Groundwork

Food and drink · County · Missouri

Restaurants and cafes in Saline County, MO

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

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 28 out of 100: Lower middle

Ranked #2,100 of 2,405 scored counties
#73 of 85 scored counties in Missouri

Listings
88
32 chain locations (36%)
Official establishments
34
−5.6% since 2019
Household spending a year
$26.7M
On food away from home · $3,322 a household
Spending per listing
$304K
18% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
109.3
In line with the U.S.
Population, 2025
23,265
−0.3% since 2020

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

Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

Survey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure

What this means

The Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes in Saline County is 28 (lower middle), #2,100 of 2,405 scored counties and #73 of 85 scored counties in Missouri. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.

At $3,322 per household (18% below the U.S. average), households in Saline County spend about $26.7M a year on food away from home. That works out to $304K per restaurant, 18% below the U.S. figure of $371K.

There are 88 restaurants and cafes on map listings in Saline County as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 36% of them, against 34% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 109.3, in line with the U.S. rate of 109.8.

In 2023, official counts showed 34 businesses with payroll in Saline County classed as restaurants and other eating places, down 5.6% from 2019. That is one for every 237 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Saline County declined 0.3%, against +3.1% for the U.S.

How Saline 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 Saline County, MO compared with Missouri and the U.S.
MeasureSaline CountyMissouriU.S.
Listings per 10k households109.398.6109.8
Spending per listing$304K$385K$371K
Households per official establishment237235209
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023−5.6%+6.2%+6.0%
Population growth, 2020–2025−0.3%+1.9%+3.1%
Spending per household on food away from home$3,322$3,799$4,070
Median household income$57,931$70,702$80,734
Groundwork market score2854

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
36 → 34−5.6% over the period
Employees, 2023
434
Annual payroll, 2023
$7.6M
One-person businesses, 2023
9Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
8832 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
72The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
0
Amount
$0

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

Population, 2025 estimate
23,265−0.3% since 2020
Households
8,053
Median age
36.4
Homes lived in by their owners
70%
Vehicles per household
1.9
Land area
756 sq. mi.
People per square mile
31
Median household income
$57,931+29.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$76,384
Median home value
$150,500
Jobs located here
9,081
Daytime population
21,701Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

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

Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

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 Saline 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
73Saline County, MO2888109.3$304K−0.3%#2,100 of 2,405

Other business types in Saline County

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

Questions

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

As of September 2026, map listings count 88 restaurants and cafes in Saline County. 32 of them (36%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 34 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, down 5.6% from 2019. Official counts list 9 one-person businesses without payroll.

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

About $26.7M a year, or $3,322 per household. That is 18% below the U.S. average (an index of 82, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 88 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $304K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 8,053 households in Saline County and national spending patterns by income.

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

Saline County has 109.3 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, in line with the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $304K, 18% below the U.S. figure of $371K. At the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Saline County would have about 72, against 88 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 237 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count fell 5.6% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.

How fast is Saline County, MO growing?

Population estimates put Saline County at 23,265 people in 2025, down 0.3% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 8,053 households. Median household income in Saline County is $57,931, 28% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 29.5%, 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. 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. Saline County scores 28 for restaurants and cafes (lower middle), #2,100 of 2,405 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

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

Screening a site or an acquisition in Saline 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 Saline 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.