Groundwork

Groceries and convenience · County · Montana

Grocery and convenience stores in Missoula County, MT

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

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 78 out of 100: High

Ranked #228 of 2,402 scored counties
#1 of 21 scored counties in Montana

Listings
84
30 chain locations (36%)
Official establishments
21
+5.0% since 2019
Household spending a year
$313.6M
On groceries · $5,952 a household
Spending per listing
$3.7M
10% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
15.9
15% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
123,513
+4.4% since 2020

See the grocery and convenience stores around any address in Missoula 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 Missoula 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

Missoula County scores 78 (high) on the Groundwork market score for grocery and convenience stores, ranking #228 of 2,402 scored counties and #1 of 21 scored counties in Montana. That puts it in the top 10% of counties for grocery and convenience stores.

Map listings as of September 2026 show 84 grocery and convenience stores in Missoula County. Of those, 30 are chain locations, or 36%, against 42% across the U.S. That comes to 15.9 for every 10,000 households, 15% below the U.S. rate of 18.7.

Households in Missoula County spend about $313.6M a year on groceries, or $5,952 per household, 6% below the U.S. average. That is about $3.7M of household spending for each store on map listings, 10% above the U.S. figure of $3.4M.

The official count of businesses with payroll classed as grocery and convenience stores in Missoula County was 21 in 2023, up 5.0% from 2019. That is one for every 2,509 households, against one for every 1,293 across the U.S. Population estimates show Missoula County grew 4.4% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%).

How Missoula 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.

Grocery and convenience stores in Missoula County, MT compared with Montana and the U.S.
MeasureMissoula CountyMontanaU.S.
Listings per 10k households15.921.518.7
Spending per listing$3.7M$2.7M$3.4M
Households per official establishment2,5091,5931,293
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+5.0%+5.1%+7.2%
Population growth, 2020–2025+4.4%+5.3%+3.1%
Spending per household on groceries$5,952$5,881$6,319
Median household income$75,598$72,509$80,734
Groundwork market score7839

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
20 → 21+5.0% over the period
Employees, 2023
1,165
Annual payroll, 2023
$36.9M
One-person businesses, 2023
12Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
8430 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
93The 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 Missoula 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 Missoula County

Population, 2025 estimate
123,513+4.4% since 2020
Households
52,679
Median age
38.7
Homes lived in by their owners
59%
Vehicles per household
1.9
Land area
2,593 sq. mi.
People per square mile
47
Median household income
$75,598+39.8% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$103,306
Median home value
$472,100
Jobs located here
66,258
Daytime population
128,477Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Missoula 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 Missoula 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 Montana

Every Montana market ranked →

The highest-scoring counties in Montana for grocery and convenience stores, numbered among those based in Montana, with Missoula County marked.

Top counties in Montana

Counties in Montana ranked for grocery and convenience stores by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Missoula County, MT788415.9$3.7M+4.4%#228 of 2,402
2Yellowstone County, MT7712718.2$3.3M+4.5%#256 of 2,402
3Lewis and Clark County, MT764815.4$3.9M+5.8%#268 of 2,402
4Jefferson County, MT741122.0$2.9M+9.8%#339 of 2,402
5Gallatin County, MT7010420.3$3.2M+7.7%#449 of 2,402
6Flathead County, MT688920.1$2.9M+10.1%#515 of 2,402
7Cascade County, MT655916.6$3.5M+0.7%#592 of 2,402
8Ravalli County, MT613317.7$3.3M+9.4%#761 of 2,402
9Silver Bow County, MT543120.1$2.7M+2.6%#1,037 of 2,402
10Lake County, MT472923.1$2.4M+6.9%#1,332 of 2,402

Other business types in Missoula County

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

Questions

How many grocery and convenience stores are in Missoula County, MT?

There are 84 grocery and convenience stores on map listings in Missoula County as of September 2026. 30 of them (36%) are chain locations. The listings count grocery, convenience and specialty food stores. Official counts show 21 businesses with payroll classed as grocery and convenience stores in 2023, up 5.0% from 2019. Another 12 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.

How much do households in Missoula County, MT spend on groceries?

About $313.6M a year, or $5,952 per household. That is 6% below the U.S. average (an index of 94, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 84 grocery and convenience stores on map listings, it comes to $3.7M per store. It is estimated from the incomes of the 52,679 households in Missoula County and national spending patterns by income.

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

Missoula County has 15.9 grocery and convenience stores per 10,000 households, 15% below the U.S. rate of 18.7. Spending per store is $3.7M, 10% above the U.S. figure of $3.4M. At the national ratio of grocery and convenience stores to household spending, Missoula County would have about 93, against 84 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,509 households, against one for every 1,293 across the U.S. The official count rose 5.0% from 2019 to 2023, against +7.2% for the U.S.

How fast is Missoula County, MT growing?

Population estimates put Missoula County at 123,513 people in 2025, up 4.4% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 52,679 households. Median household income in Missoula County is $75,598, 6% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 39.8%, 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. Missoula County scores 78 for grocery and convenience stores (high), #228 of 2,402 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

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

Screening a site or an acquisition in Missoula 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 Missoula 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.