Food and drink · County · Montana
Coffee shops and cafes in Custer County, MT
The coffee shops and cafes in Custer County, MT, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 30 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,762 of 2,063 scored counties
#11 of 20 scored counties in Montana
- Listings
- 9
- 1 chain location (11%)
- Official establishments
- 3
- All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars
- Household spending a year
- $17.9M
- On food away from home · $3,547 a household
- Spending per listing
- $2M
- 46% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 17.9
- 63% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 12,034
- +1.5% since 2020
See the coffee shops and cafes around any address in Custer County
The site report maps the coffee shops and cafes 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 Custer 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
The Groundwork market score for coffee shops and cafes in Custer County is 30 (lower middle), #1,762 of 2,063 scored counties and #11 of 20 scored counties in Montana. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
As of September 2026, map listings count 9 coffee shops and cafes in Custer County. One of them (11%) is a chain location, against 39% across the U.S. That is 17.9 per 10,000 households, 63% above the U.S. rate of 11.0.
Household spending on food away from home in Custer County comes to about $17.9M a year: $3,547 per household, 13% below the U.S. average. That works out to $2M per cafe, 46% below the U.S. figure of $3.7M. That spending covers all food away from home, which coffee shops and cafes share with other businesses in the trade.
In 2023, official counts showed 3 businesses with payroll in Custer County classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars. That is one for every 1,679 households, against one for every 1,518 across the U.S. The official count takes in all snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars, not only coffee shops and cafes: bakeries and dessert shops are counted too. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $100K has gone to businesses classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in Custer County. Population estimates show Custer County grew 1.5% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Custer County compares
The same measures for Montana and the whole U.S. Spending per listing divides a year of household spending on all food away from home by the coffee shops and cafes 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 | Custer County | Montana | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 17.9 | 19.2 | 11.0 |
| Spending per listing | $2M | $1.9M | $3.7M |
| Households per official establishment (all snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars) | 1,679 | 1,075 | 1,518 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +33.9% | +24.3% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +1.5% | +5.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,547 | $3,748 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $70,605 | $72,509 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 30 | 24 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 3All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars
- Employees, 2023
- 28
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $418K
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 0All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 91 chain location
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 5The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $100K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in Custer 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. These official figures cover all snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars, not only coffee shops and cafes.
Population and households in Custer County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 12,034+1.5% since 2020
- Households
- 5,038
- Median age
- 43.5
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 70%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.2
- Land area
- 3,783 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 3
- Median household income
- $70,605+33.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $85,295
- Median home value
- $219,100
- Jobs located here
- 5,790
- Daytime population
- 11,387Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Custer 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 coffee shops and cafes on map listings by name and distance.
Or open the report at the center of Custer County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardCoffee shops and cafes across Montana
Every Montana market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Montana for coffee shops and cafes, numbered among those based in Montana, with Custer County marked.
Top counties in Montana
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Ravalli County, MT | 50 | 32 | 17.1 | $2.1M | +9.4% | #1,025 of 2,063 |
| 2Lewis and Clark County, MT | 41 | 47 | 15.1 | $2.6M | +5.8% | #1,359 of 2,063 |
| 3Gallatin County, MT | 38 | 130 | 25.4 | $1.7M | +7.7% | #1,506 of 2,063 |
| 4Yellowstone County, MT | 37 | 107 | 15.3 | $2.5M | +4.5% | #1,530 of 2,063 |
| 5Carbon County, MT | 36 | 10 | 21.4 | $1.8M | +9.1% | #1,569 of 2,063 |
| 6Richland County, MT | 35 | 5 | 11.3 | $3.5M | −1.3% | #1,577 of 2,063 |
| 7Missoula County, MT | 34 | 95 | 18.0 | $2.1M | +4.4% | #1,635 of 2,063 |
| 8Flathead County, MT | 33 | 97 | 21.9 | $1.7M | +10.1% | #1,664 of 2,063 |
| 9Silver Bow County, MT | 31 | 21 | 13.6 | $2.4M | +2.6% | #1,722 of 2,063 |
| 10Lake County, MT | 31 | 30 | 23.9 | $1.5M | +6.9% | #1,731 of 2,063 |
| 11Custer County, MT | 30 | 9 | 17.9 | $2M | +1.5% | #1,762 of 2,063 |
Other business types in Custer County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes30
- Sit-down restaurants38
- Fast food and sandwich shops26
- Pizza26
- Coffee shops and cafes30
- Bakeries and dessert shops
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 coffee shops and cafes are in Custer County, MT?
Custer County has 9 coffee shops and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. One of them (11%) is a chain location. The listings count coffee, tea, juice and bubble tea shops, and cafes. Official counts show 3 businesses with payroll classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in 2023. That count covers all snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars (bakeries and dessert shops included), not only coffee shops and cafes.
How much do households in Custer County, MT spend on food away from home?
About $17.9M a year, or $3,547 per household. That is 13% below the U.S. average (an index of 87, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 9 coffee shops and cafes on map listings, it comes to $2M per cafe. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only coffee shops and cafes. It is estimated from the incomes of the 5,038 households in Custer County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Custer County, MT compare with the U.S. for coffee shops and cafes?
Custer County has 17.9 coffee shops and cafes per 10,000 households, 63% above the U.S. rate of 11.0. Spending per cafe is $2M, 46% below the U.S. figure of $3.7M. At the national ratio of coffee shops and cafes to household spending, Custer County would have about 5, against 9 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,679 households, against one for every 1,518 across the U.S.
How fast is Custer County, MT growing?
Population estimates put Custer County at 12,034 people in 2025, up 1.5% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 5,038 households. The median household income in Custer County is $70,605 a year, 13% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 33.3% 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. Custer County scores 30 for coffee shops and cafes (lower middle), #1,762 of 2,063 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Custer County. It maps the coffee shops and cafes 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 coffee shops and cafes · All 56 business types in Custer County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Custer 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 Custer 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.