Groceries and convenience · County · Michigan
Grocery and convenience stores in Houghton County, MI
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for grocery and convenience stores in Houghton County, MI, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 43 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,488 of 2,402 scored counties
#40 of 75 scored counties in Michigan
- Listings
- 36
- 13 chain locations (36%)
- Official establishments
- 9
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $80.8M
- On groceries · $5,648 a household
- Spending per listing
- $2.2M
- 34% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 25.2
- 35% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 37,842
- +1.6% since 2020
See the grocery and convenience stores around any address in Houghton 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 Houghton 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
Household spending on groceries in Houghton County comes to about $80.8M a year: $5,648 per household, 11% below the U.S. average. Spread across 36 grocery and convenience stores, that is $2.2M per store, 34% below the U.S. figure of $3.4M.
There are 36 grocery and convenience stores on map listings in Houghton County as of September 2026. Of those, 13 are chain locations, or 36%, against 42% across the U.S. That comes to 25.2 for every 10,000 households, 35% above the U.S. rate of 18.7.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as grocery and convenience stores in Houghton County was 9 in 2023. That is one for every 1,589 households, against one for every 1,293 across the U.S. Another 9 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
Population estimates put the population change in Houghton County from 2020 to 2025 at +1.6%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). Houghton County scores 43 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for grocery and convenience stores, ranking #1,488 of 2,402 scored counties and #40 of 75 scored counties in Michigan.
How Houghton 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 | Houghton County | Michigan | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 25.2 | 17.3 | 18.7 |
| Spending per listing | $2.2M | $3.5M | $3.4M |
| Households per official establishment | 1,589 | 1,613 | 1,293 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +0.2% | +7.2% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +1.6% | +0.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on groceries | $5,648 | $6,009 | $6,319 |
| Median household income | $58,899 | $72,875 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 43 | 47 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 10 → 9
- Employees, 2023
- 380
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $8.5M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 9Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 3613 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 24The 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 Houghton 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 Houghton County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 37,842+1.6% since 2020
- Households
- 14,305
- Median age
- 36.5
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 72%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 1,009 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 37
- Median household income
- $58,899+36.4% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $80,899
- Median home value
- $159,900
- Jobs located here
- 11,811
- Daytime population
- 36,847Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Houghton 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 Houghton 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 Houghton 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 |
| 40Houghton County, MI | 43 | 36 | 25.2 | $2.2M | +1.6% | #1,488 of 2,402 |
Other business types in Houghton County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
- Grocery and convenience stores43
- Grocery stores30
- Convenience stores47
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 Houghton County, MI?
As of September 2026, map listings count 36 grocery and convenience stores in Houghton County. 13 of them (36%) are chain locations. The listings count grocery, convenience and specialty food stores. Official counts show 9 businesses with payroll classed as grocery and convenience stores in 2023. Official counts list 9 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Houghton County, MI spend on groceries?
About $80.8M a year, or $5,648 per household. That is 11% below the U.S. average (an index of 89, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 36 grocery and convenience stores on map listings, it comes to $2.2M per store. It is estimated from the incomes of the 14,305 households in Houghton County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Houghton County, MI compare with the U.S. for grocery and convenience stores?
Houghton County has 25.2 grocery and convenience stores per 10,000 households, 35% above the U.S. rate of 18.7. Spending per store is $2.2M, 34% below the U.S. figure of $3.4M. At the U.S. ratio of grocery and convenience stores to household spending, Houghton County would have about 24, against 36 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,589 households, against one for every 1,293 across the U.S.
How fast is Houghton County, MI growing?
Population estimates put Houghton County at 37,842 people in 2025, up 1.6% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 14,305 households. The median household income in Houghton County is $58,899 a year, 27% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 36.4% 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. Houghton County scores 43 for grocery and convenience stores (lower middle), #1,488 of 2,402 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Houghton 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 Houghton County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Houghton 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 Houghton 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.