Groundwork

Groceries and convenience · County · Michigan

Convenience stores in Iron County, MI

Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for convenience stores in Iron County, MI, set against other counties and the U.S.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 26 out of 100: Lower middle

Ranked #1,908 of 2,261 scored counties
#66 of 75 scored counties in Michigan

Listings
8
6 chain locations (75%)
Official establishments
n/a
Fewer than 3, or not published
Household spending a year
$30M
On groceries · $5,407 a household
Spending per listing
$3.7M
52% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
14.4
80% above the U.S.
Population, 2025
11,757
+1.1% since 2020

See the convenience stores around any address in Iron County

The site report maps the convenience stores 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 Iron County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

Survey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure

What this means

Iron County scores 26 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for convenience stores, ranking #1,908 of 2,261 scored counties and #66 of 75 scored counties in Michigan. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.

Map listings as of September 2026 show 8 convenience stores in Iron County. Of those, 6 are chain locations, or 75%, against 60% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 14.4, 80% above the U.S. rate of 8.0.

Household spending on groceries in Iron County comes to about $30M a year: $5,407 per household, 14% below the U.S. average. That works out to $3.7M per store, 52% below the U.S. figure of $7.9M. That spending covers all groceries, which convenience stores share with other businesses in the trade.

There is no official count of businesses with payroll classed as convenience stores in Iron County: counts under 3 aren’t published. Population estimates put the population change in Iron County from 2020 to 2025 at +1.1%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%).

How Iron County compares

The same measures for Michigan and the whole U.S. Spending per listing divides a year of household spending on all groceries by the convenience stores counted, so it measures the demand for each competitor, not any business’s revenue. Households per establishment does the same with the official count.

Convenience stores in Iron County, MI compared with Michigan and the U.S.
MeasureIron CountyMichiganU.S.
Listings per 10k households14.46.98.0
Spending per listing$3.7M$8.8M$7.9M
Households per official establishmentn/a4,8413,493
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023n/a+5.9%+22.0%
Population growth, 2020–2025+1.1%+0.6%+3.1%
Spending per household on groceries$5,407$6,009$6,319
Median household income$55,940$72,875$80,734
Groundwork market score2651

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
n/a
Employees, 2023
n/a
Annual payroll, 2023
n/a
One-person businesses, 2023
Not publishedNot published for this business type
Map listings, September 2026
86 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
4The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
0
Amount
$0

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as convenience stores in Iron 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 Iron County

Population, 2025 estimate
11,757+1.1% since 2020
Households
5,547
Median age
52.5
Homes lived in by their owners
85%
Vehicles per household
1.7
Land area
1,166 sq. mi.
People per square mile
10
Median household income
$55,940+34.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$71,732
Median home value
$109,100
Jobs located here
3,223
Daytime population
10,732Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Iron 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 convenience stores on map listings by name and distance.

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

Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

Convenience stores across Michigan

Every Michigan market ranked →

The highest-scoring counties in Michigan for convenience stores, numbered among those based in Michigan, with Iron County marked.

Top counties in Michigan

Counties in Michigan ranked for convenience stores by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Ottawa County, MI87625.6$11.5M+3.9%#69 of 2,261
2Livingston County, MI86303.9$17.2M+1.7%#78 of 2,261
3Kent County, MI831254.9$12.8M+2.5%#115 of 2,261
4Oakland County, MI821933.6$18.3M+1.2%#125 of 2,261
5Washtenaw County, MI80503.3$19.4M−0.4%#158 of 2,261
6Monroe County, MI80254.0$15.4M+0.7%#159 of 2,261
7Leelanau County, MI7788.3$8M+3.0%#257 of 2,261
8Clinton County, MI76144.4$14.4M+1.6%#268 of 2,261
9Macomb County, MI731674.7$13.1M+0.7%#339 of 2,261
10Lapeer County, MI73257.2$8.5M+1.0%#349 of 2,261
66Iron County, MI26814.4$3.7M+1.1%#1,908 of 2,261

Other business types in Iron County

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

Questions

How many convenience stores are in Iron County, MI?

There are 8 convenience stores on map listings in Iron County as of September 2026. 6 of them (75%) are chain locations. The listings count convenience stores without fuel. No official count is published for convenience stores in Iron County: counts under 3 are left out.

How much do households in Iron County, MI spend on groceries?

About $30M a year, or $5,407 per household. That is 14% below the U.S. average (an index of 86, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 8 convenience stores on map listings, it comes to $3.7M per store. The spending figure covers all groceries, not only convenience stores. It is estimated from the incomes of the 5,547 households in Iron County and national spending patterns by income.

How does Iron County, MI compare with the U.S. for convenience stores?

Iron County has 14.4 convenience stores per 10,000 households, 80% above the U.S. rate of 8.0. Spending per store is $3.7M, 52% below the U.S. figure of $7.9M. At the national ratio of convenience stores to household spending, Iron County would have about 4, against 8 on map listings.

How fast is Iron County, MI growing?

Population estimates put Iron County at 11,757 people in 2025, up 1.1% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 5,547 households. Median household income in Iron County is $55,940, 31% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 34.5%, 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. Iron County scores 26 for convenience stores (lower middle), #1,908 of 2,261 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Iron County. It maps the convenience stores 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 convenience stores · All 56 business types in Iron County

Screening a site or an acquisition in Iron 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 Iron 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.