Food and drink · County · North Dakota
Restaurants and cafes in Ward County, ND
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for restaurants and cafes in Ward County, ND, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 46 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,342 of 2,405 scored counties
#8 of 14 scored counties in North Dakota
- Listings
- 289
- 129 chain locations (45%)
- Official establishments
- 125
- +13.6% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $113.9M
- On food away from home · $3,985 a household
- Spending per listing
- $394K
- 6% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 101.2
- 8% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 68,233
- −2.4% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in Ward 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 Ward 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
Map listings as of September 2026 show 289 restaurants and cafes in Ward County. Of those, 129 are chain locations, or 45%, against 34% across the U.S. That comes to 101.2 for every 10,000 households, 8% below the U.S. rate of 109.8.
Household spending on food away from home in Ward County comes to about $113.9M a year: $3,985 per household, 2% below the U.S. average. Spread across 289 restaurants and cafes, that is $394K per restaurant, 6% above the U.S. figure of $371K.
Official counts show 125 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in Ward County in 2023, up 13.6% from 2019. That is one for every 229 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Official counts also show 17 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 7 SBA-backed loans worth $1.6M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Ward County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Ward County declined 2.4%, against +3.1% for the U.S. Ward County scores 46 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for restaurants and cafes, ranking #1,342 of 2,405 scored counties and #8 of 14 scored counties in North Dakota.
How Ward 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 | Ward County | North Dakota | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 101.2 | 105.1 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $394K | $375K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 229 | 247 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +13.6% | +7.5% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −2.4% | +2.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,985 | $3,940 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $78,238 | $76,657 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 46 | 62 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 110 → 125+13.6% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 2,470
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $59.3M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 17Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 289129 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 307The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 7
- Amount
- $1.6M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in Ward 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 Ward County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 68,233−2.4% since 2020
- Households
- 28,568
- Median age
- 35.7
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 61%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 2,013 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 34
- Median household income
- $78,238+13.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $102,307
- Median home value
- $267,100
- Jobs located here
- 30,323
- Daytime population
- 68,012Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Ward 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 Ward 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 Ward 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 Ward County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes46
- Sit-down restaurants58
- Fast food and sandwich shops38
- Pizza35
- Coffee shops and cafes39
- Bakeries and dessert shops49
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 Ward County, ND?
There are 289 restaurants and cafes on map listings in Ward County as of September 2026. 129 of them (45%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 125 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 13.6% from 2019. Another 17 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Ward County, ND spend on food away from home?
About $113.9M a year, or $3,985 per household. That is 2% below the U.S. average (an index of 98, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 289 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $394K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 28,568 households in Ward County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Ward County, ND compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
Ward County has 101.2 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 8% below the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $394K, 6% above the U.S. figure of $371K. At the national ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, Ward County would have about 307, against 289 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 229 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 13.6% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Ward County, ND growing?
Population estimates put Ward County at 68,233 people in 2025, down 2.4% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 28,568 households. The median household income in Ward County is $78,238 a year, 3% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 13.6% 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. Ward County scores 46 for restaurants and cafes (lower middle), #1,342 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Ward 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 Ward County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Ward 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 Ward 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.