Food and drink · County · Mississippi
Sit-down restaurants in Forrest County, MS
The sit-down restaurants in Forrest County, MS, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 22 out of 100: Low
Ranked #2,281 of 2,405 scored counties
#60 of 67 scored counties in Mississippi
- Listings
- 223
- 72 chain locations (32%)
- Official establishments
- 59
- +1.7% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $96.4M
- On food away from home · $3,201 a household
- Spending per listing
- $432K
- 35% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 74.0
- 21% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 79,034
- +1.1% since 2020
See the sit-down restaurants around any address in Forrest 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 Forrest 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
For sit-down restaurants, Forrest County has a Groundwork market score of 22 (low): #2,281 of 2,405 scored counties and #60 of 67 scored counties in Mississippi. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
At $3,201 per household (21% below the U.S. average), households in Forrest County spend about $96.4M a year on food away from home. Spread across 223 sit-down restaurants, that is $432K per restaurant, 35% below the U.S. figure of $664K. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants.
There are 223 sit-down restaurants on map listings in Forrest County as of September 2026. 72 of them (32%) are chain locations, against 29% across the U.S. That is 74.0 per 10,000 households, 21% above the U.S. rate of 61.3.
In 2023, official counts showed 59 businesses with payroll in Forrest County classed as full-service restaurants, up 1.7% from 2019. That is one for every 511 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $50K has gone to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Forrest County. Population estimates show Forrest County grew 1.1% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Forrest 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 | Forrest County | Mississippi | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 74.0 | 55.4 | 61.3 |
| Spending per listing | $432K | $593K | $664K |
| Households per official establishment | 511 | 654 | 500 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +1.7% | +2.1% | +1.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +1.1% | −0.1% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,201 | $3,288 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $53,640 | $56,447 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 22 | 33 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 58 → 59+1.7% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,307
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $27.3M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 9Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 22372 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 145The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $50K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Forrest 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 Forrest County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 79,034+1.1% since 2020
- Households
- 30,127
- Median age
- 35.4
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 57%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 466 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 168
- Median household income
- $53,640+34.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $78,383
- Median home value
- $168,000
- Jobs located here
- 39,538
- Daytime population
- 89,930Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Forrest 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 Forrest 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 Forrest 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 |
| 60Forrest County, MS | 22 | 223 | 74.0 | $432K | +1.1% | #2,281 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Forrest County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes16
- Sit-down restaurants22
- Fast food and sandwich shops14
- Pizza40
- Coffee shops and cafes21
- Bakeries and dessert shops26
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 Forrest County, MS?
As of September 2026, map listings count 223 sit-down restaurants in Forrest County. 72 of them (32%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 59 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023, up 1.7% from 2019. Official counts list 9 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Forrest County, MS spend on food away from home?
About $96.4M a year, or $3,201 per household. That is 21% below the U.S. average (an index of 79, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 223 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $432K 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 30,127 households in Forrest County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Forrest County, MS compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?
Forrest County has 74.0 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 21% above the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $432K, 35% below the U.S. figure of $664K. At the U.S. ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, Forrest County would have about 145, against 223 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 511 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. The official count rose 1.7% from 2019 to 2023, against +1.5% for the U.S.
How fast is Forrest County, MS growing?
Population estimates put Forrest County at 79,034 people in 2025, up 1.1% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 30,127 households. Median household income in Forrest County is $53,640, 34% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 34.6%, 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. Forrest County scores 22 for sit-down restaurants (low), #2,281 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Forrest 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 Forrest County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Forrest 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 Forrest 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.