Groceries and convenience · County · Iowa
Grocery and convenience stores in Polk County, IA
How Polk 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 77 out of 100: High
Ranked #252 of 2,402 scored counties
#6 of 72 scored counties in Iowa
- Listings
- 354
- 200 chain locations (56%)
- Official establishments
- 102
- 0.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $1.3B
- On groceries · $6,289 a household
- Spending per listing
- $3.6M
- 8% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 17.2
- 8% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 516,546
- +4.8% since 2020
See the grocery and convenience stores around any address in Polk 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 Polk 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 $6,289 per household (in line with the U.S. average), households in Polk County spend about $1.3B a year on groceries. That is about $3.6M of household spending for each store on map listings, 8% above the U.S. figure of $3.4M.
There are 354 grocery and convenience stores on map listings in Polk County as of September 2026. 200 of them (56%) are chain locations, against 42% across the U.S. That comes to 17.2 for every 10,000 households, 8% below the U.S. rate of 18.7.
In 2023, official counts showed 102 businesses with payroll in Polk County classed as grocery and convenience stores, unchanged from 2019. That is one for every 2,013 households, against one for every 1,293 across the U.S. Official counts list 100 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $300K have gone to businesses classed as grocery and convenience stores in Polk County.
Population estimates put the population change in Polk County from 2020 to 2025 at +4.8%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). Polk County scores 77 (high) on the Groundwork market score for grocery and convenience stores, ranking #252 of 2,402 scored counties and #6 of 72 scored counties in Iowa. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How Polk 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 | Polk County | Iowa | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 17.2 | 18.7 | 18.7 |
| Spending per listing | $3.6M | $3.2M | $3.4M |
| Households per official establishment | 2,013 | 1,810 | 1,293 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | 0.0% | +5.2% | +7.2% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +4.8% | +1.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on groceries | $6,289 | $6,036 | $6,319 |
| Median household income | $83,576 | $75,059 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 77 | 50 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 102 → 1020.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 9,242
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $179.4M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 100Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 354200 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 381The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 2
- Amount
- $300K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as grocery and convenience stores in Polk 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 Polk County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 516,546+4.8% since 2020
- Households
- 205,358
- Median age
- 37.1
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 67%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 573 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 879
- Median household income
- $83,576+23.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $109,398
- Median home value
- $262,100
- Jobs located here
- 309,340
- Daytime population
- 566,731Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Polk 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 Polk 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 Polk 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 |
Other business types in Polk County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
- Grocery and convenience stores77
- Grocery stores64
- Convenience stores84
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 Polk County, IA?
As of September 2026, map listings count 354 grocery and convenience stores in Polk County. 200 of them (56%) are chain locations. The listings count grocery, convenience and specialty food stores. Official counts show 102 businesses with payroll classed as grocery and convenience stores in 2023, unchanged from 2019. Official counts also show 100 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Polk County, IA spend on groceries?
About $1.3B a year, or $6,289 per household. That is in line with the U.S. average (an index of 100, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 354 grocery and convenience stores on map listings, it comes to $3.6M per store. It is estimated from the incomes of the 205,358 households in Polk County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Polk County, IA compare with the U.S. for grocery and convenience stores?
Polk County has 17.2 grocery and convenience stores per 10,000 households, 8% below the U.S. rate of 18.7. Spending per store is $3.6M, 8% above the U.S. figure of $3.4M. At the U.S. ratio of grocery and convenience stores to household spending, Polk County would have about 381, against 354 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,013 households, against one for every 1,293 across the U.S. The official count held level from 2019 to 2023, against +7.2% for the U.S.
How fast is Polk County, IA growing?
Population estimates put Polk County at 516,546 people in 2025, up 4.8% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 205,358 households. The median household income in Polk County is $83,576 a year, 4% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 23.6% 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. Polk County scores 77 for grocery and convenience stores (high), #252 of 2,402 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Polk 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 Polk County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Polk 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 Polk 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.