Groundwork

Food and drink · County · Montana

Sit-down restaurants in Cascade County, MT

The sit-down restaurants in Cascade County, MT, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 49 out of 100: Lower middle

Ranked #1,227 of 2,405 scored counties
#7 of 21 scored counties in Montana

Listings
176
68 chain locations (39%)
Official establishments
58
−13.4% since 2019
Household spending a year
$127.1M
On food away from home · $3,567 a household
Spending per listing
$722K
9% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
49.4
19% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
85,029
+0.7% since 2020

See the sit-down restaurants around any address in Cascade County

The site report maps the sit-down restaurants 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 Cascade County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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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 176 sit-down restaurants in Cascade County. Chain locations make up 39% of them, against 29% across the U.S. That is 49.4 per 10,000 households, 19% below the U.S. rate of 61.3.

Household spending on food away from home in Cascade County comes to about $127.1M a year: $3,567 per household, 12% below the U.S. average. That is about $722K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 9% above the U.S. figure of $664K. That spending covers all food away from home, which sit-down restaurants share with other businesses in the trade.

In 2023, official counts showed 58 businesses with payroll in Cascade County classed as full-service restaurants, down 13.4% from 2019. That is one for every 614 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Official counts also show 11 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $285K has gone to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Cascade County.

Population estimates show Cascade County grew 0.7% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). For sit-down restaurants, Cascade County has a Groundwork market score of 49 (lower middle): #1,227 of 2,405 scored counties and #7 of 21 scored counties in Montana.

How Cascade County compares

The same measures for Montana and the whole U.S. Spending per listing divides a year of household spending on all food away from home by the sit-down restaurants counted, so it measures the demand for each competitor, not any business’s revenue. Households per establishment does the same with the official count.

Sit-down restaurants in Cascade County, MT compared with Montana and the U.S.
MeasureCascade CountyMontanaU.S.
Listings per 10k households49.452.461.3
Spending per listing$722K$716K$664K
Households per official establishment614433500
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023−13.4%−1.0%+1.5%
Population growth, 2020–2025+0.7%+5.3%+3.1%
Spending per household on food away from home$3,567$3,748$4,070
Median household income$67,690$72,509$80,734
Groundwork market score4943

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
67 → 58−13.4% over the period
Employees, 2023
1,257
Annual payroll, 2023
$30.8M
One-person businesses, 2023
11Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
17668 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
192The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
1
Amount
$285K

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Cascade 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 Cascade County

Population, 2025 estimate
85,029+0.7% since 2020
Households
35,615
Median age
40.1
Homes lived in by their owners
69%
Vehicles per household
2.0
Land area
2,698 sq. mi.
People per square mile
31
Median household income
$67,690+35.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$89,832
Median home value
$265,300
Jobs located here
35,854
Daytime population
84,523Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Cascade 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 sit-down restaurants on map listings by name and distance.

Or open the report at the center of Cascade County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Sit-down restaurants across Montana

Every Montana market ranked →

The highest-scoring counties in Montana for sit-down restaurants, numbered among those based in Montana, with Cascade County marked.

Top counties in Montana

Counties in Montana ranked for sit-down restaurants by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Jefferson County, MT761938.0$1.1M+9.8%#220 of 2,405
2Ravalli County, MT657339.1$930K+9.4%#522 of 2,405
3Yellowstone County, MT6530243.2$900K+4.5%#526 of 2,405
4Missoula County, MT6324546.5$824K+4.4%#622 of 2,405
5Lewis and Clark County, MT6214245.5$863K+5.8%#662 of 2,405
6Big Horn County, MT571231.4$999K−2.5%#841 of 2,405
7Cascade County, MT4917649.4$722K+0.7%#1,227 of 2,405
8Flathead County, MT4725958.6$649K+10.1%#1,330 of 2,405
9Gallatin County, MT4637272.6$601K+7.7%#1,386 of 2,405
10Fergus County, MT442241.5$798K+3.1%#1,444 of 2,405

Other business types in Cascade County

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

Questions

How many sit-down restaurants are in Cascade County, MT?

Cascade County has 176 sit-down restaurants on map listings as of September 2026. 68 of them (39%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 58 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023, down 13.4% from 2019. Another 11 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.

How much do households in Cascade County, MT spend on food away from home?

About $127.1M a year, or $3,567 per household. That is 12% below the U.S. average (an index of 88, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 176 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $722K per restaurant. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants. It is estimated from the incomes of the 35,615 households in Cascade County and national spending patterns by income.

How does Cascade County, MT compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?

Cascade County has 49.4 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 19% below the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $722K, 9% above the U.S. figure of $664K. At the national ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, Cascade County would have about 192, against 176 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 614 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. The official count fell 13.4% from 2019 to 2023, against +1.5% for the U.S.

How fast is Cascade County, MT growing?

Population estimates put Cascade County at 85,029 people in 2025, up 0.7% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 35,615 households. The median household income in Cascade County is $67,690 a year, 16% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 35.6% 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. Cascade County scores 49 for sit-down restaurants (lower middle), #1,227 of 2,405 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Cascade County. It maps the sit-down restaurants 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 sit-down restaurants · All 56 business types in Cascade County

Screening a site or an acquisition in Cascade 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 Cascade 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.