KS | 44 | 431 | 91.9 | $383K | −2.0% | #227 of 387 |
| 7Joplin, MO-KS | 33 | 841 | 105.8 | $323K | +3.9% | #312 of 387 |
| 8Cape Girardeau, MO-IL | 24 | 432 | 112.8 | $318K | +1.7% | #359 of 387 |
Other business types in the Jefferson City metro area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes71
- Sit-down restaurants55
- Fast food and sandwich shops62
- Pizza39
- Coffee shops and cafes69
- Bakeries and dessert shops75
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 Jefferson City, MO metro area?
As of September 2026, map listings count 504 restaurants and cafes in the Jefferson City metro area. 241 of them (48%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 232 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 4.5% from 2019. Official counts list 44 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Jefferson City, MO metro area spend on food away from home?
About $221.4M a year, or $3,779 per household. That is 7% below the U.S. average (an index of 93, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 504 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $439K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 58,587 households in the Jefferson City metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Jefferson City, MO metro area compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
The Jefferson City metro area has 86.0 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 22% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $439K, 18% above the U.S. figure of $371K. At the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, the Jefferson City metro area would have about 597, against 504 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 253 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 4.5% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is the Jefferson City, MO metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Jefferson City metro area at 152,712 people in 2025, up 2.2% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 58,587 households. Median household income in the Jefferson City metro area is $74,030, 8% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 25.1%, 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. The Jefferson City metro area scores 71 for restaurants and cafes (upper middle), #53 of 387 scored metro areas.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Jefferson City metro 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 Jefferson City metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Jefferson City metro 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 Jefferson City metro 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.