Food and drink · County · Montana
Fast food and sandwich shops in Flathead County, MT
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for fast food and sandwich shops in Flathead County, MT, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 70 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #372 of 2,222 scored counties
#6 of 17 scored counties in Montana
- Listings
- 51
- 37 chain locations (73%)
- Official establishments
- 77
- All limited-service restaurants · +16.7% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $168M
- On food away from home · $3,797 a household
- Spending per listing
- $3.3M
- 8% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 11.5
- 14% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 115,429
- +10.1% since 2020
See the fast food and sandwich shops around any address in Flathead County
The site report maps the fast food and sandwich shops 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
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 $3.3M of household spending for each shop on map listings, 8% above the U.S. figure of $3.1M. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only fast food and sandwich shops.
Flathead County has 51 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings as of September 2026. 37 of them (73%) are chain locations, against 79% across the U.S. That is 11.5 per 10,000 households, 14% below the U.S. rate of 13.3.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in Flathead County was 77 in 2023, up 16.7% from 2019. That is one for every 574 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S. That count covers all limited-service restaurants (pizza places included), not only fast food and sandwich shops. Another 18 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 3 SBA-backed loans worth $346K have gone to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in Flathead County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Flathead County grew 10.1%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for fast food and sandwich shops in Flathead County is 70 (upper middle), #372 of 2,222 scored counties and #6 of 17 scored counties in Montana. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
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 fast food and sandwich shops 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 | 11.5 | 11.7 | 13.3 |
| Spending per listing | $3.3M | $3.2M | $3.1M |
| Households per official establishment (all limited-service restaurants) | 574 | 569 | 478 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +16.7% | +5.5% | +6.1% |
| 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 | 70 | 60 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 66 → 77All limited-service restaurants · +16.7% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,739
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $38.8M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 18All limited-service restaurants with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 5137 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 55The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 3
- Amount
- $346K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants 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 limited-service restaurants, not only fast food and sandwich shops.
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 fast food and sandwich shops 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 cardFast food and sandwich shops across Montana
Every Montana market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Montana for fast food and sandwich shops, 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 | 85 | 15 | 8.0 | $4.5M | +9.4% | #57 of 2,222 |
| 2Lewis and Clark County, MT | 82 | 29 | 9.3 | $4.2M | +5.8% | #98 of 2,222 |
| 3Carbon County, MT | 75 | 6 | 12.9 | $3M | +9.1% | #238 of 2,222 |
| 4Gallatin County, MT | 73 | 54 | 10.5 | $4.1M | +7.7% | #280 of 2,222 |
| 5Lincoln County, MT | 72 | 5 | 5.5 | $5.5M | +13.1% | #294 of 2,222 |
| 6Flathead County, MT | 70 | 51 | 11.5 | $3.3M | +10.1% | #372 of 2,222 |
| 7Lake County, MT | 68 | 11 | 8.7 | $4M | +6.9% | #428 of 2,222 |
| 8Fergus County, MT | 60 | 6 | 11.3 | $2.9M | +3.1% | #758 of 2,222 |
| 9Park County, MT | 57 | 10 | 12.0 | $3.1M | +5.7% | #859 of 2,222 |
| 10Missoula County, MT | 56 | 76 | 14.4 | $2.7M | +4.4% | #925 of 2,222 |
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 fast food and sandwich shops are in Flathead County, MT?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 51 fast food and sandwich shops in Flathead County. 37 of them (73%) are chain locations. The listings count fast food, sandwich shops, delis and bagel shops. Official counts show 77 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in 2023, up 16.7% from 2019. The official count takes in all limited-service restaurants, not only fast food and sandwich shops: pizza places are counted too. Official counts list 18 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 51 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings, it comes to $3.3M per shop. That spending covers all food away from home, which fast food and sandwich shops 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 fast food and sandwich shops?
Flathead County has 11.5 fast food and sandwich shops per 10,000 households, 14% below the U.S. rate of 13.3. Spending per shop is $3.3M, 8% above the U.S. figure of $3.1M. At the U.S. ratio of fast food and sandwich shops to household spending, Flathead County would have about 55, against 51 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 574 households, against one for every 478 across the U.S. The official count rose 16.7% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.1% 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 70 for fast food and sandwich shops (upper middle), #372 of 2,222 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 fast food and sandwich shops 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 fast food and sandwich shops · 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.