Groceries and convenience · County · Montana
Grocery and convenience stores in Lincoln County, MT
The grocery and convenience stores in Lincoln County, MT, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 36 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,747 of 2,402 scored counties
#16 of 21 scored counties in Montana
- Listings
- 21
- 5 chain locations (24%)
- Official establishments
- 9
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $47.2M
- On groceries · $5,196 a household
- Spending per listing
- $2.2M
- 34% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 23.1
- 24% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 22,328
- +13.1% since 2020
See the grocery and convenience stores around any address in Lincoln 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 Lincoln 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
At $5,196 per household (18% below the U.S. average), households in Lincoln County spend about $47.2M a year on groceries. That is about $2.2M of household spending for each store on map listings, 34% below the U.S. figure of $3.4M.
There are 21 grocery and convenience stores on map listings in Lincoln County as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 24% of them, against 42% across the U.S. That is 23.1 per 10,000 households, 24% above the U.S. rate of 18.7.
In 2023, official counts showed 9 businesses with payroll in Lincoln County classed as grocery and convenience stores. That is one for every 1,009 households, against one for every 1,293 across the U.S. Official counts list 8 one-person businesses without payroll.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Lincoln County grew 13.1%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). Lincoln County scores 36 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for grocery and convenience stores, ranking #1,747 of 2,402 scored counties and #16 of 21 scored counties in Montana.
How Lincoln 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 | Lincoln County | Montana | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 23.1 | 21.5 | 18.7 |
| Spending per listing | $2.2M | $2.7M | $3.4M |
| Households per official establishment | 1,009 | 1,593 | 1,293 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +5.1% | +7.2% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +13.1% | +5.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on groceries | $5,196 | $5,881 | $6,319 |
| Median household income | $47,143 | $72,509 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 36 | 39 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 10 → 9
- Employees, 2023
- 279
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $7.4M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 8Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 215 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 14The 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 Lincoln 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 Lincoln County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 22,328+13.1% since 2020
- Households
- 9,082
- Median age
- 50.9
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 78%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.1
- Land area
- 3,613 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 6
- Median household income
- $47,143+17.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $66,699
- Median home value
- $296,500
- Jobs located here
- 6,146
- Daytime population
- 20,374Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Lincoln 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 Lincoln 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 Lincoln 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 |
| 16Lincoln County, MT | 36 | 21 | 23.1 | $2.2M | +13.1% | #1,747 of 2,402 |
Other business types in Lincoln County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
- Grocery and convenience stores36
- Grocery stores27
- Convenience stores62
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 Lincoln County, MT?
As of September 2026, map listings count 21 grocery and convenience stores in Lincoln County. 5 of them (24%) 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 also show 8 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Lincoln County, MT spend on groceries?
About $47.2M a year, or $5,196 per household. That is 18% below the U.S. average (an index of 82, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 21 grocery and convenience stores on map listings, it comes to $2.2M per store. It is estimated from the incomes of the 9,082 households in Lincoln County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Lincoln County, MT compare with the U.S. for grocery and convenience stores?
Lincoln County has 23.1 grocery and convenience stores per 10,000 households, 24% 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, Lincoln County would have about 14, against 21 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,009 households, against one for every 1,293 across the U.S.
How fast is Lincoln County, MT growing?
Population estimates put Lincoln County at 22,328 people in 2025, up 13.1% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 9,082 households. The median household income in Lincoln County is $47,143 a year, 42% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 17.5% 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. Lincoln County scores 36 for grocery and convenience stores (lower middle), #1,747 of 2,402 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Lincoln 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 Lincoln County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Lincoln 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 Lincoln 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.