Food and drink · Small-town market · Missouri
Sit-down restaurants in the West Plains, MO area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for sit-down restaurants in the West Plains, MO area, set against other small-town markets and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 36 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #415 of 538 scored small-town markets
#13 of 17 scored small-town markets based in Missouri
- Listings
- 81
- 44 chain locations (54%)
- Official establishments
- 32
- 0.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $49.4M
- On food away from home · $3,094 a household
- Spending per listing
- $610K
- 8% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 50.7
- 17% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 40,798
- +2.5% since 2020
See the sit-down restaurants around any address in the West Plains 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 West Plains 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 Groundwork market score for sit-down restaurants in the West Plains area is 36 (lower middle), #415 of 538 scored small-town markets and #13 of 17 scored small-town markets based in Missouri. That puts it in the bottom quarter of small-town markets.
As of September 2026, map listings count 81 sit-down restaurants in the West Plains area. 44 of them (54%) are chain locations, against 29% across the U.S. That comes to 50.7 for every 10,000 households, 17% below the U.S. rate of 61.3.
Household spending on food away from home in the West Plains area comes to about $49.4M a year: $3,094 per household, 24% below the U.S. average. That works out to $610K per restaurant, 8% 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 the West Plains area was 32 in 2023, unchanged from 2019. That is one for every 499 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Population estimates show the West Plains area grew 2.5% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How the West Plains 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 | West Plains area | Missouri | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 50.7 | 53.7 | 61.3 |
| Spending per listing | $610K | $708K | $664K |
| Households per official establishment | 499 | 555 | 500 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | 0.0% | −2.3% | +1.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.5% | +1.9% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,094 | $3,799 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $50,993 | $70,702 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 36 | 45 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 320.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 434
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $9M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 4Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 8144 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 74The 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 the West Plains 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 West Plains area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 40,798+2.5% since 2020
- Households
- 15,965
- Median age
- 41.7
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 70%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 927 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 44
- Median household income
- $50,993+32.9% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $66,539
- Median home value
- $173,000
- Jobs located here
- 15,317
- Daytime population
- 40,659Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the West Plains area?
These figures cover the whole small-town market. 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 West Plains 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 small-town markets in Missouri for sit-down restaurants, numbered among those based in Missouri (a market based in another state is listed without a number), with the West Plains area marked.
Top small-town markets in Missouri
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Warrensburg, MO | 77 | 91 | 43.2 | $826K | +4.9% | #33 of 538 |
| 2Mexico, MO | 66 | 34 | 36.9 | $898K | −1.0% | #100 of 538 |
| 3Sedalia, MO | 66 | 78 | 45.9 | $734K | +2.9% | #106 of 538 |
| 4Farmington, MO | 53 | 116 | 46.7 | $711K | +2.1% | #235 of 538 |
| 5Hannibal, MO | 51 | 68 | 44.5 | $769K | +0.4% | #253 of 538 |
| 6Rolla, MO | 51 | 89 | 51.4 | $656K | +1.6% | #259 of 538 |
| Quincy, IL-MO | 48 | 148 | 47.6 | $746K | −2.0% | #282 of 538 |
| 7Maryville, MO | 45 | 40 | 47.3 | $705K | −4.0% | #321 of 538 |
| 8Moberly, MO | 42 | 42 | 45.4 | $711K | +0.2% | #343 of 538 |
| 9Kirksville, MO | 42 | 58 | 55.6 | $608K | +1.9% | #351 of 538 |
| 13West Plains, MO | 36 | 81 | 50.7 | $610K | +2.5% | #415 of 538 |
Other business types in the West Plains area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes43
- Sit-down restaurants36
- Fast food and sandwich shops46
- Pizza34
- Coffee shops and cafes41
- 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 the West Plains, MO area?
The West Plains area has 81 sit-down restaurants on map listings as of September 2026. 44 of them (54%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 32 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023, unchanged from 2019. Official counts also show 4 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the West Plains, MO area spend on food away from home?
About $49.4M a year, or $3,094 per household. That is 24% below the U.S. average (an index of 76, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 81 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $610K per restaurant. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants. It is estimated from the incomes of the 15,965 households in the West Plains area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the West Plains, MO area compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?
The West Plains area has 50.7 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 17% below the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $610K, 8% below the U.S. figure of $664K. At the national ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, the West Plains area would have about 74, against 81 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 499 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 West Plains, MO area growing?
Population estimates put the West Plains area at 40,798 people in 2025, up 2.5% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 15,965 households. The median household income in the West Plains area is $50,993 a year, 37% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 32.9% 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. A small-town market is a town of 10,000 to 50,000 people and the county or counties tied to it by commuting. 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 West Plains area scores 36 for sit-down restaurants (lower middle), #415 of 538 scored small-town markets.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the West Plains 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 West Plains area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the West Plains 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 West Plains 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.