Food and drink · County · Missouri
Restaurants and cafes in Macon County, MO
The restaurants and cafes in Macon County, MO, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 33 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,898 of 2,405 scored counties
#66 of 85 scored counties in Missouri
- Listings
- 57
- 26 chain locations (46%)
- Official establishments
- 26
- +13.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $19.9M
- On food away from home · $3,274 a household
- Spending per listing
- $348K
- 6% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 94.0
- 14% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 15,190
- −0.1% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Macon 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 Macon 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
Macon County scores 33 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes, ranking #1,898 of 2,405 scored counties and #66 of 85 scored counties in Missouri. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
Map listings as of September 2026 show 57 restaurants and cafes in Macon County. Chain locations make up 46% of them, against 34% across the U.S. That comes to 94.0 for every 10,000 households, 14% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.
Households in Macon County spend about $19.9M a year on food away from home, or $3,274 per household, 20% below the U.S. average. That is about $348K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 6% below the U.S. figure of $371K.
Official counts show 26 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in Macon County in 2023, up 13.0% from 2019. That is one for every 233 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $365K has gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Macon County. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Macon County declined 0.1%, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How Macon 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 | Macon County | Missouri | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 94.0 | 98.6 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $348K | $385K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 233 | 235 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +13.0% | +6.2% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −0.1% | +1.9% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,274 | $3,799 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $62,357 | $70,702 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 33 | 54 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 23 → 26+13.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 472
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $8.6M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 14Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 5726 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 54The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $365K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Macon 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 Macon County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 15,190−0.1% since 2020
- Households
- 6,067
- Median age
- 43.6
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 77%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 801 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 19
- Median household income
- $62,357+45.9% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $72,915
- Median home value
- $149,100
- Jobs located here
- 4,836
- Daytime population
- 14,399Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Macon 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 Macon 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 Macon 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 |
| 66Macon County, MO | 33 | 57 | 94.0 | $348K | −0.1% | #1,898 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Macon County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes33
- Sit-down restaurants27
- Fast food and sandwich shops40
- Pizza28
- Coffee shops and cafes20
- Bakeries and dessert shops
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 Macon County, MO?
There are 57 restaurants and cafes on map listings in Macon County as of September 2026. 26 of them (46%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 26 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 13.0% from 2019. Another 14 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Macon County, MO spend on food away from home?
About $19.9M a year, or $3,274 per household. That is 20% below the U.S. average (an index of 80, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 57 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $348K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 6,067 households in Macon County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Macon County, MO compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Macon County has 94.0 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 14% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $348K, 6% below the U.S. figure of $371K. At the national ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Macon County would have about 54, against 57 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 233 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 13.0% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Macon County, MO growing?
Population estimates put Macon County at 15,190 people in 2025, down 0.1% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 6,067 households. The median household income in Macon County is $62,357 a year, 23% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 45.9% 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. Macon County scores 33 for restaurants and cafes (lower middle), #1,898 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Macon 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 Macon County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Macon 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 Macon 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.