Food and drink · Small-town market · North Dakota
Sit-down restaurants in the Williston, ND area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for sit-down restaurants in the Williston, ND area, set against other small-town markets and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 61 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #159 of 538 scored small-town markets
#4 of 4 scored small-town markets based in North Dakota
- Listings
- 95
- 35 chain locations (37%)
- Official establishments
- 27
- −10.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $64.7M
- On food away from home · $4,269 a household
- Spending per listing
- $681K
- 3% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 62.7
- 2% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 41,767
- +1.4% since 2020
See the sit-down restaurants around any address in the Williston area
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 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
At $4,269 per household (5% above the U.S. average), households in the Williston area spend about $64.7M a year on food away from home. That works out to $681K per restaurant, 3% above the U.S. figure of $664K. The spending figure covers all food away from home, not only sit-down restaurants.
There are 95 sit-down restaurants on map listings in the Williston area as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 37% of them, against 29% across the U.S. That is 62.7 per 10,000 households, 2% above the U.S. rate of 61.3.
Official counts show 27 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in the Williston area in 2023, down 10.0% from 2019. That is one for every 561 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. Official counts list 4 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 3 SBA-backed loans worth $3.2M have gone to businesses classed as full-service restaurants 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 sit-down restaurants, the Williston area has a Groundwork market score of 61 (upper middle): #159 of 538 scored small-town markets and #4 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 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 | Williston area | North Dakota | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 62.7 | 50.3 | 61.3 |
| Spending per listing | $681K | $784K | $664K |
| Households per official establishment | 561 | 569 | 500 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −10.0% | +0.9% | +1.5% |
| 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 | 61 | 70 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 27−10.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 608
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $20.8M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 4Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 9535 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 98The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 3
- Amount
- $3.2M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as full-service restaurants 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 sit-down restaurants 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 cardSit-down restaurants across North Dakota
Every North Dakota market ranked →The highest-scoring small-town markets in North Dakota for sit-down restaurants, 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 | 67 | 41 | 43.1 | $886K | 0.0% | #90 of 538 |
| 2Jamestown, ND | 61 | 34 | 36.0 | $990K | −0.6% | #146 of 538 |
| 3Dickinson, ND | 61 | 76 | 49.0 | $819K | +0.7% | #152 of 538 |
| 4Williston, ND | 61 | 95 | 62.7 | $681K | +1.4% | #159 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 sit-down restaurants are in the Williston, ND area?
As of September 2026, map listings count 95 sit-down restaurants in the Williston area. 35 of them (37%) are chain locations. The listings count restaurants of every cuisine, pizza included. Official counts show 27 businesses with payroll classed as full-service restaurants in 2023, down 10.0% from 2019. Official counts also show 4 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 95 sit-down restaurants on map listings, it comes to $681K 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 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 sit-down restaurants?
The Williston area has 62.7 sit-down restaurants per 10,000 households, 2% above the U.S. rate of 61.3. Spending per restaurant is $681K, 3% above the U.S. figure of $664K. At the U.S. ratio of sit-down restaurants to household spending, the Williston area would have about 98, against 95 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 561 households, against one for every 500 across the U.S. The official count fell 10.0% from 2019 to 2023, against +1.5% 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 61 for sit-down restaurants (upper middle), #159 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 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 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.