Groundwork

Food and drink · County · Montana

Restaurants and cafes in Glacier County, MT

The restaurants and cafes in Glacier County, MT, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 9 out of 100: Very low

Ranked #2,399 of 2,405 scored counties
#21 of 21 scored counties in Montana

Listings
68
12 chain locations (18%)
Official establishments
23
Businesses with payroll, 2023
Household spending a year
$13.2M
On food away from home · $3,065 a household
Spending per listing
$193K
48% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
158.5
44% above the U.S.
Population, 2025
13,463
−2.0% since 2020

See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Glacier 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 Glacier County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

Survey 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 restaurants and cafes in Glacier County is 9 (very low), #2,399 of 2,405 scored counties and #21 of 21 scored counties in Montana. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.

Map listings as of September 2026 show 68 restaurants and cafes in Glacier County. Of those, 12 are chain locations, or 18%, against 34% across the U.S. That comes to 158.5 for every 10,000 households, 44% above the U.S. rate of 109.8.

At $3,065 per household (25% below the U.S. average), households in Glacier County spend about $13.2M a year on food away from home. That is about $193K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 48% below the U.S. figure of $371K.

The official count of businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in Glacier County was 23 in 2023. That is one for every 187 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Glacier County declined 2.0%, against +3.1% for the U.S.

How Glacier 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.

Restaurants and cafes in Glacier County, MT compared with Montana and the U.S.
MeasureGlacier CountyMontanaU.S.
Listings per 10k households158.5114.0109.8
Spending per listing$193K$329K$371K
Households per official establishment187200209
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023n/a+6.2%+6.0%
Population growth, 2020–2025−2.0%+5.3%+3.1%
Spending per household on food away from home$3,065$3,748$4,070
Median household income$46,875$72,509$80,734
Groundwork market score930

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
19 → 23
Employees, 2023
190
Annual payroll, 2023
$4.3M
One-person businesses, 2023
3Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
6812 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
36The 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 restaurants and other eating places in Glacier 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 Glacier County

Population, 2025 estimate
13,463−2.0% since 2020
Households
4,291
Median age
34.3
Homes lived in by their owners
64%
Vehicles per household
1.9
Land area
2,995 sq. mi.
People per square mile
5
Median household income
$46,875+30.1% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$67,150
Median home value
$165,100
Jobs located here
3,810
Daytime population
13,755Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Glacier 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 Glacier County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

Restaurants 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 Glacier County marked.

Top counties in Montana

Counties in Montana ranked for restaurants and cafes by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Jefferson County, MT853570.1$623K+9.8%#62 of 2,405
2Ravalli County, MT6617493.2$390K+9.4%#527 of 2,405
3Lewis and Clark County, MT6229393.9$418K+5.8%#688 of 2,405
4Yellowstone County, MT5468598.0$397K+4.5%#1,019 of 2,405
5Big Horn County, MT522770.6$444K−2.5%#1,086 of 2,405
6Missoula County, MT51552104.8$366K+4.4%#1,157 of 2,405
7Gallatin County, MT43731142.7$306K+7.7%#1,513 of 2,405
8Sanders County, MT4259108.2$297K+12.9%#1,556 of 2,405
9Flathead County, MT41536121.2$313K+10.1%#1,590 of 2,405
10Cascade County, MT40357100.2$356K+0.7%#1,615 of 2,405
21Glacier County, MT968158.5$193K−2.0%#2,399 of 2,405

Other business types in Glacier County

Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.

Questions

How many restaurants and cafes are in Glacier County, MT?

There are 68 restaurants and cafes on map listings in Glacier County as of September 2026. 12 of them (18%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 23 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023. Official counts also show 3 one-person businesses without payroll.

How much do households in Glacier County, MT spend on food away from home?

About $13.2M a year, or $3,065 per household. That is 25% below the U.S. average (an index of 75, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 68 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $193K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 4,291 households in Glacier County and national spending patterns by income.

How does Glacier County, MT compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?

Glacier County has 158.5 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 44% above the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $193K, 48% below the U.S. figure of $371K. At the national ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Glacier County would have about 36, against 68 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 187 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S.

How fast is Glacier County, MT growing?

Population estimates put Glacier County at 13,463 people in 2025, down 2.0% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 4,291 households. The median household income in Glacier County is $46,875 a year, 42% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 30.1% 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. 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. Glacier County scores 9 for restaurants and cafes (very low), #2,399 of 2,405 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Glacier 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 Glacier County

Screening a site or an acquisition in Glacier 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 Glacier 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.