Food and drink · County · North Dakota
Restaurants and cafes in Stark County, ND
How Stark 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 38 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,704 of 2,405 scored counties
#12 of 14 scored counties in North Dakota
- Listings
- 159
- 53 chain locations (33%)
- Official establishments
- 67
- +21.8% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $53.3M
- On food away from home · $3,941 a household
- Spending per listing
- $335K
- 10% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 117.5
- 7% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 34,013
- +0.5% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Stark 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 Stark 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
Household spending on food away from home in Stark County comes to about $53.3M a year: $3,941 per household, 3% below the U.S. average. That works out to $335K per restaurant, 10% below the U.S. figure of $371K.
There are 159 restaurants and cafes on map listings in Stark County as of September 2026. 53 of them (33%) are chain locations, against 34% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 117.5, 7% above the U.S. rate of 109.8.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in Stark County was 67 in 2023, up 21.8% from 2019. That is one for every 202 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Official counts also show 16 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 4 SBA-backed loans worth $965K have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Stark County.
Population estimates show Stark County grew 0.5% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). For restaurants and cafes, Stark County has a Groundwork market score of 38 (lower middle): #1,704 of 2,405 scored counties and #12 of 14 scored counties in North Dakota.
How Stark 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 | Stark County | North Dakota | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 117.5 | 105.1 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $335K | $375K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 202 | 247 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +21.8% | +7.5% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +0.5% | +2.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,941 | $3,940 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $84,449 | $76,657 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 38 | 62 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 55 → 67+21.8% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,071
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $25.3M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 16Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 15953 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 144The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 4
- Amount
- $965K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Stark 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 Stark County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 34,013+0.5% since 2020
- Households
- 13,537
- Median age
- 36.0
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 67%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 1,335 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 25
- Median household income
- $84,449+17.2% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $98,478
- Median home value
- $271,700
- Jobs located here
- 17,400
- Daytime population
- 33,106Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Stark 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 Stark 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 Stark 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 |
| 12Stark County, ND | 38 | 159 | 117.5 | $335K | +0.5% | #1,704 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Stark County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes38
- Sit-down restaurants55
- Fast food and sandwich shops54
- Pizza61
- Coffee shops and cafes25
- Bakeries and dessert shops34
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 Stark County, ND?
As of September 2026, map listings count 159 restaurants and cafes in Stark County. 53 of them (33%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 67 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 21.8% from 2019. Another 16 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Stark County, ND spend on food away from home?
About $53.3M a year, or $3,941 per household. That is 3% below the U.S. average (an index of 97, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 159 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $335K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 13,537 households in Stark County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Stark County, ND compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Stark County has 117.5 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 7% above the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $335K, 10% below the U.S. figure of $371K. At the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Stark County would have about 144, against 159 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 202 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 21.8% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Stark County, ND growing?
Population estimates put Stark County at 34,013 people in 2025, up 0.5% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 13,537 households. Median household income in Stark County is $84,449, 5% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 17.2%, 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. Stark County scores 38 for restaurants and cafes (lower middle), #1,704 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Stark 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 Stark County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Stark 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 Stark 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.