Groundwork

Food and drink · County · Montana

Restaurants and cafes in Ravalli County, MT

How Ravalli 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 66 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #527 of 2,405 scored counties
#2 of 21 scored counties in Montana

Listings
174
36 chain locations (21%)
Official establishments
61
+7.0% since 2019
Household spending a year
$67.9M
On food away from home · $3,639 a household
Spending per listing
$390K
5% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
93.2
15% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
48,582
+9.4% since 2020

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

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Survey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure

What this means

At $3,639 per household (11% below the U.S. average), households in Ravalli County spend about $67.9M a year on food away from home. That is about $390K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 5% above the U.S. figure of $371K.

There are 174 restaurants and cafes on map listings in Ravalli County as of September 2026. 36 of them (21%) are chain locations, against 34% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 93.2, 15% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.

Official counts show 61 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in Ravalli County in 2023, up 7.0% from 2019. That is one for every 306 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Official counts also show 11 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 3 SBA-backed loans worth $2M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Ravalli County.

Population estimates put the population change in Ravalli County from 2020 to 2025 at +9.4%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). For restaurants and cafes, Ravalli County has a Groundwork market score of 66 (upper middle): #527 of 2,405 scored counties and #2 of 21 scored counties in Montana. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.

How Ravalli 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 Ravalli County, MT compared with Montana and the U.S.
MeasureRavalli CountyMontanaU.S.
Listings per 10k households93.2114.0109.8
Spending per listing$390K$329K$371K
Households per official establishment306200209
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+7.0%+6.2%+6.0%
Population growth, 2020–2025+9.4%+5.3%+3.1%
Spending per household on food away from home$3,639$3,748$4,070
Median household income$71,283$72,509$80,734
Groundwork market score6630

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
57 → 61+7.0% over the period
Employees, 2023
919
Annual payroll, 2023
$18.4M
One-person businesses, 2023
11Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
17436 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
183The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
3
Amount
$2M

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Ravalli 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 Ravalli County

Population, 2025 estimate
48,582+9.4% since 2020
Households
18,661
Median age
48.6
Homes lived in by their owners
79%
Vehicles per household
2.3
Land area
2,391 sq. mi.
People per square mile
20
Median household income
$71,283+34.4% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$93,389
Median home value
$476,600
Jobs located here
14,115
Daytime population
42,116Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

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

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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 Ravalli 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

Other business types in Ravalli County

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

Questions

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

As of September 2026, map listings count 174 restaurants and cafes in Ravalli County. 36 of them (21%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 61 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 7.0% from 2019. Another 11 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.

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

About $67.9M a year, or $3,639 per household. That is 11% below the U.S. average (an index of 89, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 174 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $390K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 18,661 households in Ravalli County and national spending patterns by income.

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

Ravalli County has 93.2 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 15% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $390K, 5% above the U.S. figure of $371K. At the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Ravalli County would have about 183, against 174 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 306 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 7.0% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.

How fast is Ravalli County, MT growing?

Population estimates put Ravalli County at 48,582 people in 2025, up 9.4% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 18,661 households. Median household income in Ravalli County is $71,283, 12% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 34.4%, 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. Ravalli County scores 66 for restaurants and cafes (upper middle), #527 of 2,405 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

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

Screening a site or an acquisition in Ravalli 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 Ravalli 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.