Food and drink · County · Montana
Coffee shops and cafes in Lake County, MT
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for coffee shops and cafes in Lake County, MT, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 31 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,731 of 2,063 scored counties
#10 of 20 scored counties in Montana
- Listings
- 30
- 6 chain locations (20%)
- Official establishments
- 10
- All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars
- Household spending a year
- $44.1M
- On food away from home · $3,509 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.5M
- 60% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 23.9
- 2.2 times the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 33,392
- +6.9% since 2020
See the coffee shops and cafes around any address in Lake 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 Lake 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 Lake County is 31 (lower middle), #1,731 of 2,063 scored counties and #10 of 20 scored counties in Montana. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
Household spending on food away from home in Lake County comes to about $44.1M a year: $3,509 per household, 14% below the U.S. average. That works out to $1.5M per cafe, 60% 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 30 coffee shops and cafes on map listings in Lake County as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 20% of them, against 39% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 23.9, 2.2 times the U.S. rate of 11.0.
Official counts show 10 businesses with payroll classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in Lake County in 2023. That is one for every 1,258 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. Population estimates put the population change in Lake County from 2020 to 2025 at +6.9%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Lake 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 | Lake County | Montana | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 23.9 | 19.2 | 11.0 |
| Spending per listing | $1.5M | $1.9M | $3.7M |
| Households per official establishment (all snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars) | 1,258 | 1,075 | 1,518 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +33.9% | +24.3% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +6.9% | +5.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,509 | $3,748 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $63,360 | $72,509 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 31 | 24 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 6 → 10All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars
- Employees, 2023
- 52
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $813K
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 3All snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 306 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 12The 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 snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in Lake 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 Lake County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 33,392+6.9% since 2020
- Households
- 12,576
- Median age
- 44.1
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 75%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.3
- Land area
- 1,491 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 22
- Median household income
- $63,360+29.8% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $90,243
- Median home value
- $421,800
- Jobs located here
- 9,693
- Daytime population
- 30,848Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Lake 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 Lake 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 Lake 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 Lake County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes37
- Sit-down restaurants40
- Fast food and sandwich shops68
- Pizza64
- Coffee shops and cafes31
- 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 Lake County, MT?
As of September 2026, map listings count 30 coffee shops and cafes in Lake County. 6 of them (20%) are chain locations. The listings count coffee, tea, juice and bubble tea shops, and cafes. Official counts show 10 businesses with payroll classed as snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars in 2023. The official count takes in all snack and nonalcoholic beverage bars, not only coffee shops and cafes: bakeries and dessert shops are counted too. Another 3 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Lake County, MT spend on food away from home?
About $44.1M a year, or $3,509 per household. That is 14% below the U.S. average (an index of 86, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 30 coffee shops and cafes on map listings, it comes to $1.5M 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 12,576 households in Lake County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Lake County, MT compare with the U.S. for coffee shops and cafes?
Lake County has 23.9 coffee shops and cafes per 10,000 households, 2.2 times the U.S. rate of 11.0. Spending per cafe is $1.5M, 60% below the U.S. figure of $3.7M. At the U.S. ratio of coffee shops and cafes to household spending, Lake County would have about 12, against 30 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,258 households, against one for every 1,518 across the U.S.
How fast is Lake County, MT growing?
Population estimates put Lake County at 33,392 people in 2025, up 6.9% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 12,576 households. Median household income in Lake County is $63,360, 22% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 29.8%, 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. Lake County scores 31 for coffee shops and cafes (lower middle), #1,731 of 2,063 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Lake 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 Lake County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Lake 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 Lake 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.