Groceries and convenience · County · Iowa
Grocery and convenience stores in Buena Vista County, IA
How Buena Vista County, IA compares with other counties and the U.S. for grocery and convenience stores: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 38 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,676 of 2,402 scored counties
#58 of 72 scored counties in Iowa
- Listings
- 22
- 11 chain locations (50%)
- Official establishments
- 5
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $45.2M
- On groceries · $5,988 a household
- Spending per listing
- $2.1M
- 39% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 29.2
- 56% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 20,449
- −1.7% since 2020
See the grocery and convenience stores around any address in Buena Vista County
The site report maps the grocery and 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 Buena Vista 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
At $5,988 per household (5% below the U.S. average), households in Buena Vista County spend about $45.2M a year on groceries. That works out to $2.1M per store, 39% below the U.S. figure of $3.4M.
Buena Vista County has 22 grocery and convenience stores on map listings as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 50% of them, against 42% across the U.S. That is 29.2 per 10,000 households, 56% above the U.S. rate of 18.7.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as grocery and convenience stores in Buena Vista County was 5 in 2023. That is one for every 1,509 households, against one for every 1,293 across the U.S. Official counts also show 6 one-person businesses without payroll.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Buena Vista County declined 1.7%, against +3.1% for the U.S. Buena Vista County scores 38 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for grocery and convenience stores, ranking #1,676 of 2,402 scored counties and #58 of 72 scored counties in Iowa.
How Buena Vista County compares
The same measures for Iowa and the whole U.S. Spending per listing divides a year of household spending on all groceries by the grocery and 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 | Buena Vista County | Iowa | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 29.2 | 18.7 | 18.7 |
| Spending per listing | $2.1M | $3.2M | $3.4M |
| Households per official establishment | 1,509 | 1,810 | 1,293 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +5.2% | +7.2% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −1.7% | +1.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on groceries | $5,988 | $6,036 | $6,319 |
| Median household income | $71,719 | $75,059 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 38 | 50 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 4 → 5
- Employees, 2023
- 316
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $5.9M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 6Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 2211 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 13The 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 grocery and convenience stores in Buena Vista 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 Buena Vista County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 20,449−1.7% since 2020
- Households
- 7,546
- Median age
- 36.5
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 73%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.1
- Land area
- 575 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 36
- Median household income
- $71,719+25.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $94,361
- Median home value
- $159,500
- Jobs located here
- 11,467
- Daytime population
- 22,374Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Buena Vista 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 grocery and convenience stores on map listings by name and distance.
Or open the report at the center of Buena Vista County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardGrocery and convenience stores across Iowa
Every Iowa market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Iowa for grocery and convenience stores, numbered among those based in Iowa, with Buena Vista County marked.
Top counties in Iowa
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Dallas County, IA | 95 | 54 | 12.7 | $5.3M | +17.8% | #13 of 2,402 |
| 2Warren County, IA | 93 | 29 | 14.0 | $4.6M | +9.0% | #26 of 2,402 |
| 3Johnson County, IA | 82 | 91 | 14.4 | $4.3M | +4.6% | #147 of 2,402 |
| 4Boone County, IA | 78 | 15 | 13.7 | $4.5M | +0.4% | #219 of 2,402 |
| 5Story County, IA | 77 | 53 | 13.6 | $4.4M | +2.7% | #240 of 2,402 |
| 6Polk County, IA | 77 | 354 | 17.2 | $3.6M | +4.8% | #252 of 2,402 |
| 7Linn County, IA | 76 | 144 | 15.1 | $4.1M | +0.7% | #266 of 2,402 |
| 8Bremer County, IA | 73 | 17 | 17.5 | $3.5M | +1.1% | #363 of 2,402 |
| 9Pottawattamie County, IA | 72 | 49 | 13.0 | $4.6M | −0.7% | #380 of 2,402 |
| 10Madison County, IA | 72 | 14 | 20.9 | $3M | +3.8% | #397 of 2,402 |
| 58Buena Vista County, IA | 38 | 22 | 29.2 | $2.1M | −1.7% | #1,676 of 2,402 |
Other business types in Buena Vista County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
- Grocery and convenience stores38
- Grocery stores27
- Convenience stores34
Auto
Beauty and personal care
Fitness and classes
Health care
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many grocery and convenience stores are in Buena Vista County, IA?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 22 grocery and convenience stores in Buena Vista County. 11 of them (50%) are chain locations. The listings count grocery, convenience and specialty food stores. Official counts show 5 businesses with payroll classed as grocery and convenience stores in 2023. Another 6 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Buena Vista County, IA spend on groceries?
About $45.2M a year, or $5,988 per household. That is 5% below the U.S. average (an index of 95, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 22 grocery and convenience stores on map listings, it comes to $2.1M per store. It is estimated from the incomes of the 7,546 households in Buena Vista County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Buena Vista County, IA compare with the U.S. for grocery and convenience stores?
Buena Vista County has 29.2 grocery and convenience stores per 10,000 households, 56% above the U.S. rate of 18.7. Spending per store is $2.1M, 39% below the U.S. figure of $3.4M. At the U.S. ratio of grocery and convenience stores to household spending, Buena Vista County would have about 13, against 22 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,509 households, against one for every 1,293 across the U.S.
How fast is Buena Vista County, IA growing?
Population estimates put Buena Vista County at 20,449 people in 2025, down 1.7% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 7,546 households. The median household income in Buena Vista County is $71,719 a year, 11% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 25.6% 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. Buena Vista County scores 38 for grocery and convenience stores (lower middle), #1,676 of 2,402 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Buena Vista County. It maps the grocery and 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 grocery and convenience stores · All 56 business types in Buena Vista County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Buena Vista 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 Buena Vista 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.