Food and drink · County · Missouri
Restaurants and cafes in St. Louis city, MO
The restaurants and cafes in St. Louis city, MO, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 13 out of 100: Low
Ranked #2,379 of 2,405 scored counties
#85 of 85 scored counties in Missouri
- Listings
- 2,158
- 456 chain locations (21%)
- Official establishments
- 744
- +0.5% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $499.1M
- On food away from home · $3,445 a household
- Spending per listing
- $231K
- 38% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 148.9
- 36% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 278,144
- −7.4% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in St. Louis city
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 St. Louis city. 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
St. Louis city scores 13 (low) on the Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes, ranking #2,379 of 2,405 scored counties and #85 of 85 scored counties in Missouri. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
Map listings as of September 2026 show 2,158 restaurants and cafes in St. Louis city. Chain locations make up 21% of them, against 34% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 148.9, 36% above the U.S. rate of 109.8.
Household spending on food away from home in St. Louis city comes to about $499.1M a year: $3,445 per household, 15% below the U.S. average. That is about $231K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 38% below the U.S. figure of $371K.
Official counts show 744 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in St. Louis city in 2023, up 0.5% from 2019. That is one for every 195 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 26 SBA-backed loans worth $15.3M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in St. Louis city. Population estimates put the population change in St. Louis city from 2020 to 2025 at −7.4%, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How St. Louis city 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 | St. Louis city | Missouri | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 148.9 | 98.6 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $231K | $385K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 195 | 235 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +0.5% | +6.2% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −7.4% | +1.9% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,445 | $3,799 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $56,160 | $70,702 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 13 | 54 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 740 → 744+0.5% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 12,936
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $327.2M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 121Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 2,158456 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 1,346The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 26
- Amount
- $15.3M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in St. Louis city, 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 St. Louis city
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 278,144−7.4% since 2020
- Households
- 144,891
- Median age
- 38.2
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 45%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.3
- Land area
- 62 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 4,675
- Median household income
- $56,160+27.9% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $81,764
- Median home value
- $197,500
- Jobs located here
- 229,379
- Daytime population
- 378,059Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in St. Louis city?
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 St. Louis city. 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 St. Louis city 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 |
| 85St. Louis city, MO | 13 | 2,158 | 148.9 | $231K | −7.4% | #2,379 of 2,405 |
Other business types in St. Louis city
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes13
- Sit-down restaurants14
- Fast food and sandwich shops28
- Pizza31
- Coffee shops and cafes24
- Bakeries and dessert shops27
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 St. Louis city, MO?
There are 2,158 restaurants and cafes on map listings in St. Louis city as of September 2026. 456 of them (21%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 744 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 0.5% from 2019. Official counts also show 121 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in St. Louis city, MO spend on food away from home?
About $499.1M a year, or $3,445 per household. That is 15% below the U.S. average (an index of 85, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 2,158 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $231K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 144,891 households in St. Louis city and national spending patterns by income.
How does St. Louis city, MO compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
St. Louis city has 148.9 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 36% above the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $231K, 38% below the U.S. figure of $371K. At the national ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, St. Louis city would have about 1,346, against 2,158 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 195 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 0.5% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is St. Louis city, MO growing?
Population estimates put St. Louis city at 278,144 people in 2025, down 7.4% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 144,891 households. The median household income in St. Louis city is $56,160 a year, 30% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 27.9% 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. St. Louis city scores 13 for restaurants and cafes (low), #2,379 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in St. Louis city. 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 St. Louis city
Screening a site or an acquisition in St. Louis city?
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 St. Louis city. 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.