Groundwork

Food and drink · County · North Dakota

Restaurants and cafes in Grand Forks County, ND

The restaurants and cafes in Grand Forks County, ND, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 54 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #1,021 of 2,405 scored counties
#5 of 14 scored counties in North Dakota

Listings
300
136 chain locations (45%)
Official establishments
123
+0.8% since 2019
Household spending a year
$116.5M
On food away from home · $3,723 a household
Spending per listing
$388K
5% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
95.9
13% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
74,501
+1.9% since 2020

See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Grand Forks 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 Grand Forks 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

Map listings as of September 2026 show 300 restaurants and cafes in Grand Forks County. 136 of them (45%) are chain locations, against 34% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 95.9, 13% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.

Households in Grand Forks County spend about $116.5M a year on food away from home, or $3,723 per household, 9% below the U.S. average. That works out to $388K per restaurant, 5% above the U.S. figure of $371K.

In 2023, official counts showed 123 businesses with payroll in Grand Forks County classed as restaurants and other eating places, up 0.8% from 2019. That is one for every 254 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Official counts list 16 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $490K have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Grand Forks County.

Population estimates put the population change in Grand Forks County from 2020 to 2025 at +1.9%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes in Grand Forks County is 54 (upper middle), #1,021 of 2,405 scored counties and #5 of 14 scored counties in North Dakota.

How Grand Forks County compares

The same measures for North Dakota 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 Grand Forks County, ND compared with North Dakota and the U.S.
MeasureGrand Forks CountyNorth DakotaU.S.
Listings per 10k households95.9105.1109.8
Spending per listing$388K$375K$371K
Households per official establishment254247209
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+0.8%+7.5%+6.0%
Population growth, 2020–2025+1.9%+2.5%+3.1%
Spending per household on food away from home$3,723$3,940$4,070
Median household income$68,075$76,657$80,734
Groundwork market score5462

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
122 → 123+0.8% over the period
Employees, 2023
2,934
Annual payroll, 2023
$58.6M
One-person businesses, 2023
16Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
300136 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
314The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
2
Amount
$490K

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

Population, 2025 estimate
74,501+1.9% since 2020
Households
31,295
Median age
33.2
Homes lived in by their owners
52%
Vehicles per household
1.8
Land area
1,436 sq. mi.
People per square mile
51
Median household income
$68,075+26.0% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$92,591
Median home value
$252,700
Jobs located here
38,188
Daytime population
77,655Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

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

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Restaurants and cafes across North Dakota

Every North Dakota market ranked →

The highest-scoring counties in North Dakota for restaurants and cafes, numbered among those based in North Dakota, with Grand Forks County marked.

Top counties in North Dakota

Counties in North Dakota ranked for restaurants and cafes by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Morton County, ND8010877.4$514K+3.8%#141 of 2,405
2McKenzie County, ND7360100.1$461K+2.8%#321 of 2,405
3Burleigh County, ND6737891.6$461K+4.7%#486 of 2,405
4Cass County, ND64848101.0$391K+9.1%#620 of 2,405
5Grand Forks County, ND5430095.9$388K+1.9%#1,021 of 2,405
6Richland County, ND5071103.7$376K+1.2%#1,187 of 2,405
7Stutsman County, ND488489.0$401K−0.6%#1,267 of 2,405
8Ward County, ND46289101.2$394K−2.4%#1,342 of 2,405
9Williams County, ND46177116.8$366K+1.4%#1,358 of 2,405
10Barnes County, ND4553108.0$336K−2.7%#1,420 of 2,405

Other business types in Grand Forks County

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

Funeral services

Questions

How many restaurants and cafes are in Grand Forks County, ND?

There are 300 restaurants and cafes on map listings in Grand Forks County as of September 2026. 136 of them (45%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 123 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 0.8% from 2019. Official counts also show 16 one-person businesses without payroll.

How much do households in Grand Forks County, ND spend on food away from home?

About $116.5M a year, or $3,723 per household. That is 9% below the U.S. average (an index of 91, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 300 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $388K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 31,295 households in Grand Forks County and national spending patterns by income.

How does Grand Forks County, ND compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?

Grand Forks County has 95.9 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 13% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $388K, 5% above the U.S. figure of $371K. At the national ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Grand Forks County would have about 314, against 300 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 254 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 0.8% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.

How fast is Grand Forks County, ND growing?

Population estimates put Grand Forks County at 74,501 people in 2025, up 1.9% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 31,295 households. The median household income in Grand Forks County is $68,075 a year, 16% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 26.0% 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. Grand Forks County scores 54 for restaurants and cafes (upper middle), #1,021 of 2,405 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Grand Forks 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 Grand Forks County

Screening a site or an acquisition in Grand Forks County?

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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.