Food and drink · County · Missouri
Sit-down restaurants in St. Louis city, MO
How St. Louis city, 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 14 out of 100: Low
Ranked #2,381 of 2,405 scored counties
#84 of 85 scored counties in Missouri
- Listings
- 1,148
- 213 chain locations (19%)
- Official establishments
- 335
- −5.6% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $499.1M
- On food away from home · $3,445 a household
- Spending per listing
- $435K
- 34% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 79.2
- 29% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 278,144
- −7.4% since 2020
See the sit-down restaurants around any address in St. Louis city
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 St. Louis city. 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
St. Louis city scores 14 (low) on the Groundwork market score for sit-down restaurants, ranking #2,381 of 2,405 scored counties and #84 of 85 scored counties in Missouri. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
As of September 2026, map listings count 1,148 sit-down restaurants in St. Louis city. 213 of them (19%) are chain locations, against 29% across the U.S. That is 79.2 per 10,000 households, 29% above the U.S. rate of 61.3.
Households in St. Louis city spend about $499.1M a year on food away from home, or $3,445 per household, 15% below the U.S. average. That is about $435K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 34% 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.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in St. Louis city was 335 in 2023, down 5.6% from 2019. That is one for every 433 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 19 SBA-backed loans worth $10.9M have gone to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in St. Louis city. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of St. Louis city declined 7.4%, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How St. Louis city 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 | St. Louis city | Missouri | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 79.2 | 53.7 | 61.3 |
| Spending per listing | $435K | $708K | $664K |
| Households per official establishment | 433 | 555 | 500 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −5.6% | −2.3% | +1.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −7.4% | +1.9% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,445 | $3,799 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $56,160 | $70,702 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 14 | 45 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 355 → 335−5.6% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 7,291
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $198.7M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 52Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 1,148213 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 752The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 19
- Amount
- $10.9M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in St. Louis city, 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 St. Louis city
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 278,144−7.4% since 2020
- Households
- 144,891
- Median age
- 38.2
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 45%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.3
- Land area
- 62 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 4,675
- Median household income
- $56,160+27.9% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $81,764
- Median home value
- $197,500
- Jobs located here
- 229,379
- Daytime population
- 378,059Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in St. Louis city?
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 St. Louis city. 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 St. Louis city 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 |
| 84St. Louis city, MO | 14 | 1,148 | 79.2 | $435K | −7.4% | #2,381 of 2,405 |
Other business types in St. Louis city
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes13
- Sit-down restaurants14
- Fast food and sandwich shops28
- Pizza31
- Coffee shops and cafes24
- Bakeries and dessert shops27
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 St. Louis city, MO?
St. Louis city has 1,148 sit-down restaurants on map listings as of September 2026. 213 of them (19%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 335 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023, down 5.6% from 2019. Another 52 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in St. Louis city, MO spend on food away from home?
About $499.1M a year, or $3,445 per household. That is 15% below the U.S. average (an index of 85, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 1,148 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $435K per restaurant. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants. It is estimated from the incomes of the 144,891 households in St. Louis city and national spending patterns by income.
How does St. Louis city, MO compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?
St. Louis city has 79.2 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 29% above the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $435K, 34% below the U.S. figure of $664K. At the national ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, St. Louis city would have about 752, against 1,148 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 433 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. The official count fell 5.6% from 2019 to 2023, against +1.5% for the U.S.
How fast is St. Louis city, MO growing?
Population estimates put St. Louis city at 278,144 people in 2025, down 7.4% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 144,891 households. The median household income in St. Louis city is $56,160 a year, 30% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 27.9% 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. St. Louis city scores 14 for sit-down restaurants (low), #2,381 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in St. Louis city. 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 St. Louis city
Screening a site or an acquisition in St. Louis city?
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 St. Louis city. 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.