Groundwork

Food and drink · County · Missouri

Sit-down restaurants in Lincoln County, MO

The sit-down restaurants in Lincoln County, MO, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 92 out of 100: Very high

Ranked #12 of 2,405 scored counties
#1 of 85 scored counties in Missouri

Listings
71
33 chain locations (46%)
Official establishments
22
−8.3% since 2019
Household spending a year
$92.6M
On food away from home · $4,059 a household
Spending per listing
$1.3M
97% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
31.1
49% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
66,676
+11.4% since 2020

See the sit-down restaurants around any address in Lincoln 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 Lincoln County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

Survey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure

What this means

Lincoln County scores 92 (very high) on the Groundwork market score for sit-down restaurants, ranking #12 of 2,405 scored counties and #1 of 85 scored counties in Missouri. That puts it in the top 10% of counties for sit-down restaurants.

Households in Lincoln County spend about $92.6M a year on food away from home, or $4,059 per household, in line with the U.S. average. That works out to $1.3M per restaurant, 97% above the U.S. figure of $664K. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants.

Lincoln County has 71 sit-down restaurants on map listings as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 46% of them, against 29% across the U.S. That comes to 31.1 for every 10,000 households, 49% below the U.S. rate of 61.3.

The official count of businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in Lincoln County was 22 in 2023, down 8.3% from 2019. That is one for every 1,037 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Lincoln County grew 11.4%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%).

How Lincoln County 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.

Sit-down restaurants in Lincoln County, MO compared with Missouri and the U.S.
MeasureLincoln CountyMissouriU.S.
Listings per 10k households31.153.761.3
Spending per listing$1.3M$708K$664K
Households per official establishment1,037555500
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023−8.3%−2.3%+1.5%
Population growth, 2020–2025+11.4%+1.9%+3.1%
Spending per household on food away from home$4,059$3,799$4,070
Median household income$89,278$70,702$80,734
Groundwork market score9245

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
24 → 22−8.3% over the period
Employees, 2023
352
Annual payroll, 2023
$7.6M
One-person businesses, 2023
5Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
7133 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
140The 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 Lincoln 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 Lincoln County

Population, 2025 estimate
66,676+11.4% since 2020
Households
22,817
Median age
38.7
Homes lived in by their owners
79%
Vehicles per household
2.2
Land area
627 sq. mi.
People per square mile
101
Median household income
$89,278+39.1% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$100,506
Median home value
$244,300
Jobs located here
12,499
Daytime population
43,211Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Lincoln 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 Lincoln County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

Sit-down restaurants across Missouri

Every Missouri market ranked →

The highest-scoring counties in Missouri for sit-down restaurants, numbered among those based in Missouri, with Lincoln County marked.

Top counties in Missouri

Counties in Missouri ranked for sit-down restaurants by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Lincoln County, MO927131.1$1.3M+11.4%#12 of 2,405
2Warren County, MO855338.3$1M+9.2%#65 of 2,405
3Cass County, MO8416939.1$1.1M+7.1%#77 of 2,405
4Jefferson County, MO8328832.6$1.2M+2.7%#84 of 2,405
5Andrew County, MO811825.8$1.5M+0.7%#101 of 2,405
6Christian County, MO8014741.8$957K+8.3%#127 of 2,405
7Ray County, MO792527.4$1.4M+1.1%#136 of 2,405
8Webster County, MO775740.8$886K+10.4%#200 of 2,405
9Dallas County, MO761826.6$1.2M+5.2%#217 of 2,405
10Clay County, MO7447946.9$895K+4.3%#280 of 2,405

Other business types in Lincoln County

Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.

Questions

How many sit-down restaurants are in Lincoln County, MO?

Map listings as of September 2026 show 71 sit-down restaurants in Lincoln County. 33 of them (46%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 22 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023, down 8.3% from 2019. Official counts also show 5 one-person businesses without payroll.

How much do households in Lincoln County, MO spend on food away from home?

About $92.6M a year, or $4,059 per household. That is in line with the U.S. average (an index of 100, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 71 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $1.3M 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 22,817 households in Lincoln County and national spending patterns by income.

How does Lincoln County, MO compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?

Lincoln County has 31.1 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 49% below the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $1.3M, 97% above the U.S. figure of $664K. At the U.S. ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, Lincoln County would have about 140, against 71 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,037 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. The official count fell 8.3% from 2019 to 2023, against +1.5% for the U.S.

How fast is Lincoln County, MO growing?

Population estimates put Lincoln County at 66,676 people in 2025, up 11.4% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 22,817 households. Median household income in Lincoln County is $89,278, 11% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 39.1%, 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. Lincoln County scores 92 for sit-down restaurants (very high), #12 of 2,405 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Lincoln 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 Lincoln County

Screening a site or an acquisition in Lincoln 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 Lincoln 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.