Food and drink · County · Montana
Restaurants and cafes in Jefferson County, MT
How Jefferson County, MT compares with other counties and the U.S. for restaurants and cafes: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 85 out of 100: High
Ranked #62 of 2,405 scored counties
#1 of 21 scored counties in Montana
- Listings
- 35
- 6 chain locations (17%)
- Official establishments
- 18
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $21.8M
- On food away from home · $4,368 a household
- Spending per listing
- $623K
- 68% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 70.1
- 36% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 13,329
- +9.8% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Jefferson 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 Jefferson 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
For restaurants and cafes, Jefferson County has a Groundwork market score of 85 (high): #62 of 2,405 scored counties and #1 of 21 scored counties in Montana. That puts it in the top 10% of counties for restaurants and cafes.
At $4,368 per household (7% above the U.S. average), households in Jefferson County spend about $21.8M a year on food away from home. Spread across 35 restaurants and cafes, that is $623K per restaurant, 68% above the U.S. figure of $371K.
Jefferson County has 35 restaurants and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. Of those, 6 are chain locations, or 17%, against 34% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 70.1, 36% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in Jefferson County was 18 in 2023. That is one for every 278 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Jefferson County grew 9.8%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Jefferson 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 | Jefferson County | Montana | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 70.1 | 114.0 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $623K | $329K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 278 | 200 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +6.2% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +9.8% | +5.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $4,368 | $3,748 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $95,490 | $72,509 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 85 | 30 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 16 → 18
- Employees, 2023
- 169
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $3M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 3Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 356 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 59The 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 Jefferson 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 Jefferson County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 13,329+9.8% since 2020
- Households
- 4,996
- Median age
- 45.7
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 84%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.6
- Land area
- 1,657 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 8
- Median household income
- $95,490+37.1% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $123,428
- Median home value
- $446,900
- Jobs located here
- 2,743
- Daytime population
- 10,190Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Jefferson 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 Jefferson 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 Jefferson 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 Jefferson County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes85
- Sit-down restaurants76
- Fast food and sandwich shops
- Pizza80
- Coffee shops and cafes
- Bakeries and dessert shops
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 Jefferson County, MT?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 35 restaurants and cafes in Jefferson County. 6 of them (17%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 18 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 Jefferson County, MT spend on food away from home?
About $21.8M a year, or $4,368 per household. That is 7% above the U.S. average (an index of 107, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 35 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $623K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 4,996 households in Jefferson County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Jefferson County, MT compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Jefferson County has 70.1 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 36% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $623K, 68% above the U.S. figure of $371K. At the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Jefferson County would have about 59, against 35 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 278 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S.
How fast is Jefferson County, MT growing?
Population estimates put Jefferson County at 13,329 people in 2025, up 9.8% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 4,996 households. Median household income in Jefferson County is $95,490, 18% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 37.1%, 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. Jefferson County scores 85 for restaurants and cafes (high), #62 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Jefferson 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 Jefferson County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Jefferson 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 Jefferson 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.