Food and drink · Small-town market · Idaho
Restaurants and cafes in the Sandpoint, ID area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for restaurants and cafes in the Sandpoint, ID area, set against other small-town markets and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 48 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #285 of 538 scored small-town markets
#4 of 7 scored small-town markets based in Idaho
- Listings
- 237
- 35 chain locations (15%)
- Official establishments
- 100
- +2.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $74M
- On food away from home · $3,646 a household
- Spending per listing
- $312K
- 16% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 116.8
- 6% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 54,420
- +14.8% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in the Sandpoint area
The site report maps the restaurants 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 Sandpoint 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
Map listings as of September 2026 show 237 restaurants and cafes in the Sandpoint area. Chain locations make up 15% of them, against 34% across the U.S. That comes to 116.8 for every 10,000 households, 6% above the U.S. rate of 109.8.
Households in the Sandpoint area spend about $74M a year on food away from home, or $3,646 per household, 10% below the U.S. average. Spread across 237 restaurants and cafes, that is $312K per restaurant, 16% below the U.S. figure of $371K.
Official counts show 100 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in the Sandpoint area in 2023, up 2.0% from 2019. That is one for every 203 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Official counts list 19 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 11 SBA-backed loans worth $1.9M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in the Sandpoint area.
Population estimates show the Sandpoint area grew 14.8% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Sandpoint area scores 48 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes, ranking #285 of 538 scored small-town markets and #4 of 7 scored small-town markets based in Idaho.
How the Sandpoint area compares
The same measures for Idaho and the whole U.S. Spending per listing divides a year of household spending on all food away from home by the restaurants 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 | Sandpoint area | Idaho | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 116.8 | 105.4 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $312K | $366K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 203 | 214 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +2.0% | +13.2% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +14.8% | +9.8% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,646 | $3,857 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $66,979 | $77,800 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 48 | 53 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 100+2.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,303
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $32.3M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 19Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 23735 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 200The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 11
- Amount
- $1.9M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in the Sandpoint 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.
Population and households in the Sandpoint area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 54,420+14.8% since 2020
- Households
- 20,283
- Median age
- 47.4
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 78%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.1
- Land area
- 1,733 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 29
- Median household income
- $66,979+33.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $98,751
- Median home value
- $487,900
- Jobs located here
- 16,328
- Daytime population
- 48,152Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Sandpoint area?
These figures cover the whole small-town market. A site report draws rings around one address and counts what’s inside them: households, spending, jobs, and the restaurants and cafes on map listings by name and distance.
Or open the report at the center of the Sandpoint area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardRestaurants and cafes across Idaho
Every Idaho market ranked →The highest-scoring small-town markets in Idaho for restaurants and cafes, numbered among those based in Idaho (a market based in another state is listed without a number), with the Sandpoint area marked.
Top small-town markets in Idaho
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Blackfoot, ID | 93 | 115 | 71.3 | $530K | +6.4% | #2 of 538 |
| Brigham City, UT-ID | 87 | 161 | 75.0 | $521K | +12.6% | #7 of 538 |
| 2Mountain Home, ID | 54 | 110 | 99.4 | $350K | +2.8% | #227 of 538 |
| 3Burley, ID | 53 | 177 | 106.6 | $332K | +6.2% | #238 of 538 |
| 4Sandpoint, ID | 48 | 237 | 116.8 | $312K | +14.8% | #285 of 538 |
| 5Moscow, ID | 46 | 177 | 108.8 | $321K | +5.6% | #311 of 538 |
| Ontario, OR-ID | 41 | 205 | 102.6 | $326K | +5.0% | #365 of 538 |
| 6Hailey, ID | 40 | 208 | 164.7 | $251K | +6.1% | #381 of 538 |
| Jackson, WY-ID | 39 | 308 | 212.3 | $238K | +4.2% | #388 of 538 |
| 7Rexburg, ID | 35 | 222 | 123.5 | $278K | +4.5% | #418 of 538 |
Other business types in the Sandpoint area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes48
- Sit-down restaurants58
- Fast food and sandwich shops88
- Pizza73
- Coffee shops and cafes36
- Bakeries and dessert shops66
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 restaurants and cafes are in the Sandpoint, ID area?
There are 237 restaurants and cafes on map listings in the Sandpoint area as of September 2026. 35 of them (15%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 100 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 2.0% from 2019. Official counts also show 19 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Sandpoint, ID area spend on food away from home?
About $74M a year, or $3,646 per household. That is 10% below the U.S. average (an index of 90, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 237 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $312K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 20,283 households in the Sandpoint area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Sandpoint, ID area compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
The Sandpoint area has 116.8 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 6% above the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $312K, 16% below the U.S. figure of $371K. At the national ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, the Sandpoint area would have about 200, against 237 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 203 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 2.0% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is the Sandpoint, ID area growing?
Population estimates put the Sandpoint area at 54,420 people in 2025, up 14.8% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 20,283 households. The median household income in the Sandpoint area is $66,979 a year, 17% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 33.3% from the 2015–2019 survey, 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. A small-town market is a town of 10,000 to 50,000 people and the county or counties tied to it by commuting. 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 Sandpoint area scores 48 for restaurants and cafes (lower middle), #285 of 538 scored small-town markets.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Sandpoint area. It maps the restaurants 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 restaurants and cafes · All 56 business types in the Sandpoint area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Sandpoint 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 Sandpoint 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.