Groundwork

Food and drink · County · North Dakota

Restaurants and cafes in Walsh County, ND

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

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 42 out of 100: Lower middle

Ranked #1,532 of 2,405 scored counties
#11 of 14 scored counties in North Dakota

Listings
45
11 chain locations (24%)
Official establishments
17
Businesses with payroll, 2023
Household spending a year
$16.3M
On food away from home · $3,709 a household
Spending per listing
$363K
2% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
102.3
7% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
10,179
−3.3% since 2020

See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Walsh 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 Walsh 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

As of September 2026, map listings count 45 restaurants and cafes in Walsh County. Of those, 11 are chain locations, or 24%, against 34% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 102.3, 7% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.

Households in Walsh County spend about $16.3M a year on food away from home, or $3,709 per household, 9% below the U.S. average. That works out to $363K per restaurant, 2% below the U.S. figure of $371K.

Official counts show 17 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in Walsh County in 2023. That is one for every 259 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Another 10 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.

Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Walsh County declined 3.3%, against +3.1% for the U.S. For restaurants and cafes, Walsh County has a Groundwork market score of 42 (lower middle): #1,532 of 2,405 scored counties and #11 of 14 scored counties in North Dakota.

How Walsh 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 Walsh County, ND compared with North Dakota and the U.S.
MeasureWalsh CountyNorth DakotaU.S.
Listings per 10k households102.3105.1109.8
Spending per listing$363K$375K$371K
Households per official establishment259247209
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023n/a+7.5%+6.0%
Population growth, 2020–2025−3.3%+2.5%+3.1%
Spending per household on food away from home$3,709$3,940$4,070
Median household income$71,944$76,657$80,734
Groundwork market score4262

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
10 → 17
Employees, 2023
47
Annual payroll, 2023
$847K
One-person businesses, 2023
10Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
4511 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
44The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
0
Amount
$0

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

Population, 2025 estimate
10,179−3.3% since 2020
Households
4,400
Median age
43.5
Homes lived in by their owners
76%
Vehicles per household
2.1
Land area
1,282 sq. mi.
People per square mile
8
Median household income
$71,944+29.2% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$86,230
Median home value
$132,700
Jobs located here
4,797
Daytime population
10,251Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

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

Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

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 Walsh 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
11Walsh County, ND4245102.3$363K−3.3%#1,532 of 2,405

Other business types in Walsh County

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

Questions

How many restaurants and cafes are in Walsh County, ND?

Walsh County has 45 restaurants and cafes on map listings as of September 2026. 11 of them (24%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 17 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023. Official counts list 10 one-person businesses without payroll.

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

About $16.3M a year, or $3,709 per household. That is 9% below the U.S. average (an index of 91, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 45 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $363K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 4,400 households in Walsh County and national spending patterns by income.

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

Walsh County has 102.3 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 7% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $363K, 2% below the U.S. figure of $371K. At the national ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Walsh County would have about 44, against 45 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 259 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S.

How fast is Walsh County, ND growing?

Population estimates put Walsh County at 10,179 people in 2025, down 3.3% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 4,400 households. The median household income in Walsh County is $71,944 a year, 11% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 29.2% 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. Walsh County scores 42 for restaurants and cafes (lower middle), #1,532 of 2,405 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

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

Screening a site or an acquisition in Walsh 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 Walsh 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.