Food and drink · Small-town market · North Dakota
Restaurants and cafes in the Williston, ND area
How the Williston, ND area compares with other small-town markets and the U.S. for restaurants and cafes: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 55 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #215 of 538 scored small-town markets
#3 of 4 scored small-town markets based in North Dakota
- Listings
- 177
- 62 chain locations (35%)
- Official establishments
- 76
- +8.6% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $64.7M
- On food away from home · $4,269 a household
- Spending per listing
- $366K
- In line with the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 116.8
- 6% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 41,767
- +1.4% since 2020
See the restaurants and cafes around any address in the Williston area
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 the Williston area. 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
Households in the Williston area spend about $64.7M a year on food away from home, or $4,269 per household, 5% above the U.S. average. That is about $366K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, in line with the U.S. figure of $371K.
There are 177 restaurants and cafes on map listings in the Williston area as of September 2026. Of those, 62 are chain locations, or 35%, against 34% across the U.S. That comes to 116.8 for every 10,000 households, 6% above the U.S. rate of 109.8.
Official counts show 76 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in the Williston area in 2023, up 8.6% from 2019. That is one for every 199 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. Official counts list 12 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 4 SBA-backed loans worth $3.5M have gone to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in the Williston area.
Population estimates show the Williston area grew 1.4% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). For restaurants and cafes, the Williston area has a Groundwork market score of 55 (upper middle): #215 of 538 scored small-town markets and #3 of 4 scored small-town markets based in North Dakota.
How the Williston area 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 | Williston area | North Dakota | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 116.8 | 105.1 | 109.8 |
| Spending per listing | $366K | $375K | $371K |
| Households per official establishment | 199 | 247 | 209 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +8.6% | +7.5% | +6.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +1.4% | +2.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $4,269 | $3,940 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $85,595 | $76,657 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 55 | 62 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 76+8.6% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,416
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $38.1M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 12Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 17762 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 175The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 4
- Amount
- $3.5M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as restaurants and other eating places in the Williston area, 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 the Williston area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 41,767+1.4% since 2020
- Households
- 15,154
- Median age
- 33.3
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 53%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 2,078 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 19
- Median household income
- $85,595−1.8% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $117,741
- Median home value
- $284,800
- Jobs located here
- 25,521
- Daytime population
- 44,045Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Williston area?
These figures cover the whole small-town market. 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 the Williston area. 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 small-town markets in North Dakota for restaurants and cafes, numbered among those based in North Dakota, with the Williston area marked.
Top small-town markets in North Dakota
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Wahpeton, ND-MN | 73 | 90 | 94.7 | $404K | 0.0% | #62 of 538 |
| 2Jamestown, ND | 59 | 84 | 89.0 | $401K | −0.6% | #176 of 538 |
| 3Williston, ND | 55 | 177 | 116.8 | $366K | +1.4% | #215 of 538 |
| 4Dickinson, ND | 45 | 192 | 123.8 | $324K | +0.7% | #323 of 538 |
Other business types in the Williston area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes55
- Sit-down restaurants61
- Fast food and sandwich shops72
- Pizza65
- Coffee shops and cafes36
- Bakeries and dessert shops60
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 the Williston, ND area?
As of September 2026, map listings count 177 restaurants and cafes in the Williston area. 62 of them (35%) are chain locations. The listings count every restaurant, cafe, bar, bakery and food truck. Official counts show 76 businesses with payroll classed as restaurants and other eating places in 2023, up 8.6% from 2019. Official counts also show 12 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Williston, ND area spend on food away from home?
About $64.7M a year, or $4,269 per household. That is 5% above the U.S. average (an index of 105, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 177 restaurants and cafes on map listings, it comes to $366K per restaurant. It is estimated from the incomes of the 15,154 households in the Williston area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Williston, ND area compare with the U.S. for restaurants and cafes?
The Williston area has 116.8 restaurants and cafes per 10,000 households, 6% above the U.S. rate of 109.8. Spending per restaurant is $366K, in line with the U.S. figure of $371K. At the U.S. ratio of restaurants and cafes to household spending, the Williston area would have about 175, against 177 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 199 households, against one for every 209 across the U.S. The official count rose 8.6% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.0% for the U.S.
How fast is the Williston, ND area growing?
Population estimates put the Williston area at 41,767 people in 2025, up 1.4% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 15,154 households. Median household income in the Williston area is $85,595, 6% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median fell 1.8%, 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. A small-town market is a town of 10,000 to 50,000 people and the county or counties tied to it by commuting. 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. The Williston area scores 55 for restaurants and cafes (upper middle), #215 of 538 scored small-town markets.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Williston area. 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 the Williston area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Williston area?
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 the Williston area. 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.