Groundwork

Food and drink · County · Montana

Restaurants and cafes in Valley County, MT

Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for restaurants and cafes in Valley County, MT, set against other counties and the U.S.

Groundwork market score

Not scored

Counties under 10,000 people aren’t scored, since a few businesses can swing their figures.

Listings
39
9 chain locations (23%)
Official establishments
19
Businesses with payroll, 2023
Household spending a year
$10.4M
On food away from home · $3,518 a household
Spending per listing
$266K
28% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
132.2
20% above the U.S.
Population, 2025
7,385
−2.4% since 2020

See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Valley 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 Valley 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

Map listings as of September 2026 show 39 restaurants and cafes in Valley County. Of those, 9 are chain locations, or 23%, against 34% across the U.S. That is 132.2 per 10,000 households, 20% above the U.S. rate of 109.8.

Households in Valley County spend about $10.4M a year on food away from home, or $3,518 per household, 14% below the U.S. average. Spread across 39 restaurants and cafes, that is $266K per restaurant, 28% below the U.S. figure of $371K.

The official count of businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in Valley County was 19 in 2023. That is one for every 155 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $20K has gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Valley County.

Population estimates show Valley County declined 2.4% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S. Counties under 10,000 people aren’t given a market score, since a few businesses can swing their figures.

How Valley 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 Valley County, MT compared with Montana and the U.S.
MeasureValley CountyMontanaU.S.
Listings per 10k households132.2114.0109.8
Spending per listing$266K$329K$371K
Households per official establishment155200209
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023n/a+6.2%+6.0%
Population growth, 2020–2025−2.4%+5.3%+3.1%
Spending per household on food away from home$3,518$3,748$4,070
Median household income$71,695$72,509$80,734
Groundwork market scoreNot scored30

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
18 → 19
Employees, 2023
184
Annual payroll, 2023
$3M
One-person businesses, 2023
0Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
399 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
28The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
1
Amount
$20K

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

Population, 2025 estimate
7,385−2.4% since 2020
Households
2,951
Median age
44.8
Homes lived in by their owners
78%
Vehicles per household
2.4
Land area
4,926 sq. mi.
People per square mile
2
Median household income
$71,695
Average household income
$83,985
Median home value
$198,400
Jobs located here
2,747
Daytime population
7,222Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Valley 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 Valley 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 Valley 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
Valley County, MTNot scored39132.2$266K−2.4%

Other business types in Valley County

None has a Groundwork market score here. Counties under 10,000 people aren’t scored, since a few businesses can swing their figures.

Questions

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

There are 39 restaurants and cafes on map listings in Valley County as of September 2026. 9 of them (23%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 19 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023.

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

About $10.4M a year, or $3,518 per household. That is 14% below the U.S. average (an index of 86, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 39 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $266K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 2,951 households in Valley County and national spending patterns by income.

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

Valley County has 132.2 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 20% above the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $266K, 28% below the U.S. figure of $371K. At the national ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Valley County would have about 28, against 39 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 155 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S.

How fast is Valley County, MT growing?

Population estimates put Valley County at 7,385 people in 2025, down 2.4% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 2,951 households. The median household income in Valley County is $71,695 a year, 11% below the U.S. median of $80,734.

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. The score leaves out counties under 10,000 people, where a handful of businesses would swing it.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

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

Screening a site or an acquisition in Valley 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 Valley 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.