Groceries and convenience · County · North Dakota
Grocery and convenience stores in Ward County, ND
How Ward County, ND compares with other counties and the U.S. for grocery and convenience stores: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 62 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #726 of 2,402 scored counties
#5 of 14 scored counties in North Dakota
- Listings
- 60
- 30 chain locations (50%)
- Official establishments
- 9
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $175.2M
- On groceries · $6,133 a household
- Spending per listing
- $2.9M
- 14% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 21.0
- 12% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 68,233
- −2.4% since 2020
See the grocery and convenience stores around any address in Ward 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 Ward 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 $6,133 per household (3% below the U.S. average), households in Ward County spend about $175.2M a year on groceries. That is about $2.9M of household spending for each store on map listings, 14% below the U.S. figure of $3.4M.
There are 60 grocery and convenience stores on map listings in Ward County as of September 2026. Of those, 30 are chain locations, or 50%, against 42% across the U.S. That is 21.0 per 10,000 households, 12% above the U.S. rate of 18.7.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as grocery and convenience stores in Ward County was 9 in 2023. That is one for every 3,174 households, against one for every 1,293 across the U.S. Official counts list 17 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $1.3M has gone to businesses classed as grocery and convenience stores in Ward County.
Population estimates put the population change in Ward County from 2020 to 2025 at −2.4%, against +3.1% for the U.S. Ward County scores 62 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for grocery and convenience stores, ranking #726 of 2,402 scored counties and #5 of 14 scored counties in North Dakota.
How Ward County compares
The same measures for North Dakota 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 | Ward County | North Dakota | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 21.0 | 22.7 | 18.7 |
| Spending per listing | $2.9M | $2.7M | $3.4M |
| Households per official establishment | 3,174 | 1,809 | 1,293 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | −2.1% | +7.2% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −2.4% | +2.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on groceries | $6,133 | $6,077 | $6,319 |
| Median household income | $78,238 | $76,657 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 62 | 41 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 6 → 9
- Employees, 2023
- 477
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $11.1M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 17Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 6030 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 52The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $1.3M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as grocery and convenience stores in Ward 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 Ward County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 68,233−2.4% since 2020
- Households
- 28,568
- Median age
- 35.7
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 61%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 2,013 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 34
- Median household income
- $78,238+13.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $102,307
- Median home value
- $267,100
- Jobs located here
- 30,323
- Daytime population
- 68,012Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Ward 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 Ward 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 North Dakota
Every North Dakota market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in North Dakota for grocery and convenience stores, numbered among those based in North Dakota, with Ward County marked.
Top counties in North Dakota
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Burleigh County, ND | 85 | 66 | 16.0 | $4M | +4.7% | #101 of 2,402 |
| 2Morton County, ND | 84 | 19 | 13.6 | $4.5M | +3.8% | #114 of 2,402 |
| 3Cass County, ND | 84 | 128 | 15.2 | $4M | +9.1% | #115 of 2,402 |
| 4Williams County, ND | 67 | 36 | 23.8 | $2.7M | +1.4% | #544 of 2,402 |
| 5Ward County, ND | 62 | 60 | 21.0 | $2.9M | −2.4% | #726 of 2,402 |
| 6Grand Forks County, ND | 62 | 65 | 20.8 | $2.8M | +1.9% | #732 of 2,402 |
| 7Stark County, ND | 61 | 33 | 24.4 | $2.5M | +0.5% | #778 of 2,402 |
| 8Barnes County, ND | 57 | 7 | 14.3 | $4.1M | −2.7% | #890 of 2,402 |
| 9McKenzie County, ND | 55 | 15 | 25.0 | $2.7M | +2.8% | #989 of 2,402 |
| 10Walsh County, ND | 45 | 9 | 20.5 | $2.9M | −3.3% | #1,385 of 2,402 |
Other business types in Ward County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
- Grocery and convenience stores62
- Grocery stores68
- Convenience stores44
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 Ward County, ND?
As of September 2026, map listings count 60 grocery and convenience stores in Ward County. 30 of them (50%) 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 17 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Ward County, ND spend on groceries?
About $175.2M a year, or $6,133 per household. That is 3% below the U.S. average (an index of 97, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 60 grocery and convenience stores on map listings, it comes to $2.9M per store. It is estimated from the incomes of the 28,568 households in Ward County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Ward County, ND compare with the U.S. for grocery and convenience stores?
Ward County has 21.0 grocery and convenience stores per 10,000 households, 12% above the U.S. rate of 18.7. Spending per store is $2.9M, 14% below the U.S. figure of $3.4M. At the U.S. ratio of grocery and convenience stores to household spending, Ward County would have about 52, against 60 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 3,174 households, against one for every 1,293 across the U.S.
How fast is Ward County, ND growing?
Population estimates put Ward County at 68,233 people in 2025, down 2.4% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 28,568 households. The median household income in Ward County is $78,238 a year, 3% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 13.6% 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. Ward County scores 62 for grocery and convenience stores (upper middle), #726 of 2,402 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Ward 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 Ward County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Ward 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 Ward 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.