Groceries and convenience · County · Michigan
Grocery and convenience stores in Iron County, MI
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for grocery and convenience stores in Iron County, MI, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 26 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #2,084 of 2,402 scored counties
#66 of 75 scored counties in Michigan
- Listings
- 18
- 8 chain locations (44%)
- Official establishments
- 4
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $30M
- On groceries · $5,407 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.7M
- 51% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 32.4
- 73% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 11,757
- +1.1% since 2020
See the grocery and convenience stores around any address in Iron 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 Iron 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
Iron County scores 26 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for grocery and convenience stores, ranking #2,084 of 2,402 scored counties and #66 of 75 scored counties in Michigan. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
As of September 2026, map listings count 18 grocery and convenience stores in Iron County. Chain locations make up 44% of them, against 42% across the U.S. That comes to 32.4 for every 10,000 households, 73% above the U.S. rate of 18.7.
At $5,407 per household (14% below the U.S. average), households in Iron County spend about $30M a year on groceries. That works out to $1.7M per store, 51% below the U.S. figure of $3.4M.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as grocery and convenience stores in Iron County was 4 in 2023. That is one for every 1,387 households, against one for every 1,293 across the U.S. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Iron County grew 1.1%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Iron 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 | Iron County | Michigan | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 32.4 | 17.3 | 18.7 |
| Spending per listing | $1.7M | $3.5M | $3.4M |
| Households per official establishment | 1,387 | 1,613 | 1,293 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +0.2% | +7.2% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +1.1% | +0.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on groceries | $5,407 | $6,009 | $6,319 |
| Median household income | $55,940 | $72,875 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 26 | 47 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 3 → 4
- Employees, 2023
- 161
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $3.8M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 0Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 188 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 9The 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 Iron 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 Iron County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 11,757+1.1% since 2020
- Households
- 5,547
- Median age
- 52.5
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 85%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.7
- Land area
- 1,166 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 10
- Median household income
- $55,940+34.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $71,732
- Median home value
- $109,100
- Jobs located here
- 3,223
- Daytime population
- 10,732Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Iron 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 Iron 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 Iron 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 |
| 66Iron County, MI | 26 | 18 | 32.4 | $1.7M | +1.1% | #2,084 of 2,402 |
Other business types in Iron County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
- Grocery and convenience stores26
- Grocery stores22
- Convenience stores26
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 Iron County, MI?
Iron County has 18 grocery and convenience stores on map listings as of September 2026. 8 of them (44%) are chain locations. The listings count grocery, convenience and specialty food stores. Official counts show 4 businesses with payroll classed as grocery and convenience stores in 2023.
How much do households in Iron County, MI spend on groceries?
About $30M a year, or $5,407 per household. That is 14% below the U.S. average (an index of 86, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 18 grocery and convenience stores on map listings, it comes to $1.7M per store. It is estimated from the incomes of the 5,547 households in Iron County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Iron County, MI compare with the U.S. for grocery and convenience stores?
Iron County has 32.4 grocery and convenience stores per 10,000 households, 73% above the U.S. rate of 18.7. Spending per store is $1.7M, 51% below the U.S. figure of $3.4M. At the national ratio of grocery and convenience stores to household spending, Iron County would have about 9, against 18 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,387 households, against one for every 1,293 across the U.S.
How fast is Iron County, MI growing?
Population estimates put Iron County at 11,757 people in 2025, up 1.1% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 5,547 households. Median household income in Iron County is $55,940, 31% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 34.5%, 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. Iron County scores 26 for grocery and convenience stores (lower middle), #2,084 of 2,402 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Iron 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 Iron County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Iron 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 Iron 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.