Food and drink · County · Montana
Fast food and sandwich shops in Lake County, MT
How Lake County, MT compares with other counties and the U.S. for fast food and sandwich shops: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 68 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #428 of 2,222 scored counties
#7 of 17 scored counties in Montana
- Listings
- 11
- 9 chain locations (82%)
- Official establishments
- 23
- All limited-service restaurants
- Household spending a year
- $44.1M
- On food away from home · $3,509 a household
- Spending per listing
- $4M
- 31% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 8.7
- 35% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 33,392
- +6.9% since 2020
See the fast food and sandwich shops around any address in Lake 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 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
Households in Lake County spend about $44.1M a year on food away from home, or $3,509 per household, 14% below the U.S. average. Spread across 11 fast food and sandwich shops, that is $4M per shop, 31% above the U.S. figure of $3.1M. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only fast food and sandwich shops.
Lake County has 11 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings as of September 2026. Of those, 9 are chain locations, or 82%, against 79% across the U.S. That comes to 8.7 for every 10,000 households, 35% below the U.S. rate of 13.3.
Official counts show 23 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in Lake County in 2023. That is one for every 547 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. Official counts list 3 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $135K has gone to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants in Lake County.
Population estimates put the population change in Lake County from 2020 to 2025 at +6.9%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). For fast food and sandwich shops, Lake County has a Groundwork market score of 68 (upper middle): #428 of 2,222 scored counties and #7 of 17 scored counties in Montana. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
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 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 | Lake County | Montana | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 8.7 | 11.7 | 13.3 |
| Spending per listing | $4M | $3.2M | $3.1M |
| Households per official establishment (all limited-service restaurants) | 547 | 569 | 478 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +5.5% | +6.1% |
| 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 | 68 | 60 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 18 → 23All limited-service restaurants
- Employees, 2023
- 313
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $5.3M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 3All limited-service restaurants with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 119 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 15The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $135K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as limited-service restaurants 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 limited-service restaurants, not only fast food and sandwich shops.
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 fast food and sandwich shops 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 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 Lake 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 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 fast food and sandwich shops are in Lake County, MT?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 11 fast food and sandwich shops in Lake County. 9 of them (82%) are chain locations. The listings count fast food, sandwich shops, delis and bagel shops. Official counts show 23 businesses with payroll classed as limited-service restaurants in 2023. The official count takes in all limited-service restaurants, not only fast food and sandwich shops: pizza places are counted too. Official counts also show 3 one-person businesses without payroll.
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 11 fast food and sandwich shops on map listings, it comes to $4M 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 12,576 households in Lake County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Lake County, MT compare with the U.S. for fast food and sandwich shops?
Lake County has 8.7 fast food and sandwich shops per 10,000 households, 35% below the U.S. rate of 13.3. Spending per shop is $4M, 31% above the U.S. figure of $3.1M. At the U.S. ratio of fast food and sandwich shops to household spending, Lake County would have about 15, against 11 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 547 households, against one for every 478 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 68 for fast food and sandwich shops (upper middle), #428 of 2,222 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 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 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.