Food and drink · County · Montana
Restaurants and cafes in Flathead County, MT
The restaurants and cafes in Flathead County, MT, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 41 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,590 of 2,405 scored counties
#9 of 21 scored counties in Montana
- Listings
- 536
- 139 chain locations (26%)
- Official establishments
- 253
- +2.9% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $168M
- On food away from home · $3,797 a household
- Spending per listing
- $313K
- 15% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 121.2
- 10% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 115,429
- +10.1% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Flathead County
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 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
At $3,797 per household (7% below the U.S. average), households in Flathead County spend about $168M a year on food away from home. Spread across 536 restaurants and cafes, that is $313K per restaurant, 15% below the U.S. figure of $371K.
Flathead County has 536 restaurants and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. Of those, 139 are chain locations, or 26%, against 34% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 121.2, 10% above the U.S. rate of 109.8.
In 2023, official counts showed 253 businesses with payroll in Flathead County classed as restaurants and other eating places, up 2.9% from 2019. That is one for every 175 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Another 44 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 6 SBA-backed loans worth $2M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Flathead County.
Population estimates show Flathead County grew 10.1% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). For restaurants and cafes, Flathead County has a Groundwork market score of 41 (lower middle): #1,590 of 2,405 scored counties and #9 of 21 scored counties in Montana.
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 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 | Flathead County | Montana | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 121.2 | 114.0 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $313K | $329K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 175 | 200 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +2.9% | +6.2% | +6.0% |
| 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 | 41 | 30 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 246 → 253+2.9% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 4,631
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $111.2M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 44Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 536139 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 453The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 6
- Amount
- $2M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places 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.
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 restaurants and cafes 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 cardRestaurants and cafes across Montana
Every Montana market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Montana for restaurants and cafes, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Jefferson County, MT | 85 | 35 | 70.1 | $623K | +9.8% | #62 of 2,405 |
| 2Ravalli County, MT | 66 | 174 | 93.2 | $390K | +9.4% | #527 of 2,405 |
| 3Lewis and Clark County, MT | 62 | 293 | 93.9 | $418K | +5.8% | #688 of 2,405 |
| 4Yellowstone County, MT | 54 | 685 | 98.0 | $397K | +4.5% | #1,019 of 2,405 |
| 5Big Horn County, MT | 52 | 27 | 70.6 | $444K | −2.5% | #1,086 of 2,405 |
| 6Missoula County, MT | 51 | 552 | 104.8 | $366K | +4.4% | #1,157 of 2,405 |
| 7Gallatin County, MT | 43 | 731 | 142.7 | $306K | +7.7% | #1,513 of 2,405 |
| 8Sanders County, MT | 42 | 59 | 108.2 | $297K | +12.9% | #1,556 of 2,405 |
| 9Flathead County, MT | 41 | 536 | 121.2 | $313K | +10.1% | #1,590 of 2,405 |
| 10Cascade County, MT | 40 | 357 | 100.2 | $356K | +0.7% | #1,615 of 2,405 |
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 restaurants and cafes are in Flathead County, MT?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 536 restaurants and cafes in Flathead County. 139 of them (26%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 253 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 2.9% from 2019. Official counts list 44 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 536 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $313K per restaurant. 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 restaurants and cafes?
Flathead County has 121.2 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 10% above the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $313K, 15% below the U.S. figure of $371K. At the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Flathead County would have about 453, against 536 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 175 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 2.9% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% 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 41 for restaurants and cafes (lower middle), #1,590 of 2,405 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 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 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.