Food and drink · Metro area · Montana
Coffee shops and cafes in the Great Falls, MT metro area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for coffee shops and cafes in the Great Falls, MT metro area, set against other metro areas and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 22 out of 100: Low
Ranked #374 of 387 scored metro areas
#5 of 5 scored metro areas based in Montana
- Listings
- 46
- 14 chain locations (30%)
- Official establishments
- 28
- All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars · +40.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $127.1M
- On food away from home · $3,567 a household
- Spending per listing
- $2.8M
- 25% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 12.9
- 17% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 85,029
- +0.7% since 2020
See the coffee shops and cafes around any address in the Great Falls metro area
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 the Great Falls metro 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 Great Falls metro area scores 22 (low) on the Groundwork market score for coffee shops and cafes, ranking #374 of 387 scored metro areas and #5 of 5 scored metro areas based in Montana. That puts it in the bottom quarter of metro areas.
Households in the Great Falls metro area spend about $127.1M a year on food away from home, or $3,567 per household, 12% below the U.S. average. That works out to $2.8M per cafe, 25% below the U.S. figure of $3.7M. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only coffee shops and cafes.
The Great Falls metro area has 46 coffee shops and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. Of those, 14 are chain locations, or 30%, against 39% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 12.9, 17% above the U.S. rate of 11.0.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in the Great Falls metro area was 28 in 2023, up 40.0% from 2019. That is one for every 1,272 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, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $165K has gone to businesses classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in the Great Falls metro area. Population estimates show the Great Falls metro area grew 0.7% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How the Great Falls metro area 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 | Great Falls metro area | Montana | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 12.9 | 19.2 | 11.0 |
| Spending per listing | $2.8M | $1.9M | $3.7M |
| Households per official establishment (all snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars) | 1,272 | 1,075 | 1,518 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +40.0% | +33.9% | +24.3% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +0.7% | +5.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,567 | $3,748 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $67,690 | $72,509 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 22 | 24 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 28All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars · +40.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 276
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $4.7M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 4All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 4614 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 34The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $165K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in the Great Falls metro 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. These official figures cover all snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars, not only coffee shops and cafes.
Population and households in the Great Falls metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 85,029+0.7% since 2020
- Households
- 35,615
- Median age
- 40.1
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 69%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 2,698 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 31
- Median household income
- $67,690+35.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $89,832
- Median home value
- $265,300
- Jobs located here
- 35,854
- Daytime population
- 84,523Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Great Falls metro area?
These figures cover the whole metro area. 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 the Great Falls metro area. 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 metro areas in Montana for coffee shops and cafes, numbered among those based in Montana, with the Great Falls metro area marked.
Top metro areas in Montana
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Helena, MT | 39 | 57 | 14.6 | $2.7M | +7.7% | #289 of 387 |
| 2Bozeman, MT | 35 | 130 | 25.4 | $1.7M | +7.7% | #315 of 387 |
| 3Billings, MT | 31 | 126 | 16.1 | $2.4M | +4.8% | #337 of 387 |
| 4Missoula, MT | 29 | 100 | 18.2 | $2.1M | +4.7% | #345 of 387 |
| 5Great Falls, MT | 22 | 46 | 12.9 | $2.8M | +0.7% | #374 of 387 |
Other business types in the Great Falls metro area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes35
- Sit-down restaurants48
- Fast food and sandwich shops45
- Pizza29
- Coffee shops and cafes22
- Bakeries and dessert shops51
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 the Great Falls, MT metro area?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 46 coffee shops and cafes in the Great Falls metro area. 14 of them (30%) are chain locations. The listings count coffee, tea, juice and bubble tea shops, and cafes. Official counts show 28 businesses with payroll classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in 2023, up 40.0% 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 4 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Great Falls, MT metro area spend on food away from home?
About $127.1M a year, or $3,567 per household. That is 12% below the U.S. average (an index of 88, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 46 coffee shops and cafes on map listings, it comes to $2.8M 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 35,615 households in the Great Falls metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Great Falls, MT metro area compare with the U.S. for coffee shops and cafes?
The Great Falls metro area has 12.9 coffee shops and cafes per 10,000 households, 17% above the U.S. rate of 11.0. Spending per cafe is $2.8M, 25% below the U.S. figure of $3.7M. At the U.S. ratio of coffee shops and cafes to household spending, the Great Falls metro area would have about 34, against 46 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,272 households, against one for every 1,518 across the U.S. The official count rose 40.0% from 2019 to 2023, against +24.3% for the U.S.
How fast is the Great Falls, MT metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Great Falls metro area at 85,029 people in 2025, up 0.7% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 35,615 households. Median household income in the Great Falls metro area is $67,690, 16% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 35.6%, 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. The Great Falls metro area scores 22 for coffee shops and cafes (low), #374 of 387 scored metro areas.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Great Falls metro area. 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 the Great Falls metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Great Falls metro 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 Great Falls metro 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.