Food and drink · County · Mississippi
Sit-down restaurants in Covington County, MS
How Covington 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 49 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,205 of 2,405 scored counties
#25 of 67 scored counties in Mississippi
- Listings
- 28
- 11 chain locations (39%)
- Official establishments
- 7
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $22.2M
- On food away from home · $3,035 a household
- Spending per listing
- $794K
- 20% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 38.2
- 38% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 17,898
- −2.2% since 2020
See the sit-down restaurants around any address in Covington 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 Covington 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
Households in Covington County spend about $22.2M a year on food away from home, or $3,035 per household, 25% below the U.S. average. Spread across 28 sit-down restaurants, that is $794K per restaurant, 20% above the U.S. figure of $664K. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants.
There are 28 sit-down restaurants on map listings in Covington County as of September 2026. Of those, 11 are chain locations, or 39%, against 29% across the U.S. That comes to 38.2 for every 10,000 households, 38% below the U.S. rate of 61.3.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in Covington County was 7 in 2023. That is one for every 1,046 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S.
Population estimates put the population change in Covington County from 2020 to 2025 at −2.2%, against +3.1% for the U.S. Covington County scores 49 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for sit-down restaurants, ranking #1,205 of 2,405 scored counties and #25 of 67 scored counties in Mississippi.
How Covington 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 | Covington County | Mississippi | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 38.2 | 55.4 | 61.3 |
| Spending per listing | $794K | $593K | $664K |
| Households per official establishment | 1,046 | 654 | 500 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +2.1% | +1.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −2.2% | −0.1% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,035 | $3,288 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $45,051 | $56,447 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 49 | 33 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 10 → 7
- Employees, 2023
- 51
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $809K
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 0Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 2811 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 34The 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 Covington 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 Covington County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 17,898−2.2% since 2020
- Households
- 7,323
- Median age
- 38.7
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 78%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 414 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 44
- Median household income
- $45,051+18.0% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $68,677
- Median home value
- $105,100
- Jobs located here
- 5,811
- Daytime population
- 16,612Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Covington 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 Covington 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 Covington 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 |
| 25Covington County, MS | 49 | 28 | 38.2 | $794K | −2.2% | #1,205 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Covington County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes41
- Sit-down restaurants49
- Fast food and sandwich shops16
- Pizza
- Coffee shops and cafes26
- Bakeries and dessert shops30
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 Covington County, MS?
As of September 2026, map listings count 28 sit-down restaurants in Covington County. 11 of them (39%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 7 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023.
How much do households in Covington County, MS spend on food away from home?
About $22.2M a year, or $3,035 per household. That is 25% below the U.S. average (an index of 75, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 28 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $794K per restaurant. That spending covers all food away from home, which sit-down restaurants share with other businesses in the trade. It is estimated from the incomes of the 7,323 households in Covington County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Covington County, MS compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?
Covington County has 38.2 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 38% below the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $794K, 20% above the U.S. figure of $664K. At the U.S. ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, Covington County would have about 34, against 28 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,046 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S.
How fast is Covington County, MS growing?
Population estimates put Covington County at 17,898 people in 2025, down 2.2% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 7,323 households. Median household income in Covington County is $45,051, 44% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 18.0%, 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. Covington County scores 49 for sit-down restaurants (lower middle), #1,205 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Covington 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 Covington County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Covington 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 Covington 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.