Food and drink · Small-town market · Missouri
Restaurants and cafes in the Sedalia, MO area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for restaurants and cafes in the Sedalia, MO area, set against other small-town markets and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 66 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #113 of 538 scored small-town markets
#3 of 17 scored small-town markets based in Missouri
- Listings
- 145
- 67 chain locations (46%)
- Official establishments
- 62
- +10.7% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $57.2M
- On food away from home · $3,368 a household
- Spending per listing
- $395K
- 6% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 85.3
- 22% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 44,254
- +2.9% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in the Sedalia 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 Sedalia 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 Sedalia area comes to about $57.2M a year: $3,368 per household, 17% below the U.S. average. That works out to $395K per restaurant, 6% above the U.S. figure of $371K.
The Sedalia area has 145 restaurants and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. 67 of them (46%) are chain locations, against 34% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 85.3, 22% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.
In 2023, official counts showed 62 businesses with payroll in the Sedalia area classed as restaurants and other eating places, up 10.7% from 2019. That is one for every 274 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Official counts list 9 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $1.8M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in the Sedalia area.
Population estimates put the population change in the Sedalia area from 2020 to 2025 at +2.9%, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). The Sedalia area scores 66 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes, ranking #113 of 538 scored small-town markets and #3 of 17 scored small-town markets based in Missouri. That puts it in the top quarter of small-town markets.
How the Sedalia 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 | Sedalia area | Missouri | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 85.3 | 98.6 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $395K | $385K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 274 | 235 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +10.7% | +6.2% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.9% | +1.9% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,368 | $3,799 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $60,430 | $70,702 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 66 | 54 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 62+10.7% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,573
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $30.6M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 9Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 14567 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 154The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 2
- Amount
- $1.8M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in the Sedalia 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 Sedalia area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 44,254+2.9% since 2020
- Households
- 16,996
- Median age
- 39.3
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 69%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 682 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 64
- Median household income
- $60,430+30.9% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $76,820
- Median home value
- $166,300
- Jobs located here
- 20,518
- Daytime population
- 44,113Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Sedalia 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 Sedalia 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 Sedalia 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 |
Other business types in the Sedalia area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes66
- Sit-down restaurants66
- Fast food and sandwich shops46
- Pizza42
- Coffee shops and cafes70
- Bakeries and dessert shops71
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 Sedalia, MO area?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 145 restaurants and cafes in the Sedalia area. 67 of them (46%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 62 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 10.7% from 2019. Official counts also show 9 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Sedalia, MO area spend on food away from home?
About $57.2M a year, or $3,368 per household. That is 17% below the U.S. average (an index of 83, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 145 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $395K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 16,996 households in the Sedalia area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Sedalia, MO area compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
The Sedalia area has 85.3 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 22% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $395K, 6% above the U.S. figure of $371K. At the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, the Sedalia area would have about 154, against 145 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 274 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 10.7% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is the Sedalia, MO area growing?
Population estimates put the Sedalia area at 44,254 people in 2025, up 2.9% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 16,996 households. Median household income in the Sedalia area is $60,430, 25% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 30.9%, 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 Sedalia area scores 66 for restaurants and cafes (upper middle), #113 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 Sedalia 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 Sedalia area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Sedalia 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 Sedalia 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.