Groundwork

Groceries and convenience · County · Michigan

Grocery and convenience stores in Kent County, MI

Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for grocery and convenience stores in Kent County, MI, set against other counties and the U.S.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 73 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #357 of 2,402 scored counties
#8 of 75 scored counties in Michigan

Listings
420
141 chain locations (34%)
Official establishments
137
+5.4% since 2019
Household spending a year
$1.6B
On groceries · $6,246 a household
Spending per listing
$3.8M
13% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
16.4
12% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
675,232
+2.5% since 2020

See the grocery and convenience stores around any address in Kent 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 Kent County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Survey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure

What this means

At $6,246 per household (in line with the U.S. average), households in Kent County spend about $1.6B a year on groceries. That works out to $3.8M per store, 13% above the U.S. figure of $3.4M.

Kent County has 420 grocery and convenience stores on map listings as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 34% of them, against 42% across the U.S. That comes to 16.4 for every 10,000 households, 12% below the U.S. rate of 18.7.

The official count of businesses with payroll classed as grocery and convenience stores in Kent County was 137 in 2023, up 5.4% from 2019. That is one for every 1,873 households, against one for every 1,293 across the U.S. Official counts list 131 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 13 SBA-backed loans worth $12.3M have gone to businesses classed as grocery and convenience stores in Kent County.

Population estimates show Kent County grew 2.5% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for grocery and convenience stores in Kent County is 73 (upper middle), #357 of 2,402 scored counties and #8 of 75 scored counties in Michigan. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.

How Kent 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.

Grocery and convenience stores in Kent County, MI compared with Michigan and the U.S.
MeasureKent CountyMichiganU.S.
Listings per 10k households16.417.318.7
Spending per listing$3.8M$3.5M$3.4M
Households per official establishment1,8731,6131,293
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+5.4%+0.2%+7.2%
Population growth, 2020–2025+2.5%+0.6%+3.1%
Spending per household on groceries$6,246$6,009$6,319
Median household income$82,631$72,875$80,734
Groundwork market score7347

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
130 → 137+5.4% over the period
Employees, 2023
3,421
Annual payroll, 2023
$95.3M
One-person businesses, 2023
131Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
420141 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
473The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
13
Amount
$12.3M

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as grocery and convenience stores in Kent 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 Kent County

Population, 2025 estimate
675,232+2.5% since 2020
Households
256,648
Median age
37.4
Homes lived in by their owners
70%
Vehicles per household
1.8
Land area
850 sq. mi.
People per square mile
781
Median household income
$82,631+31.1% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$109,612
Median home value
$289,900
Jobs located here
399,575
Daytime population
767,130Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Kent 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 Kent County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Grocery 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 Kent County marked.

Top counties in Michigan

Counties in Michigan ranked for grocery and convenience stores by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Livingston County, MI87759.8$6.9M+1.7%#72 of 2,402
2Ottawa County, MI8316815.1$4.3M+3.9%#130 of 2,402
3Clinton County, MI784815.2$4.2M+1.6%#220 of 2,402
4Oakland County, MI7766312.5$5.3M+1.2%#236 of 2,402
5Monroe County, MI777912.5$4.9M+0.7%#238 of 2,402
6Macomb County, MI7443112.0$5.1M+0.7%#310 of 2,402
7Washtenaw County, MI7318012.0$5.4M−0.4%#341 of 2,402
8Kent County, MI7342016.4$3.8M+2.5%#357 of 2,402
9Eaton County, MI726714.7$4.1M+0.4%#386 of 2,402
10Barry County, MI704317.6$3.5M+2.2%#444 of 2,402

Other business types in Kent County

Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.

Questions

How many grocery and convenience stores are in Kent County, MI?

Map listings as of September 2026 show 420 grocery and convenience stores in Kent County. 141 of them (34%) are chain locations. The listings count grocery, convenience and specialty food stores. Official counts show 137 businesses with payroll classed as grocery and convenience stores in 2023, up 5.4% from 2019. Official counts also show 131 one-person businesses without payroll.

How much do households in Kent County, MI spend on groceries?

About $1.6B a year, or $6,246 per household. That is in line with the U.S. average (an index of 99, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 420 grocery and convenience stores on map listings, it comes to $3.8M per store. It is estimated from the incomes of the 256,648 households in Kent County and national spending patterns by income.

How does Kent County, MI compare with the U.S. for grocery and convenience stores?

Kent County has 16.4 grocery and convenience stores per 10,000 households, 12% below the U.S. rate of 18.7. Spending per store is $3.8M, 13% above the U.S. figure of $3.4M. At the U.S. ratio of grocery and convenience stores to household spending, Kent County would have about 473, against 420 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,873 households, against one for every 1,293 across the U.S. The official count rose 5.4% from 2019 to 2023, against +7.2% for the U.S.

How fast is Kent County, MI growing?

Population estimates put Kent County at 675,232 people in 2025, up 2.5% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 256,648 households. The median household income in Kent County is $82,631 a year, 2% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 31.1% 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. Kent County scores 73 for grocery and convenience stores (upper middle), #357 of 2,402 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Kent 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 Kent County

Screening a site or an acquisition in Kent 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 Kent 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.