Food and drink · County · Missouri
Sit-down restaurants in McDonald County, MO
How McDonald County, MO compares with other counties and the U.S. for sit-down restaurants: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 46 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,378 of 2,405 scored counties
#45 of 85 scored counties in Missouri
- Listings
- 44
- 11 chain locations (25%)
- Official establishments
- 11
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $27.4M
- On food away from home · $3,199 a household
- Spending per listing
- $622K
- 6% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 51.4
- 16% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 23,992
- +3.1% since 2020
See the sit-down restaurants around any address in McDonald 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 McDonald County. 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
At $3,199 per household (21% below the U.S. average), households in McDonald County spend about $27.4M a year on food away from home. That works out to $622K per restaurant, 6% below the U.S. figure of $664K. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants.
There are 44 sit-down restaurants on map listings in McDonald County as of September 2026. 11 of them (25%) are chain locations, against 29% across the U.S. That comes to 51.4 for every 10,000 households, 16% below the U.S. rate of 61.3.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in McDonald County was 11 in 2023. That is one for every 778 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Official counts also show 4 one-person businesses without payroll.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of McDonald County grew 3.1%, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). McDonald County scores 46 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for sit-down restaurants, ranking #1,378 of 2,405 scored counties and #45 of 85 scored counties in Missouri.
How McDonald 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.
| Measure | McDonald County | Missouri | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 51.4 | 53.7 | 61.3 |
| Spending per listing | $622K | $708K | $664K |
| Households per official establishment | 778 | 555 | 500 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | −2.3% | +1.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +3.1% | +1.9% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,199 | $3,799 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $52,375 | $70,702 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 46 | 45 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 6 → 11
- Employees, 2023
- 79
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $2.1M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 4Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 4411 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 41The 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 McDonald 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 McDonald County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 23,992+3.1% since 2020
- Households
- 8,558
- Median age
- 39.7
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 67%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.1
- Land area
- 539 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 44
- Median household income
- $52,375+25.8% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $69,959
- Median home value
- $154,700
- Jobs located here
- 7,407
- Daytime population
- 21,137Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in McDonald 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 McDonald County. 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 counties in Missouri for sit-down restaurants, numbered among those based in Missouri, with McDonald County marked.
Top counties in Missouri
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Lincoln County, MO | 92 | 71 | 31.1 | $1.3M | +11.4% | #12 of 2,405 |
| 2Warren County, MO | 85 | 53 | 38.3 | $1M | +9.2% | #65 of 2,405 |
| 3Cass County, MO | 84 | 169 | 39.1 | $1.1M | +7.1% | #77 of 2,405 |
| 4Jefferson County, MO | 83 | 288 | 32.6 | $1.2M | +2.7% | #84 of 2,405 |
| 5Andrew County, MO | 81 | 18 | 25.8 | $1.5M | +0.7% | #101 of 2,405 |
| 6Christian County, MO | 80 | 147 | 41.8 | $957K | +8.3% | #127 of 2,405 |
| 7Ray County, MO | 79 | 25 | 27.4 | $1.4M | +1.1% | #136 of 2,405 |
| 8Webster County, MO | 77 | 57 | 40.8 | $886K | +10.4% | #200 of 2,405 |
| 9Dallas County, MO | 76 | 18 | 26.6 | $1.2M | +5.2% | #217 of 2,405 |
| 10Clay County, MO | 74 | 479 | 46.9 | $895K | +4.3% | #280 of 2,405 |
| 45McDonald County, MO | 46 | 44 | 51.4 | $622K | +3.1% | #1,378 of 2,405 |
Other business types in McDonald County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes53
- Sit-down restaurants46
- Fast food and sandwich shops73
- Pizza46
- Coffee shops and cafes27
- Bakeries and dessert shops39
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 McDonald County, MO?
As of September 2026, map listings count 44 sit-down restaurants in McDonald County. 11 of them (25%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 11 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023. Another 4 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in McDonald County, MO spend on food away from home?
About $27.4M a year, or $3,199 per household. That is 21% below the U.S. average (an index of 79, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 44 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $622K 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 8,558 households in McDonald County and national spending patterns by income.
How does McDonald County, MO compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?
McDonald County has 51.4 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 16% below the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $622K, 6% below the U.S. figure of $664K. At the U.S. ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, McDonald County would have about 41, against 44 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 778 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S.
How fast is McDonald County, MO growing?
Population estimates put McDonald County at 23,992 people in 2025, up 3.1% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 8,558 households. Median household income in McDonald County is $52,375, 35% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 25.8%, 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. McDonald County scores 46 for sit-down restaurants (lower middle), #1,378 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in McDonald 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 McDonald County
Screening a site or an acquisition in McDonald 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 McDonald 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.