Groceries and convenience · County · Wisconsin
Grocery and convenience stores in Milwaukee County, WI
The grocery and convenience stores in Milwaukee County, WI, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 52 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #1,104 of 2,402 scored counties
#36 of 67 scored counties in Wisconsin
- Listings
- 628
- 163 chain locations (26%)
- Official establishments
- 272
- −0.7% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $2.3B
- On groceries · $5,784 a household
- Spending per listing
- $3.6M
- 7% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 16.0
- 14% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 924,216
- −1.5% since 2020
See the grocery and convenience stores around any address in Milwaukee 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 Milwaukee 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
Map listings as of September 2026 show 628 grocery and convenience stores in Milwaukee County. 163 of them (26%) are chain locations, against 42% across the U.S. That comes to 16.0 for every 10,000 households, 14% below the U.S. rate of 18.7.
Households in Milwaukee County spend about $2.3B a year on groceries, or $5,784 per household, 8% below the U.S. average. That is about $3.6M of household spending for each store on map listings, 7% above the U.S. figure of $3.4M.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as grocery and convenience stores in Milwaukee County was 272 in 2023, down 0.7% from 2019. That is one for every 1,443 households, against one for every 1,293 across the U.S. Another 204 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 14 SBA-backed loans worth $7.7M have gone to businesses classed as grocery and convenience stores in Milwaukee County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Milwaukee County declined 1.5%, against +3.1% for the U.S. Milwaukee County scores 52 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for grocery and convenience stores, ranking #1,104 of 2,402 scored counties and #36 of 67 scored counties in Wisconsin.
How Milwaukee County compares
The same measures for Wisconsin 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 | Milwaukee County | Wisconsin | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 16.0 | 20.0 | 18.7 |
| Spending per listing | $3.6M | $3M | $3.4M |
| Households per official establishment | 1,443 | 2,181 | 1,293 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −0.7% | +4.0% | +7.2% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −1.5% | +1.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on groceries | $5,784 | $6,105 | $6,319 |
| Median household income | $64,435 | $77,485 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 52 | 52 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 274 → 272−0.7% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 7,431
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $215.4M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 204Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 628163 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 670The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 14
- Amount
- $7.7M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as grocery and convenience stores in Milwaukee 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 Milwaukee County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 924,216−1.5% since 2020
- Households
- 392,399
- Median age
- 36.5
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 50%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.5
- Land area
- 241 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 3,837
- Median household income
- $64,435+27.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $88,836
- Median home value
- $230,700
- Jobs located here
- 496,935
- Daytime population
- 971,639Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Milwaukee 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 Milwaukee 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 Wisconsin
Every Wisconsin market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Wisconsin for grocery and convenience stores, numbered among those based in Wisconsin, with Milwaukee County marked.
Top counties in Wisconsin
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Waukesha County, WI | 87 | 233 | 13.8 | $4.9M | +2.4% | #75 of 2,402 |
| 2Ozaukee County, WI | 86 | 46 | 12.0 | $5.5M | +3.0% | #87 of 2,402 |
| 3Calumet County, WI | 86 | 29 | 13.6 | $4.7M | +2.9% | #89 of 2,402 |
| 4Dane County, WI | 86 | 385 | 15.3 | $4.2M | +4.9% | #93 of 2,402 |
| 5Washington County, WI | 80 | 98 | 17.2 | $3.8M | +1.8% | #187 of 2,402 |
| 6Outagamie County, WI | 79 | 140 | 17.9 | $3.5M | +2.6% | #210 of 2,402 |
| 7St. Croix County, WI | 79 | 83 | 22.1 | $3M | +4.7% | #213 of 2,402 |
| 8Winnebago County, WI | 74 | 120 | 16.5 | $3.6M | +1.4% | #327 of 2,402 |
| 9Brown County, WI | 74 | 211 | 19.0 | $3.2M | +2.6% | #337 of 2,402 |
| 10La Crosse County, WI | 72 | 86 | 16.7 | $3.6M | +0.3% | #391 of 2,402 |
| 36Milwaukee County, WI | 52 | 628 | 16.0 | $3.6M | −1.5% | #1,104 of 2,402 |
Other business types in Milwaukee County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
- Grocery and convenience stores52
- Grocery stores33
- Convenience stores69
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 Milwaukee County, WI?
There are 628 grocery and convenience stores on map listings in Milwaukee County as of September 2026. 163 of them (26%) are chain locations. The listings count grocery, convenience and specialty food stores. Official counts show 272 businesses with payroll classed as grocery and convenience stores in 2023, down 0.7% from 2019. Official counts list 204 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Milwaukee County, WI spend on groceries?
About $2.3B a year, or $5,784 per household. That is 8% below the U.S. average (an index of 92, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 628 grocery and convenience stores on map listings, it comes to $3.6M per store. It is estimated from the incomes of the 392,399 households in Milwaukee County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Milwaukee County, WI compare with the U.S. for grocery and convenience stores?
Milwaukee County has 16.0 grocery and convenience stores per 10,000 households, 14% below the U.S. rate of 18.7. Spending per store is $3.6M, 7% above the U.S. figure of $3.4M. At the national ratio of grocery and convenience stores to household spending, Milwaukee County would have about 670, against 628 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,443 households, against one for every 1,293 across the U.S. The official count fell 0.7% from 2019 to 2023, against +7.2% for the U.S.
How fast is Milwaukee County, WI growing?
Population estimates put Milwaukee County at 924,216 people in 2025, down 1.5% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 392,399 households. Median household income in Milwaukee County is $64,435, 20% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 27.3%, 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. Milwaukee County scores 52 for grocery and convenience stores (upper middle), #1,104 of 2,402 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Milwaukee 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 Milwaukee County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Milwaukee 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 Milwaukee 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.