Food and drink · County · Montana
Restaurants and cafes in Lewis and Clark County, MT
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for restaurants and cafes in Lewis and Clark County, MT, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 62 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #688 of 2,405 scored counties
#3 of 21 scored counties in Montana
- Listings
- 293
- 93 chain locations (32%)
- Official establishments
- 135
- +4.7% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $122.5M
- On food away from home · $3,925 a household
- Spending per listing
- $418K
- 13% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 93.9
- 14% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 75,331
- +5.8% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Lewis and Clark 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 Lewis and Clark 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 Lewis and Clark County spend about $122.5M a year on food away from home, or $3,925 per household, 4% below the U.S. average. Spread across 293 restaurants and cafes, that is $418K per restaurant, 13% above the U.S. figure of $371K.
There are 293 restaurants and cafes on map listings in Lewis and Clark County as of September 2026. Of those, 93 are chain locations, or 32%, against 34% across the U.S. That comes to 93.9 for every 10,000 households, 14% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.
Official counts show 135 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in Lewis and Clark County in 2023, up 4.7% from 2019. That is one for every 231 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Official counts also show 21 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 5 SBA-backed loans worth $2.5M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Lewis and Clark County.
Population estimates put the population change in Lewis and Clark County from 2020 to 2025 at +5.8%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). For restaurants and cafes, Lewis and Clark County has a Groundwork market score of 62 (upper middle): #688 of 2,405 scored counties and #3 of 21 scored counties in Montana.
How Lewis and Clark 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 | Lewis and Clark County | Montana | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 93.9 | 114.0 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $418K | $329K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 231 | 200 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +4.7% | +6.2% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +5.8% | +5.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,925 | $3,748 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $78,237 | $72,509 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 62 | 30 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 129 → 135+4.7% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 2,564
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $57.9M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 21Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 29393 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 330The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 5
- Amount
- $2.5M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Lewis and Clark 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 Lewis and Clark County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 75,331+5.8% since 2020
- Households
- 31,215
- Median age
- 42.1
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 70%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 3,458 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 21
- Median household income
- $78,237+18.9% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $104,055
- Median home value
- $393,500
- Jobs located here
- 41,168
- Daytime population
- 78,294Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Lewis and Clark 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 Lewis and Clark 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 Lewis and Clark 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 Lewis and Clark County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes62
- Sit-down restaurants62
- Fast food and sandwich shops82
- Pizza81
- Coffee shops and cafes41
- 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 Lewis and Clark County, MT?
As of September 2026, map listings count 293 restaurants and cafes in Lewis and Clark County. 93 of them (32%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 135 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 4.7% from 2019. Another 21 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Lewis and Clark County, MT spend on food away from home?
About $122.5M a year, or $3,925 per household. That is 4% below the U.S. average (an index of 96, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 293 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $418K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 31,215 households in Lewis and Clark County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Lewis and Clark County, MT compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Lewis and Clark County has 93.9 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 14% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $418K, 13% above the U.S. figure of $371K. At the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Lewis and Clark County would have about 330, against 293 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 231 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 4.7% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Lewis and Clark County, MT growing?
Population estimates put Lewis and Clark County at 75,331 people in 2025, up 5.8% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 31,215 households. Median household income in Lewis and Clark County is $78,237, 3% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 18.9%, 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. Lewis and Clark County scores 62 for restaurants and cafes (upper middle), #688 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Lewis and Clark 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 Lewis and Clark County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Lewis and Clark 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 Lewis and Clark 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.