Food and drink · County · North Dakota
Restaurants and cafes in Morton County, ND
How Morton County, ND 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 80 out of 100: High
Ranked #141 of 2,405 scored counties
#1 of 14 scored counties in North Dakota
- Listings
- 108
- 32 chain locations (30%)
- Official establishments
- 41
- +32.3% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $55.6M
- On food away from home · $3,984 a household
- Spending per listing
- $514K
- 39% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 77.4
- 30% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 34,601
- +3.8% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Morton 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 Morton 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, Morton County has a Groundwork market score of 80 (high): #141 of 2,405 scored counties and #1 of 14 scored counties in North Dakota. That puts it in the top 10% of counties for restaurants and cafes.
As of September 2026, map listings count 108 restaurants and cafes in Morton County. Of those, 32 are chain locations, or 30%, against 34% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 77.4, 30% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.
Households in Morton County spend about $55.6M a year on food away from home, or $3,984 per household, 2% below the U.S. average. That works out to $514K per restaurant, 39% above the U.S. figure of $371K.
In 2023, official counts showed 41 businesses with payroll in Morton County classed as restaurants and other eating places, up 32.3% from 2019. That is one for every 340 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 3 SBA-backed loans worth $1.2M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Morton County. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Morton County grew 3.8%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Morton 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.
| Measure | Morton County | North Dakota | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 77.4 | 105.1 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $514K | $375K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 340 | 247 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +32.3% | +7.5% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +3.8% | +2.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,984 | $3,940 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $79,382 | $76,657 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 80 | 62 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 31 → 41+32.3% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 537
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $11.7M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 9Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 10832 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 150The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 3
- Amount
- $1.2M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Morton 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 Morton County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 34,601+3.8% since 2020
- Households
- 13,946
- Median age
- 38.6
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 74%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.4
- Land area
- 1,926 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 18
- Median household income
- $79,382+12.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $109,606
- Median home value
- $263,900
- Jobs located here
- 11,613
- Daytime population
- 28,489Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Morton 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 Morton 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 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 Morton County marked.
Top counties in North Dakota
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Morton County, ND | 80 | 108 | 77.4 | $514K | +3.8% | #141 of 2,405 |
| 2McKenzie County, ND | 73 | 60 | 100.1 | $461K | +2.8% | #321 of 2,405 |
| 3Burleigh County, ND | 67 | 378 | 91.6 | $461K | +4.7% | #486 of 2,405 |
| 4Cass County, ND | 64 | 848 | 101.0 | $391K | +9.1% | #620 of 2,405 |
| 5Grand Forks County, ND | 54 | 300 | 95.9 | $388K | +1.9% | #1,021 of 2,405 |
| 6Richland County, ND | 50 | 71 | 103.7 | $376K | +1.2% | #1,187 of 2,405 |
| 7Stutsman County, ND | 48 | 84 | 89.0 | $401K | −0.6% | #1,267 of 2,405 |
| 8Ward County, ND | 46 | 289 | 101.2 | $394K | −2.4% | #1,342 of 2,405 |
| 9Williams County, ND | 46 | 177 | 116.8 | $366K | +1.4% | #1,358 of 2,405 |
| 10Barnes County, ND | 45 | 53 | 108.0 | $336K | −2.7% | #1,420 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Morton County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes80
- Sit-down restaurants85
- Fast food and sandwich shops84
- Pizza69
- Coffee shops and cafes56
- 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 Morton County, ND?
Morton County has 108 restaurants and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. 32 of them (30%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 41 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 32.3% from 2019. Official counts also show 9 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Morton County, ND spend on food away from home?
About $55.6M a year, or $3,984 per household. That is 2% below the U.S. average (an index of 98, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 108 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $514K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 13,946 households in Morton County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Morton County, ND compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Morton County has 77.4 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 30% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $514K, 39% above the U.S. figure of $371K. At the national ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Morton County would have about 150, against 108 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 340 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 32.3% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Morton County, ND growing?
Population estimates put Morton County at 34,601 people in 2025, up 3.8% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 13,946 households. The median household income in Morton County is $79,382 a year, 2% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 12.5% 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. Morton County scores 80 for restaurants and cafes (high), #141 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Morton 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 Morton County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Morton 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 Morton 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.