Food and drink · Small-town market · Mississippi
Sit-down restaurants in the Oxford, MS area
The sit-down restaurants in the Oxford, MS area, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other small-town markets.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 33 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #449 of 538 scored small-town markets
#10 of 17 scored small-town markets based in Mississippi
- Listings
- 223
- 64 chain locations (29%)
- Official establishments
- 72
- +4.4% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $85.6M
- On food away from home · $3,561 a household
- Spending per listing
- $384K
- 42% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 92.8
- 51% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 71,972
- +5.3% since 2020
See the sit-down restaurants around any address in the Oxford 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 Oxford 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 Groundwork market score for sit-down restaurants in the Oxford area is 33 (lower middle), #449 of 538 scored small-town markets and #10 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 223 sit-down restaurants in the Oxford area. Of those, 64 are chain locations, or 29%, against 29% across the U.S. That is 92.8 per 10,000 households, 51% above the U.S. rate of 61.3.
Household spending on food away from home in the Oxford area comes to about $85.6M a year: $3,561 per household, 13% below the U.S. average. That is about $384K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 42% 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 72 businesses with payroll in the Oxford area classed as full-service restaurants, up 4.4% from 2019. That is one for every 334 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $290K have gone to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in the Oxford area. Population estimates put the population change in the Oxford area from 2020 to 2025 at +5.3%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How the Oxford 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 | Oxford area | Mississippi | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 92.8 | 55.4 | 61.3 |
| Spending per listing | $384K | $593K | $664K |
| Households per official establishment | 334 | 654 | 500 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +4.4% | +2.1% | +1.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +5.3% | −0.1% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,561 | $3,288 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $65,018 | $56,447 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 33 | 33 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 72+4.4% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 2,045
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $42.1M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 5Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 22364 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 129The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 2
- Amount
- $290K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in the Oxford 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 Oxford area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 71,972+5.3% since 2020
- Households
- 24,040
- Median age
- 36.1
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 65%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 1,099 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 64
- Median household income
- $65,018
- Average household income
- $95,595
- Median home value
- $256,900
- Jobs located here
- 29,062
- Daytime population
- 71,841Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Oxford 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 Oxford 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 Oxford 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 Oxford area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes32
- Sit-down restaurants33
- Fast food and sandwich shops34
- Pizza46
- Coffee shops and cafes37
- Bakeries and dessert shops34
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 Oxford, MS area?
There are 223 sit-down restaurants on map listings in the Oxford area as of September 2026. 64 of them (29%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 72 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023, up 4.4% from 2019. Another 5 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in the Oxford, MS area spend on food away from home?
About $85.6M a year, or $3,561 per household. That is 13% below the U.S. average (an index of 87, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 223 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $384K per restaurant. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants. It is estimated from the incomes of the 24,040 households in the Oxford area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Oxford, MS area compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?
The Oxford area has 92.8 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 51% above the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $384K, 42% below the U.S. figure of $664K. At the national ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, the Oxford area would have about 129, against 223 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 334 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. The official count rose 4.4% from 2019 to 2023, against +1.5% for the U.S.
How fast is the Oxford, MS area growing?
Population estimates put the Oxford area at 71,972 people in 2025, up 5.3% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 24,040 households. The median household income in the Oxford area is $65,018 a year, 19% 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 Oxford area scores 33 for sit-down restaurants (lower middle), #449 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 Oxford 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 Oxford area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Oxford 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 Oxford 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.