Food and drink · County · Mississippi
Sit-down restaurants in Clay County, MS
How Clay County, MS compares with other counties and the U.S. for sit-down restaurants: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 33 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,924 of 2,405 scored counties
#44 of 67 scored counties in Mississippi
- Listings
- 38
- 13 chain locations (34%)
- Official establishments
- 8
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $22M
- On food away from home · $2,813 a household
- Spending per listing
- $578K
- 13% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 48.7
- 21% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 18,238
- −2.0% since 2020
See the sit-down restaurants around any address in Clay County
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 Clay County. 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 Groundwork market score for sit-down restaurants in Clay County is 33 (lower middle), #1,924 of 2,405 scored counties and #44 of 67 scored counties in Mississippi. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
Map listings as of September 2026 show 38 sit-down restaurants in Clay County. 13 of them (34%) are chain locations, against 29% across the U.S. That comes to 48.7 for every 10,000 households, 21% below the U.S. rate of 61.3.
At $2,813 per household (31% below the U.S. average), households in Clay County spend about $22M a year on food away from home. That is about $578K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 13% 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.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in Clay County was 8 in 2023. That is one for every 976 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Population estimates put the population change in Clay County from 2020 to 2025 at −2.0%, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How Clay County 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 | Clay County | Mississippi | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 48.7 | 55.4 | 61.3 |
| Spending per listing | $578K | $593K | $664K |
| Households per official establishment | 976 | 654 | 500 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +2.1% | +1.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −2.0% | −0.1% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $2,813 | $3,288 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $43,125 | $56,447 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 33 | 33 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 10 → 8
- Employees, 2023
- 143
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $2.9M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 3Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 3813 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
- 0
- Amount
- $0
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Clay 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 Clay County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 18,238−2.0% since 2020
- Households
- 7,805
- Median age
- 41.4
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 71%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 410 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 45
- Median household income
- $43,125+35.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $63,753
- Median home value
- $129,100
- Jobs located here
- 7,035
- Daytime population
- 17,349Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Clay 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 sit-down restaurants on map listings by name and distance.
Or open the report at the center of Clay County. 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 counties in Mississippi for sit-down restaurants, numbered among those based in Mississippi, with Clay County marked.
Top counties in Mississippi
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Tate County, MS | 70 | 40 | 36.3 | $941K | +2.1% | #377 of 2,405 |
| 2Greene County, MS | 64 | 8 | 19.5 | $1.6M | +1.3% | #546 of 2,405 |
| 3Amite County, MS | 63 | 6 | 10.3 | $2.6M | −1.7% | #592 of 2,405 |
| 4Walthall County, MS | 63 | 17 | 32.1 | $967K | +0.4% | #609 of 2,405 |
| 5Leake County, MS | 61 | 26 | 35.1 | $846K | +1.9% | #707 of 2,405 |
| 6Itawamba County, MS | 59 | 33 | 34.3 | $952K | +1.3% | #768 of 2,405 |
| 7George County, MS | 59 | 42 | 45.2 | $747K | +8.1% | #785 of 2,405 |
| 8Rankin County, MS | 59 | 346 | 57.5 | $673K | +3.2% | #793 of 2,405 |
| 9Perry County, MS | 58 | 10 | 21.5 | $1.4M | +1.1% | #794 of 2,405 |
| 10Smith County, MS | 57 | 15 | 26.8 | $1.2M | −1.5% | #836 of 2,405 |
| 44Clay County, MS | 33 | 38 | 48.7 | $578K | −2.0% | #1,924 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Clay County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes27
- Sit-down restaurants33
- Fast food and sandwich shops14
- Pizza
- Coffee shops and cafes25
- Bakeries and dessert shops12
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 Clay County, MS?
There are 38 sit-down restaurants on map listings in Clay County as of September 2026. 13 of them (34%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 8 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023. Official counts also show 3 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Clay County, MS spend on food away from home?
About $22M a year, or $2,813 per household. That is 31% below the U.S. average (an index of 69, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 38 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $578K per restaurant. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants. It is estimated from the incomes of the 7,805 households in Clay County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Clay County, MS compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?
Clay County has 48.7 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 21% below the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $578K, 13% below the U.S. figure of $664K. At the national ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, Clay County would have about 33, against 38 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 976 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S.
How fast is Clay County, MS growing?
Population estimates put Clay County at 18,238 people in 2025, down 2.0% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 7,805 households. The median household income in Clay County is $43,125 a year, 47% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 35.5% 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. Clay County scores 33 for sit-down restaurants (lower middle), #1,924 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Clay County. 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 Clay County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Clay 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 Clay 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.