Food and drink · Small-town market · Mississippi
Sit-down restaurants in the Meridian, MS area
The sit-down restaurants in the Meridian, MS area, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other small-town markets.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 35 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #424 of 538 scored small-town markets
#6 of 17 scored small-town markets based in Mississippi
- Listings
- 176
- 59 chain locations (34%)
- Official establishments
- 52
- −8.8% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $107.3M
- On food away from home · $3,097 a household
- Spending per listing
- $610K
- 8% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 50.8
- 17% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 85,419
- −3.2% since 2020
See the sit-down restaurants around any address in the Meridian 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 Meridian 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
For sit-down restaurants, the Meridian area has a Groundwork market score of 35 (lower middle): #424 of 538 scored small-town markets and #6 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 176 sit-down restaurants in the Meridian area. 59 of them (34%) are chain locations, against 29% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 50.8, 17% below the U.S. rate of 61.3.
Households in the Meridian area spend about $107.3M a year on food away from home, or $3,097 per household, 24% below the U.S. average. Spread across 176 sit-down restaurants, that is $610K per restaurant, 8% 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 the Meridian area was 52 in 2023, down 8.8% from 2019. That is one for every 666 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Population estimates put the population change in the Meridian area from 2020 to 2025 at −3.2%, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How the Meridian 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 | Meridian area | Mississippi | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 50.8 | 55.4 | 61.3 |
| Spending per listing | $610K | $593K | $664K |
| Households per official establishment | 666 | 654 | 500 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −8.8% | +2.1% | +1.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −3.2% | −0.1% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,097 | $3,288 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $49,822 | $56,447 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 35 | 33 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 52−8.8% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,195
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $24.2M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 9Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 17659 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 162The 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 the Meridian 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 Meridian area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 85,419−3.2% since 2020
- Households
- 34,652
- Median age
- 40.4
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 68%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 1,395 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 62
- Median household income
- $49,822
- Average household income
- $69,927
- Median home value
- $128,100
- Jobs located here
- 35,184
- Daytime population
- 88,462Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Meridian 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 Meridian 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 Meridian 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 |
Other business types in the Meridian area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes24
- Sit-down restaurants35
- Fast food and sandwich shops11
- Pizza38
- Coffee shops and cafes36
- Bakeries and dessert shops25
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 Meridian, MS area?
There are 176 sit-down restaurants on map listings in the Meridian area as of September 2026. 59 of them (34%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 52 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023, down 8.8% from 2019. Official counts also show 9 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Meridian, MS area spend on food away from home?
About $107.3M a year, or $3,097 per household. That is 24% below the U.S. average (an index of 76, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 176 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $610K per restaurant. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants. It is estimated from the incomes of the 34,652 households in the Meridian area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Meridian, MS area compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?
The Meridian area has 50.8 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 17% below the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $610K, 8% below the U.S. figure of $664K. At the national ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, the Meridian area would have about 162, against 176 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 666 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. The official count fell 8.8% from 2019 to 2023, against +1.5% for the U.S.
How fast is the Meridian, MS area growing?
Population estimates put the Meridian area at 85,419 people in 2025, down 3.2% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 34,652 households. The median household income in the Meridian area is $49,822 a year, 38% below the U.S. median of $80,734.
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 Meridian area scores 35 for sit-down restaurants (lower middle), #424 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 Meridian 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 Meridian area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Meridian 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 Meridian 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.