Food and drink · Metro area · Missouri
Sit-down restaurants in the Columbia, MO metro area
The sit-down restaurants in the Columbia, MO metro area, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other metro areas.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 54 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #160 of 387 scored metro areas
#5 of 8 scored metro areas based in Missouri
- Listings
- 471
- 200 chain locations (42%)
- Official establishments
- 153
- −0.6% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $331.9M
- On food away from home · $3,842 a household
- Spending per listing
- $705K
- 6% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 54.5
- 11% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 219,062
- +3.9% since 2020
See the sit-down restaurants around any address in the Columbia metro 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 Columbia metro 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
As of September 2026, map listings count 471 sit-down restaurants in the Columbia metro area. Chain locations make up 42% of them, against 29% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 54.5, 11% below the U.S. rate of 61.3.
At $3,842 per household (6% below the U.S. average), households in the Columbia metro area spend about $331.9M a year on food away from home. That is about $705K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 6% above 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.
Official counts show 153 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in the Columbia metro area in 2023, down 0.6% from 2019. That is one for every 565 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Official counts also show 14 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 16 SBA-backed loans worth $8.4M have gone to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in the Columbia metro area.
Population estimates show the Columbia metro area grew 3.9% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Columbia metro area scores 54 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for sit-down restaurants, ranking #160 of 387 scored metro areas and #5 of 8 scored metro areas based in Missouri.
How the Columbia metro area compares
The same measures for Missouri 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 | Columbia metro area | Missouri | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 54.5 | 53.7 | 61.3 |
| Spending per listing | $705K | $708K | $664K |
| Households per official establishment | 565 | 555 | 500 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −0.6% | −2.3% | +1.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +3.9% | +1.9% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,842 | $3,799 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $72,340 | $70,702 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 54 | 45 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 153−0.6% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 3,878
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $83.3M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 14Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 471200 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 500The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 16
- Amount
- $8.4M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in the Columbia metro 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 Columbia metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 219,062+3.9% since 2020
- Households
- 86,393
- Median age
- 36.4
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 60%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 1,714 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 125
- Median household income
- $72,340+32.0% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $97,624
- Median home value
- $258,700
- Jobs located here
- 114,165
- Daytime population
- 231,692Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Columbia metro area?
These figures cover the whole metro area. 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 Columbia metro 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 Missouri
Every Missouri market ranked →The highest-scoring metro areas in Missouri for sit-down restaurants, numbered among those based in Missouri, with the Columbia metro area marked.
Top metro areas in Missouri
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Kansas City, MO-KS | 72 | 4,654 | 52.0 | $803K | +3.4% | #38 of 387 |
| 2St. Louis, MO-IL | 60 | 6,121 | 52.7 | $779K | −0.2% | #111 of 387 |
| 3Jefferson City, MO | 55 | 300 | 51.2 | $738K | +2.2% | #143 of 387 |
| 4St. Joseph, MO-KS | 54 | 208 | 44.4 | $794K | −2.0% | #151 of 387 |
| 5Columbia, MO | 54 | 471 | 54.5 | $705K | +3.9% | #160 of 387 |
| 6Springfield, MO | 52 | 1,014 | 51.0 | $701K | +5.1% | #172 of 387 |
| 7Joplin, MO-KS | 32 | 451 | 56.7 | $603K | +3.9% | #328 of 387 |
| 8Cape Girardeau, MO-IL | 23 | 245 | 64.0 | $561K | +1.7% | #371 of 387 |
Other business types in the Columbia metro area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes53
- Sit-down restaurants54
- Fast food and sandwich shops55
- Pizza44
- Coffee shops and cafes44
- Bakeries and dessert shops58
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 Columbia, MO metro area?
The Columbia metro area has 471 sit-down restaurants on map listings as of September 2026. 200 of them (42%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 153 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023, down 0.6% from 2019. Another 14 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in the Columbia, MO metro area spend on food away from home?
About $331.9M a year, or $3,842 per household. That is 6% below the U.S. average (an index of 94, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 471 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $705K per restaurant. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants. It is estimated from the incomes of the 86,393 households in the Columbia metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Columbia, MO metro area compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?
The Columbia metro area has 54.5 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 11% below the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $705K, 6% above the U.S. figure of $664K. At the national ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, the Columbia metro area would have about 500, against 471 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 565 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. The official count fell 0.6% from 2019 to 2023, against +1.5% for the U.S.
How fast is the Columbia, MO metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Columbia metro area at 219,062 people in 2025, up 3.9% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 86,393 households. The median household income in the Columbia metro area is $72,340 a year, 10% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 32.0% 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. The Columbia metro area scores 54 for sit-down restaurants (upper middle), #160 of 387 scored metro areas.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Columbia metro 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 Columbia metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Columbia metro 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 Columbia metro 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.