Groceries and convenience · County · Montana
Grocery and convenience stores in Flathead County, MT
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for grocery and convenience stores in Flathead County, MT, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 68 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #515 of 2,402 scored counties
#6 of 21 scored counties in Montana
- Listings
- 89
- 27 chain locations (30%)
- Official establishments
- 24
- +9.1% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $262.2M
- On groceries · $5,928 a household
- Spending per listing
- $2.9M
- 13% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 20.1
- 7% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 115,429
- +10.1% since 2020
See the grocery and convenience stores around any address in Flathead 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 Flathead 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
As of September 2026, map listings count 89 grocery and convenience stores in Flathead County. 27 of them (30%) are chain locations, against 42% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 20.1, 7% above the U.S. rate of 18.7.
Household spending on groceries in Flathead County comes to about $262.2M a year: $5,928 per household, 6% below the U.S. average. Spread across 89 grocery and convenience stores, that is $2.9M per store, 13% below the U.S. figure of $3.4M.
In 2023, official counts showed 24 businesses with payroll in Flathead County classed as grocery and convenience stores, up 9.1% from 2019. That is one for every 1,843 households, against one for every 1,293 across the U.S. Official counts list 20 one-person businesses without payroll.
Population estimates show Flathead County grew 10.1% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). For grocery and convenience stores, Flathead County has a Groundwork market score of 68 (upper middle): #515 of 2,402 scored counties and #6 of 21 scored counties in Montana. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How Flathead County compares
The same measures for Montana 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 | Flathead County | Montana | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 20.1 | 21.5 | 18.7 |
| Spending per listing | $2.9M | $2.7M | $3.4M |
| Households per official establishment | 1,843 | 1,593 | 1,293 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +9.1% | +5.1% | +7.2% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +10.1% | +5.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on groceries | $5,928 | $5,881 | $6,319 |
| Median household income | $73,925 | $72,509 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 68 | 39 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 22 → 24+9.1% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,231
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $39.8M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 20Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 8927 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 77The 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 Flathead 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 Flathead County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 115,429+10.1% since 2020
- Households
- 44,233
- Median age
- 43.2
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 72%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.1
- Land area
- 5,087 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 22
- Median household income
- $73,925+31.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $99,728
- Median home value
- $535,500
- Jobs located here
- 49,504
- Daytime population
- 110,772Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Flathead 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 Flathead 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 Montana
Every Montana market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Montana for grocery and convenience stores, numbered among those based in Montana, with Flathead County marked.
Top counties in Montana
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Missoula County, MT | 78 | 84 | 15.9 | $3.7M | +4.4% | #228 of 2,402 |
| 2Yellowstone County, MT | 77 | 127 | 18.2 | $3.3M | +4.5% | #256 of 2,402 |
| 3Lewis and Clark County, MT | 76 | 48 | 15.4 | $3.9M | +5.8% | #268 of 2,402 |
| 4Jefferson County, MT | 74 | 11 | 22.0 | $2.9M | +9.8% | #339 of 2,402 |
| 5Gallatin County, MT | 70 | 104 | 20.3 | $3.2M | +7.7% | #449 of 2,402 |
| 6Flathead County, MT | 68 | 89 | 20.1 | $2.9M | +10.1% | #515 of 2,402 |
| 7Cascade County, MT | 65 | 59 | 16.6 | $3.5M | +0.7% | #592 of 2,402 |
| 8Ravalli County, MT | 61 | 33 | 17.7 | $3.3M | +9.4% | #761 of 2,402 |
| 9Silver Bow County, MT | 54 | 31 | 20.1 | $2.7M | +2.6% | #1,037 of 2,402 |
| 10Lake County, MT | 47 | 29 | 23.1 | $2.4M | +6.9% | #1,332 of 2,402 |
Other business types in Flathead County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
- Grocery and convenience stores68
- Grocery stores62
- Convenience stores76
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 Flathead County, MT?
Flathead County has 89 grocery and convenience stores on map listings as of September 2026. 27 of them (30%) are chain locations. The listings count grocery, convenience and specialty food stores. Official counts show 24 businesses with payroll classed as grocery and convenience stores in 2023, up 9.1% from 2019. Official counts also show 20 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Flathead County, MT spend on groceries?
About $262.2M a year, or $5,928 per household. That is 6% below the U.S. average (an index of 94, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 89 grocery and convenience stores on map listings, it comes to $2.9M per store. It is estimated from the incomes of the 44,233 households in Flathead County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Flathead County, MT compare with the U.S. for grocery and convenience stores?
Flathead County has 20.1 grocery and convenience stores per 10,000 households, 7% above the U.S. rate of 18.7. Spending per store is $2.9M, 13% below the U.S. figure of $3.4M. At the national ratio of grocery and convenience stores to household spending, Flathead County would have about 77, against 89 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,843 households, against one for every 1,293 across the U.S. The official count rose 9.1% from 2019 to 2023, against +7.2% for the U.S.
How fast is Flathead County, MT growing?
Population estimates put Flathead County at 115,429 people in 2025, up 10.1% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 44,233 households. Median household income in Flathead County is $73,925, 8% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 31.6%, 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. Flathead County scores 68 for grocery and convenience stores (upper middle), #515 of 2,402 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Flathead 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 Flathead County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Flathead 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 Flathead 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.