Food and drink · County · Montana
Coffee shops and cafes in Flathead County, MT
How Flathead County, MT compares with other counties and the U.S. for coffee shops and cafes: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 33 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,664 of 2,063 scored counties
#8 of 20 scored counties in Montana
- Listings
- 97
- 19 chain locations (20%)
- Official establishments
- 63
- All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars · +14.6% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $168M
- On food away from home · $3,797 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.7M
- 53% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 21.9
- 99% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 115,429
- +10.1% since 2020
See the coffee shops and cafes around any address in Flathead 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 Flathead 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 Flathead County is 33 (lower middle), #1,664 of 2,063 scored counties and #8 of 20 scored counties in Montana. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
Households in Flathead County spend about $168M a year on food away from home, or $3,797 per household, 7% below the U.S. average. That is about $1.7M of household spending for each cafe on map listings, 53% below the U.S. figure of $3.7M. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only coffee shops and cafes.
There are 97 coffee shops and cafes on map listings in Flathead County as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 20% of them, against 39% across the U.S. That comes to 21.9 for every 10,000 households, 99% above the U.S. rate of 11.0.
Official counts show 63 businesses with payroll classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in Flathead County in 2023, up 14.6% from 2019. That is one for every 702 households, against one for every 1,518 across the U.S. That count covers all snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars (bakeries and dessert shops included), not only coffee shops and cafes. Since fiscal 2022, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $1.2M have gone to businesses classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in Flathead County. Population estimates show Flathead County grew 10.1% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Flathead 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 | Flathead County | Montana | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 21.9 | 19.2 | 11.0 |
| Spending per listing | $1.7M | $1.9M | $3.7M |
| Households per official establishment (all snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars) | 702 | 1,075 | 1,518 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +14.6% | +33.9% | +24.3% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +10.1% | +5.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,797 | $3,748 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $73,925 | $72,509 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 33 | 24 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 55 → 63All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars · +14.6% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 541
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $11.2M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 5All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 9719 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 45The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 2
- Amount
- $1.2M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in Flathead 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 Flathead County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 115,429+10.1% since 2020
- Households
- 44,233
- Median age
- 43.2
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 72%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.1
- Land area
- 5,087 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 22
- Median household income
- $73,925+31.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $99,728
- Median home value
- $535,500
- Jobs located here
- 49,504
- Daytime population
- 110,772Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Flathead 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 Flathead 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 Flathead 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 |
Other business types in Flathead County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes41
- Sit-down restaurants47
- Fast food and sandwich shops70
- Pizza66
- Coffee shops and cafes33
- Bakeries and dessert shops45
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 Flathead County, MT?
As of September 2026, map listings count 97 coffee shops and cafes in Flathead County. 19 of them (20%) are chain locations. The listings count coffee, tea, juice and bubble tea shops, and cafes. Official counts show 63 businesses with payroll classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in 2023, up 14.6% from 2019. The official count takes in all snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars, not only coffee shops and cafes: bakeries and dessert shops are counted too. Official counts list 5 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Flathead County, MT spend on food away from home?
About $168M a year, or $3,797 per household. That is 7% below the U.S. average (an index of 93, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 97 coffee shops and cafes on map listings, it comes to $1.7M per cafe. That spending covers all food away from home, which coffee shops and cafes share with other businesses in the trade. It is estimated from the incomes of the 44,233 households in Flathead County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Flathead County, MT compare with the U.S. for coffee shops and cafes?
Flathead County has 21.9 coffee shops and cafes per 10,000 households, 99% above the U.S. rate of 11.0. Spending per cafe is $1.7M, 53% below the U.S. figure of $3.7M. At the U.S. ratio of coffee shops and cafes to household spending, Flathead County would have about 45, against 97 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 702 households, against one for every 1,518 across the U.S. The official count rose 14.6% from 2019 to 2023, against +24.3% for the U.S.
How fast is Flathead County, MT growing?
Population estimates put Flathead County at 115,429 people in 2025, up 10.1% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 44,233 households. Median household income in Flathead County is $73,925, 8% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 31.6%, 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. Flathead County scores 33 for coffee shops and cafes (lower middle), #1,664 of 2,063 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Flathead 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 Flathead County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Flathead 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 Flathead 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.