Groundwork

Food and drink · County · Missouri

Restaurants and cafes in Wayne County, MO

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

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 44 out of 100: Lower middle

Ranked #1,438 of 2,405 scored counties
#48 of 85 scored counties in Missouri

Listings
34
13 chain locations (38%)
Official establishments
13
Businesses with payroll, 2023
Household spending a year
$13.3M
On food away from home · $2,884 a household
Spending per listing
$392K
6% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
73.5
33% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
10,782
−1.4% since 2020

See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Wayne 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 Wayne 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

Household spending on food away from home in Wayne County comes to about $13.3M a year: $2,884 per household, 29% below the U.S. average. Spread across 34 restaurants and cafes, that is $392K per restaurant, 6% above the U.S. figure of $371K.

There are 34 restaurants and cafes on map listings in Wayne County as of September 2026. Of those, 13 are chain locations, or 38%, against 34% across the U.S. That comes to 73.5 for every 10,000 households, 33% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.

Official counts show 13 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in Wayne County in 2023. That is one for every 356 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Official counts also show 6 one-person businesses without payroll.

Population estimates show Wayne County declined 1.4% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S. The Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes in Wayne County is 44 (lower middle), #1,438 of 2,405 scored counties and #48 of 85 scored counties in Missouri.

How Wayne 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 Wayne County, MO compared with Missouri and the U.S.
MeasureWayne CountyMissouriU.S.
Listings per 10k households73.598.6109.8
Spending per listing$392K$385K$371K
Households per official establishment356235209
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023n/a+6.2%+6.0%
Population growth, 2020–2025−1.4%+1.9%+3.1%
Spending per household on food away from home$2,884$3,799$4,070
Median household income$47,226$70,702$80,734
Groundwork market score4454

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
10 → 13
Employees, 2023
146
Annual payroll, 2023
$1.8M
One-person businesses, 2023
6Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
3413 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
36The 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 Wayne 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 Wayne County

Population, 2025 estimate
10,782−1.4% since 2020
Households
4,623
Median age
46.2
Homes lived in by their owners
75%
Vehicles per household
1.9
Land area
759 sq. mi.
People per square mile
14
Median household income
$47,226+37.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$57,410
Median home value
$107,400
Jobs located here
1,955
Daytime population
9,019Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

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

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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 Wayne 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
48Wayne County, MO443473.5$392K−1.4%#1,438 of 2,405

Other business types in Wayne County

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

Questions

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

As of September 2026, map listings count 34 restaurants and cafes in Wayne County. 13 of them (38%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 13 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023. Another 6 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.

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

About $13.3M a year, or $2,884 per household. That is 29% below the U.S. average (an index of 71, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 34 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $392K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 4,623 households in Wayne County and national spending patterns by income.

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

Wayne County has 73.5 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 33% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $392K, 6% above the U.S. figure of $371K. At the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Wayne County would have about 36, against 34 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 356 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S.

How fast is Wayne County, MO growing?

Population estimates put Wayne County at 10,782 people in 2025, down 1.4% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 4,623 households. Median household income in Wayne County is $47,226, 42% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 37.6%, 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. Wayne County scores 44 for restaurants and cafes (lower middle), #1,438 of 2,405 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

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

Screening a site or an acquisition in Wayne 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 Wayne 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.