Groceries and convenience · Small-town market · Michigan
Convenience stores in the Sault Ste. Marie, MI area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for convenience stores in the Sault Ste. Marie, MI area, set against other small-town markets and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 20 out of 100: Low
Ranked #483 of 529 scored small-town markets
#18 of 18 scored small-town markets based in Michigan
- Listings
- 26
- 15 chain locations (58%)
- Official establishments
- n/a
- Fewer than 3, or not published
- Household spending a year
- $78.7M
- On groceries · $5,593 a household
- Spending per listing
- $3M
- 62% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 18.5
- 2.3 times the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 36,081
- −1.9% since 2020
See the convenience stores around any address in the Sault Ste. Marie area
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 the Sault Ste. Marie 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
The Groundwork market score for convenience stores in the Sault Ste. Marie area is 20 (low), #483 of 529 scored small-town markets and #18 of 18 scored small-town markets based in Michigan. That puts it in the bottom quarter of small-town markets.
Map listings as of September 2026 show 26 convenience stores in the Sault Ste. Marie area. 15 of them (58%) are chain locations, against 60% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 18.5, 2.3 times the U.S. rate of 8.0.
Household spending on groceries in the Sault Ste. Marie area comes to about $78.7M a year: $5,593 per household, 11% below the U.S. average. That works out to $3M per store, 62% 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 the Sault Ste. Marie area: counts under 3 aren’t published. Population estimates put the population change in the Sault Ste. Marie area from 2020 to 2025 at −1.9%, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How the Sault Ste. Marie area 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.
| Measure | Sault Ste. Marie area | Michigan | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 18.5 | 6.9 | 8.0 |
| Spending per listing | $3M | $8.8M | $7.9M |
| Households per official establishment | n/a | 4,841 | 3,493 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +5.9% | +22.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −1.9% | +0.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on groceries | $5,593 | $6,009 | $6,319 |
| Median household income | $62,217 | $72,875 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 20 | 51 |
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
- 2615 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 10The 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 the Sault Ste. Marie 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 Sault Ste. Marie area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 36,081−1.9% since 2020
- Households
- 14,080
- Median age
- 42.1
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 75%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.7
- Land area
- 1,559 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 23
- Median household income
- $62,217+33.8% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $76,569
- Median home value
- $161,900
- Jobs located here
- 11,286
- Daytime population
- 35,358Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Sault Ste. Marie 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 convenience stores on map listings by name and distance.
Or open the report at the center of the Sault Ste. Marie area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardConvenience stores across Michigan
Every Michigan market ranked →The highest-scoring small-town markets in Michigan for convenience stores, numbered among those based in Michigan, with the Sault Ste. Marie area marked.
Top small-town markets in Michigan
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Holland, MI | 75 | 45 | 9.9 | $6.3M | +2.1% | #53 of 529 |
| 2Adrian, MI | 71 | 22 | 5.7 | $10.4M | −1.6% | #77 of 529 |
| 3Marquette, MI | 67 | 30 | 10.6 | $5.4M | +2.3% | #115 of 529 |
| 4Owosso, MI | 66 | 21 | 7.5 | $7.8M | −0.4% | #120 of 529 |
| 5Hillsdale, MI | 61 | 14 | 7.8 | $7.3M | 0.0% | #164 of 529 |
| 6Houghton, MI | 60 | 14 | 9.1 | $6.2M | +1.8% | #178 of 529 |
| 7Sturgis, MI | 60 | 22 | 9.3 | $6.1M | +0.1% | #179 of 529 |
| 8Big Rapids, MI | 57 | 15 | 9.0 | $6.2M | +4.7% | #211 of 529 |
| 9Iron Mountain, MI-WI | 53 | 14 | 9.9 | $5.7M | +0.4% | #254 of 529 |
| 10Coldwater, MI | 51 | 19 | 11.2 | $5M | +2.5% | #278 of 529 |
| 18Sault Ste. Marie, MI | 20 | 26 | 18.5 | $3M | −1.9% | #483 of 529 |
Other business types in the Sault Ste. Marie area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
- Grocery and convenience stores20
- Grocery stores15
- Convenience stores20
Auto
Beauty and personal care
Fitness and classes
Health care
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many convenience stores are in the Sault Ste. Marie, MI area?
There are 26 convenience stores on map listings in the Sault Ste. Marie area as of September 2026. 15 of them (58%) are chain locations. The listings count convenience stores without fuel. No official count is published for convenience stores in the Sault Ste. Marie area: counts under 3 are left out.
How much do households in the Sault Ste. Marie, MI area spend on groceries?
About $78.7M a year, or $5,593 per household. That is 11% below the U.S. average (an index of 89, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 26 convenience stores on map listings, it comes to $3M per store. The spending figure covers all groceries, not only convenience stores. It is estimated from the incomes of the 14,080 households in the Sault Ste. Marie area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Sault Ste. Marie, MI area compare with the U.S. for convenience stores?
The Sault Ste. Marie area has 18.5 convenience stores per 10,000 households, 2.3 times the U.S. rate of 8.0. Spending per store is $3M, 62% below the U.S. figure of $7.9M. At the national ratio of convenience stores to household spending, the Sault Ste. Marie area would have about 10, against 26 on map listings.
How fast is the Sault Ste. Marie, MI area growing?
Population estimates put the Sault Ste. Marie area at 36,081 people in 2025, down 1.9% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 14,080 households. Median household income in the Sault Ste. Marie area is $62,217, 23% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 33.8%, 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 Sault Ste. Marie area scores 20 for convenience stores (low), #483 of 529 scored small-town markets.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Sault Ste. Marie area. 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 the Sault Ste. Marie area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Sault Ste. Marie 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 Sault Ste. Marie 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.