Groceries and convenience · County · Michigan
Grocery and convenience stores in Clare County, MI
The grocery and convenience stores in Clare County, MI, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 18 out of 100: Low
Ranked #2,255 of 2,402 scored counties
#74 of 75 scored counties in Michigan
- Listings
- 50
- 19 chain locations (38%)
- Official establishments
- 13
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $66.1M
- On groceries · $5,277 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.3M
- 61% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 39.9
- 2.1 times the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 31,543
- +2.3% since 2020
See the grocery and convenience stores around any address in Clare 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 Clare 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
The Groundwork market score for grocery and convenience stores in Clare County is 18 (low), #2,255 of 2,402 scored counties and #74 of 75 scored counties in Michigan. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
As of September 2026, map listings count 50 grocery and convenience stores in Clare County. 19 of them (38%) are chain locations, against 42% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 39.9, 2.1 times the U.S. rate of 18.7.
Households in Clare County spend about $66.1M a year on groceries, or $5,277 per household, 16% below the U.S. average. That is about $1.3M of household spending for each store on map listings, 61% below the U.S. figure of $3.4M.
In 2023, official counts showed 13 businesses with payroll in Clare County classed as grocery and convenience stores. That is one for every 963 households, against one for every 1,293 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $150K has gone to businesses classed as grocery and convenience stores in Clare County. Population estimates put the population change in Clare County from 2020 to 2025 at +2.3%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Clare 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 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 | Clare County | Michigan | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 39.9 | 17.3 | 18.7 |
| Spending per listing | $1.3M | $3.5M | $3.4M |
| Households per official establishment | 963 | 1,613 | 1,293 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +0.2% | +7.2% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.3% | +0.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on groceries | $5,277 | $6,009 | $6,319 |
| Median household income | $49,384 | $72,875 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 18 | 47 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 11 → 13
- Employees, 2023
- 243
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $6M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 8Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 5019 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 20The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $150K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as grocery and convenience stores in Clare 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 Clare County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 31,543+2.3% since 2020
- Households
- 12,521
- Median age
- 47.5
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 87%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.7
- Land area
- 564 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 55
- Median household income
- $49,384+24.8% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $68,316
- Median home value
- $133,800
- Jobs located here
- 6,145
- Daytime population
- 27,541Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Clare 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 Clare 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 Michigan
Every Michigan market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Michigan for grocery and convenience stores, numbered among those based in Michigan, with Clare County marked.
Top counties in Michigan
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Livingston County, MI | 87 | 75 | 9.8 | $6.9M | +1.7% | #72 of 2,402 |
| 2Ottawa County, MI | 83 | 168 | 15.1 | $4.3M | +3.9% | #130 of 2,402 |
| 3Clinton County, MI | 78 | 48 | 15.2 | $4.2M | +1.6% | #220 of 2,402 |
| 4Oakland County, MI | 77 | 663 | 12.5 | $5.3M | +1.2% | #236 of 2,402 |
| 5Monroe County, MI | 77 | 79 | 12.5 | $4.9M | +0.7% | #238 of 2,402 |
| 6Macomb County, MI | 74 | 431 | 12.0 | $5.1M | +0.7% | #310 of 2,402 |
| 7Washtenaw County, MI | 73 | 180 | 12.0 | $5.4M | −0.4% | #341 of 2,402 |
| 8Kent County, MI | 73 | 420 | 16.4 | $3.8M | +2.5% | #357 of 2,402 |
| 9Eaton County, MI | 72 | 67 | 14.7 | $4.1M | +0.4% | #386 of 2,402 |
| 10Barry County, MI | 70 | 43 | 17.6 | $3.5M | +2.2% | #444 of 2,402 |
| 74Clare County, MI | 18 | 50 | 39.9 | $1.3M | +2.3% | #2,255 of 2,402 |
Other business types in Clare County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
- Grocery and convenience stores18
- Grocery stores20
- Convenience stores21
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 Clare County, MI?
Clare County has 50 grocery and convenience stores on map listings as of September 2026. 19 of them (38%) are chain locations. The listings count grocery, convenience and specialty food stores. Official counts show 13 businesses with payroll classed as grocery and convenience stores in 2023. Official counts list 8 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Clare County, MI spend on groceries?
About $66.1M a year, or $5,277 per household. That is 16% below the U.S. average (an index of 84, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 50 grocery and convenience stores on map listings, it comes to $1.3M per store. It is estimated from the incomes of the 12,521 households in Clare County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Clare County, MI compare with the U.S. for grocery and convenience stores?
Clare County has 39.9 grocery and convenience stores per 10,000 households, 2.1 times the U.S. rate of 18.7. Spending per store is $1.3M, 61% below the U.S. figure of $3.4M. At the national ratio of grocery and convenience stores to household spending, Clare County would have about 20, against 50 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 963 households, against one for every 1,293 across the U.S.
How fast is Clare County, MI growing?
Population estimates put Clare County at 31,543 people in 2025, up 2.3% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 12,521 households. Median household income in Clare County is $49,384, 39% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 24.8%, 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. 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. Clare County scores 18 for grocery and convenience stores (low), #2,255 of 2,402 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Clare 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 Clare County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Clare 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 Clare 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.