Groceries and convenience · County · Minnesota
Grocery and convenience stores in Wadena County, MN
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for grocery and convenience stores in Wadena County, MN, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 24 out of 100: Low
Ranked #2,135 of 2,402 scored counties
#66 of 66 scored counties in Minnesota
- Listings
- 22
- 10 chain locations (45%)
- Official establishments
- 6
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $34.2M
- On groceries · $5,617 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.6M
- 54% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 36.2
- 94% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 14,388
- +1.9% since 2020
See the grocery and convenience stores around any address in Wadena 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 Wadena 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
For grocery and convenience stores, Wadena County has a Groundwork market score of 24 (low): #2,135 of 2,402 scored counties and #66 of 66 scored counties in Minnesota. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
As of September 2026, map listings count 22 grocery and convenience stores in Wadena County. 10 of them (45%) are chain locations, against 42% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 36.2, 94% above the U.S. rate of 18.7.
At $5,617 per household (11% below the U.S. average), households in Wadena County spend about $34.2M a year on groceries. Spread across 22 grocery and convenience stores, that is $1.6M per store, 54% below the U.S. figure of $3.4M.
In 2023, official counts showed 6 businesses with payroll in Wadena County classed as grocery and convenience stores. That is one for every 1,014 households, against one for every 1,293 across the U.S. Population estimates show Wadena County grew 1.9% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Wadena County compares
The same measures for Minnesota 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 | Wadena County | Minnesota | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 36.2 | 17.5 | 18.7 |
| Spending per listing | $1.6M | $3.7M | $3.4M |
| Households per official establishment | 1,014 | 2,009 | 1,293 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +1.6% | +7.2% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +1.9% | +2.1% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on groceries | $5,617 | $6,414 | $6,319 |
| Median household income | $61,467 | $89,062 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 24 | 67 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 6 → 6
- Employees, 2023
- 85
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $1.6M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 0Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 2210 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 10The 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 Wadena 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 Wadena County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 14,388+1.9% since 2020
- Households
- 6,081
- Median age
- 41.2
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 74%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.1
- Land area
- 536 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 27
- Median household income
- $61,467+31.9% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $77,288
- Median home value
- $173,000
- Jobs located here
- 5,599
- Daytime population
- 13,890Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Wadena 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 Wadena 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 Minnesota
Every Minnesota market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Minnesota for grocery and convenience stores, numbered among those based in Minnesota, with Wadena County marked.
Top counties in Minnesota
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Washington County, MN | 95 | 127 | 12.0 | $5.8M | +6.9% | #12 of 2,402 |
| 2Sherburne County, MN | 93 | 40 | 11.3 | $6M | +6.8% | #22 of 2,402 |
| 3Scott County, MN | 91 | 71 | 12.9 | $5.5M | +5.1% | #35 of 2,402 |
| 4Carver County, MN | 91 | 66 | 16.0 | $4.5M | +6.6% | #40 of 2,402 |
| 5Dakota County, MN | 90 | 213 | 12.2 | $5.5M | +3.9% | #47 of 2,402 |
| 6Anoka County, MN | 89 | 184 | 13.4 | $5M | +4.7% | #55 of 2,402 |
| 7Isanti County, MN | 89 | 24 | 14.7 | $4.2M | +7.3% | #59 of 2,402 |
| 8Wright County, MN | 88 | 101 | 18.7 | $3.6M | +11.1% | #70 of 2,402 |
| 9Clay County, MN | 87 | 31 | 11.7 | $5.2M | +3.6% | #73 of 2,402 |
| 10Chisago County, MN | 85 | 36 | 16.9 | $3.9M | +4.3% | #103 of 2,402 |
| 66Wadena County, MN | 24 | 22 | 36.2 | $1.6M | +1.9% | #2,135 of 2,402 |
Other business types in Wadena County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
- Grocery and convenience stores24
- Grocery stores23
- Convenience stores46
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 Wadena County, MN?
Wadena County has 22 grocery and convenience stores on map listings as of September 2026. 10 of them (45%) are chain locations. The listings count grocery, convenience and specialty food stores. Official counts show 6 businesses with payroll classed as grocery and convenience stores in 2023.
How much do households in Wadena County, MN spend on groceries?
About $34.2M a year, or $5,617 per household. That is 11% below the U.S. average (an index of 89, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 22 grocery and convenience stores on map listings, it comes to $1.6M per store. It is estimated from the incomes of the 6,081 households in Wadena County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Wadena County, MN compare with the U.S. for grocery and convenience stores?
Wadena County has 36.2 grocery and convenience stores per 10,000 households, 94% above the U.S. rate of 18.7. Spending per store is $1.6M, 54% below the U.S. figure of $3.4M. At the national ratio of grocery and convenience stores to household spending, Wadena County would have about 10, against 22 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,014 households, against one for every 1,293 across the U.S.
How fast is Wadena County, MN growing?
Population estimates put Wadena County at 14,388 people in 2025, up 1.9% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 6,081 households. Median household income in Wadena County is $61,467, 24% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 31.9%, 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. Wadena County scores 24 for grocery and convenience stores (low), #2,135 of 2,402 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Wadena 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 Wadena County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Wadena 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 Wadena 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.