Food and drink · Small-town market · Mississippi
Sit-down restaurants in the Clarksdale, MS area
The sit-down restaurants in the Clarksdale, MS area, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other small-town markets.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 25 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #497 of 538 scored small-town markets
#14 of 17 scored small-town markets based in Mississippi
- Listings
- 44
- 16 chain locations (36%)
- Official establishments
- 12
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $22.2M
- On food away from home · $2,636 a household
- Spending per listing
- $504K
- 24% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 52.4
- 15% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 19,849
- −6.5% since 2020
See the sit-down restaurants around any address in the Clarksdale area
The site report maps the sit-down restaurants 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 Clarksdale 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
The Clarksdale area scores 25 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for sit-down restaurants, ranking #497 of 538 scored small-town markets and #14 of 17 scored small-town markets based in Mississippi. That puts it in the bottom quarter of small-town markets.
Map listings as of September 2026 show 44 sit-down restaurants in the Clarksdale area. 16 of them (36%) are chain locations, against 29% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 52.4, 15% below the U.S. rate of 61.3.
Households in the Clarksdale area spend about $22.2M a year on food away from home, or $2,636 per household, 35% below the U.S. average. That works out to $504K per restaurant, 24% below the U.S. figure of $664K. That spending covers all food away from home, which sit-down restaurants share with other businesses in the trade.
In 2023, official counts showed 12 businesses with payroll in the Clarksdale area classed as full-service restaurants. That is one for every 700 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $1.2M has gone to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in the Clarksdale area. Population estimates put the population change in the Clarksdale area from 2020 to 2025 at −6.5%, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How the Clarksdale area compares
The same measures for Mississippi and the whole U.S. Spending per listing divides a year of household spending on all food away from home by the sit-down restaurants 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 | Clarksdale area | Mississippi | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 52.4 | 55.4 | 61.3 |
| Spending per listing | $504K | $593K | $664K |
| Households per official establishment | 700 | 654 | 500 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +2.1% | +1.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −6.5% | −0.1% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $2,636 | $3,288 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $37,461 | $56,447 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 25 | 33 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 12
- Employees, 2023
- 126
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $2.4M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 5Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 4416 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 33The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $1.2M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in the Clarksdale 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 Clarksdale area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 19,849−6.5% since 2020
- Households
- 8,404
- Median age
- 35.9
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 52%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.5
- Land area
- 553 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 37
- Median household income
- $37,461+28.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $53,980
- Median home value
- $90,300
- Jobs located here
- 6,633
- Daytime population
- 19,131Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Clarksdale 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 sit-down restaurants on map listings by name and distance.
Or open the report at the center of the Clarksdale area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardSit-down restaurants across Mississippi
Every Mississippi market ranked →The highest-scoring small-town markets in Mississippi for sit-down restaurants, numbered among those based in Mississippi, with the Clarksdale area marked.
Top small-town markets in Mississippi
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Picayune, MS | 64 | 100 | 45.7 | $716K | +5.6% | #125 of 538 |
| 2Laurel, MS | 56 | 130 | 41.1 | $763K | −1.5% | #203 of 538 |
| 3Brookhaven, MS | 50 | 67 | 50.9 | $626K | +0.5% | #266 of 538 |
| 4Starkville, MS | 42 | 124 | 47.9 | $660K | +0.8% | #346 of 538 |
| 5McComb, MS | 39 | 93 | 45.8 | $627K | −2.6% | #387 of 538 |
| 6Meridian, MS | 35 | 176 | 50.8 | $610K | −3.2% | #424 of 538 |
| 7Tupelo, MS | 34 | 314 | 60.6 | $560K | +0.8% | #433 of 538 |
| 8Columbus, MS | 33 | 148 | 54.9 | $566K | −2.7% | #441 of 538 |
| 9Natchez, MS-LA | 33 | 115 | 55.5 | $522K | −0.9% | #447 of 538 |
| 10Oxford, MS | 33 | 223 | 92.8 | $384K | +5.3% | #449 of 538 |
| 14Clarksdale, MS | 25 | 44 | 52.4 | $504K | −6.5% | #497 of 538 |
Other business types in the Clarksdale area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes23
- Sit-down restaurants25
- Fast food and sandwich shops20
- Pizza
- Coffee shops and cafes31
- 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 sit-down restaurants are in the Clarksdale, MS area?
There are 44 sit-down restaurants on map listings in the Clarksdale area as of September 2026. 16 of them (36%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 12 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023. Another 5 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in the Clarksdale, MS area spend on food away from home?
About $22.2M a year, or $2,636 per household. That is 35% below the U.S. average (an index of 65, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 44 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $504K per restaurant. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants. It is estimated from the incomes of the 8,404 households in the Clarksdale area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Clarksdale, MS area compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?
The Clarksdale area has 52.4 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 15% below the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $504K, 24% below the U.S. figure of $664K. At the national ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, the Clarksdale area would have about 33, against 44 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 700 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S.
How fast is the Clarksdale, MS area growing?
Population estimates put the Clarksdale area at 19,849 people in 2025, down 6.5% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 8,404 households. The median household income in the Clarksdale area is $37,461 a year, 54% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 28.6% 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. 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 Clarksdale area scores 25 for sit-down restaurants (lower middle), #497 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 Clarksdale area. It maps the sit-down restaurants 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 sit-down restaurants · All 56 business types in the Clarksdale area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Clarksdale 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 Clarksdale 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.