Food and drink · County · Montana
Sit-down restaurants in Missoula County, MT
How Missoula County, MT compares with other counties and the U.S. for sit-down restaurants: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 63 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #622 of 2,405 scored counties
#4 of 21 scored counties in Montana
- Listings
- 245
- 79 chain locations (32%)
- Official establishments
- 94
- −1.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $201.9M
- On food away from home · $3,833 a household
- Spending per listing
- $824K
- 24% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 46.5
- 24% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 123,513
- +4.4% since 2020
See the sit-down restaurants around any address in Missoula 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 Missoula 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 Missoula County comes to about $201.9M a year: $3,833 per household, 6% below the U.S. average. That is about $824K of household spending for each restaurant on map listings, 24% above the U.S. figure of $664K. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants.
There are 245 sit-down restaurants on map listings in Missoula County as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 32% of them, against 29% across the U.S. That comes to 46.5 for every 10,000 households, 24% below the U.S. rate of 61.3.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in Missoula County was 94 in 2023, down 1.0% from 2019. That is one for every 560 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Official counts list 12 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $1.3M has gone to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Missoula County.
Population estimates show Missoula County grew 4.4% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). Missoula County scores 63 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for sit-down restaurants, ranking #622 of 2,405 scored counties and #4 of 21 scored counties in Montana.
How Missoula 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.
| Measure | Missoula County | Montana | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 46.5 | 52.4 | 61.3 |
| Spending per listing | $824K | $716K | $664K |
| Households per official establishment | 560 | 433 | 500 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −1.0% | −1.0% | +1.5% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +4.4% | +5.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on food away from home | $3,833 | $3,748 | $4,070 |
| Median household income | $75,598 | $72,509 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 63 | 43 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 95 → 94−1.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 2,551
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $64.8M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 12Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 24579 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 304The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $1.3M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as full-service restaurants in Missoula 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 Missoula County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 123,513+4.4% since 2020
- Households
- 52,679
- Median age
- 38.7
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 59%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 2,593 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 47
- Median household income
- $75,598+39.8% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $103,306
- Median home value
- $472,100
- Jobs located here
- 66,258
- Daytime population
- 128,477Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Missoula 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 Missoula County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardSit-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 Missoula County marked.
Top counties in Montana
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Jefferson County, MT | 76 | 19 | 38.0 | $1.1M | +9.8% | #220 of 2,405 |
| 2Ravalli County, MT | 65 | 73 | 39.1 | $930K | +9.4% | #522 of 2,405 |
| 3Yellowstone County, MT | 65 | 302 | 43.2 | $900K | +4.5% | #526 of 2,405 |
| 4Missoula County, MT | 63 | 245 | 46.5 | $824K | +4.4% | #622 of 2,405 |
| 5Lewis and Clark County, MT | 62 | 142 | 45.5 | $863K | +5.8% | #662 of 2,405 |
| 6Big Horn County, MT | 57 | 12 | 31.4 | $999K | −2.5% | #841 of 2,405 |
| 7Cascade County, MT | 49 | 176 | 49.4 | $722K | +0.7% | #1,227 of 2,405 |
| 8Flathead County, MT | 47 | 259 | 58.6 | $649K | +10.1% | #1,330 of 2,405 |
| 9Gallatin County, MT | 46 | 372 | 72.6 | $601K | +7.7% | #1,386 of 2,405 |
| 10Fergus County, MT | 44 | 22 | 41.5 | $798K | +3.1% | #1,444 of 2,405 |
Other business types in Missoula County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
- Restaurants and cafes51
- Sit-down restaurants63
- Fast food and sandwich shops56
- Pizza71
- Coffee shops and cafes34
- 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 sit-down restaurants are in Missoula County, MT?
As of September 2026, map listings count 245 sit-down restaurants in Missoula County. 79 of them (32%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 94 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023, down 1.0% from 2019. Official counts also show 12 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Missoula County, MT spend on food away from home?
About $201.9M a year, or $3,833 per household. That is 6% below the U.S. average (an index of 94, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 245 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $824K per restaurant. That spending covers all food away from home, which sit-down restaurants share with other businesses in the trade. It is estimated from the incomes of the 52,679 households in Missoula County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Missoula County, MT compare with the U.S. for sit-down restaurants?
Missoula County has 46.5 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 24% below the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $824K, 24% above the U.S. figure of $664K. At the U.S. ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, Missoula County would have about 304, against 245 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 560 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. The official count fell 1.0% from 2019 to 2023, against +1.5% for the U.S.
How fast is Missoula County, MT growing?
Population estimates put Missoula County at 123,513 people in 2025, up 4.4% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 52,679 households. Median household income in Missoula County is $75,598, 6% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 39.8%, 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. 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. Missoula County scores 63 for sit-down restaurants (upper middle), #622 of 2,405 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Missoula 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 Missoula County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Missoula 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 Missoula 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.