Food and drink · Metro area · Missouri
Sit-down restaurants in the Joplin, MO-KS metro area
The sit-down restaurants in the Joplin, MO-KS metro area, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other metro areas.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 32 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #328 of 387 scored metro areas
#7 of 8 scored metro areas based in Missouri
- Listings
- 451
- 205 chain locations (45%)
- Official establishments
- 154
- 0.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $272M
- On food away from home · $3,421 a household
- Spending per listing
- $603K
- 9% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 56.7
- 8% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 208,796
- +3.9% since 2020
See the sit-down restaurants around any address in the Joplin 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 Joplin 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
The Joplin metro area scores 32 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for sit-down restaurants, ranking #328 of 387 scored metro areas and #7 of 8 scored metro areas based in Missouri. That puts it in the bottom quarter of metro areas.
As of September 2026, map listings count 451 sit-down restaurants in the Joplin metro area. Of those, 205 are chain locations, or 45%, against 29% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 56.7, 8% below the U.S. rate of 61.3.
At $3,421 per household (16% below the U.S. average), households in the Joplin metro area spend about $272M a year on food away from home. That works out to $603K per restaurant, 9% 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 154 businesses with payroll in the Joplin metro area classed as full-service restaurants, unchanged from 2019. That is one for every 516 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 4 SBA-backed loans worth $1.3M have gone to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in the Joplin metro area. Population estimates put the population change in the Joplin metro area from 2020 to 2025 at +3.9%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How the Joplin 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 | Joplin metro area | Missouri | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 56.7 | 53.7 | 61.3 |
| Spending per listing | $603K | $708K | $664K |
| Households per official establishment | 516 | 555 | 500 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | 0.0% | −2.3% | +1.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +3.9% | +1.9% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,421 | $3,799 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $61,901 | $70,702 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 32 | 45 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 1540.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 2,891
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $64.3M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 23Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 451205 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 410The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 4
- Amount
- $1.3M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in the Joplin 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 Joplin metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 208,796+3.9% since 2020
- Households
- 79,505
- Median age
- 38.9
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 68%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 1,851 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 110
- Median household income
- $61,901
- Average household income
- $80,895
- Median home value
- $165,500
- Jobs located here
- 85,555
- Daytime population
- 203,238Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Joplin 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 Joplin 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 Joplin 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 Joplin metro area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes33
- Sit-down restaurants32
- Fast food and sandwich shops32
- Pizza30
- Coffee shops and cafes41
- Bakeries and dessert shops37
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 Joplin, MO-KS metro area?
The Joplin metro area has 451 sit-down restaurants on map listings as of September 2026. 205 of them (45%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 154 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023, unchanged from 2019. Official counts also show 23 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Joplin, MO-KS metro area spend on food away from home?
About $272M a year, or $3,421 per household. That is 16% below the U.S. average (an index of 84, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 451 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $603K per restaurant. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants. It is estimated from the incomes of the 79,505 households in the Joplin metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Joplin, MO-KS metro area compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?
The Joplin metro area has 56.7 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 8% below the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $603K, 9% below the U.S. figure of $664K. At the national ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, the Joplin metro area would have about 410, against 451 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 516 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. The official count held level from 2019 to 2023, against +1.5% for the U.S.
How fast is the Joplin, MO-KS metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Joplin metro area at 208,796 people in 2025, up 3.9% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 79,505 households. The median household income in the Joplin metro area is $61,901 a year, 23% 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. 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 Joplin metro area scores 32 for sit-down restaurants (lower middle), #328 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 Joplin 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 Joplin metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Joplin 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 Joplin 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.