Groceries and convenience · County · Wisconsin
Grocery and convenience stores in Vilas County, WI
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for grocery and convenience stores in Vilas County, WI, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 43 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,480 of 2,402 scored counties
#51 of 67 scored counties in Wisconsin
- Listings
- 26
- 11 chain locations (42%)
- Official establishments
- 10
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $64.8M
- On groceries · $5,811 a household
- Spending per listing
- $2.5M
- 26% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 23.3
- 25% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 23,761
- +2.9% since 2020
See the grocery and convenience stores around any address in Vilas 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 Vilas 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 26 grocery and convenience stores in Vilas County. 11 of them (42%) are chain locations, against 42% across the U.S. That is 23.3 per 10,000 households, 25% above the U.S. rate of 18.7.
At $5,811 per household (8% below the U.S. average), households in Vilas County spend about $64.8M a year on groceries. Spread across 26 grocery and convenience stores, that is $2.5M per store, 26% below the U.S. figure of $3.4M.
In 2023, official counts showed 10 businesses with payroll in Vilas County classed as grocery and convenience stores. That is one for every 1,115 households, against one for every 1,293 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $157K has gone to businesses classed as grocery and convenience stores in Vilas County.
Population estimates put the population change in Vilas County from 2020 to 2025 at +2.9%, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). For grocery and convenience stores, Vilas County has a Groundwork market score of 43 (lower middle): #1,480 of 2,402 scored counties and #51 of 67 scored counties in Wisconsin.
How Vilas 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 | Vilas County | Wisconsin | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 23.3 | 20.0 | 18.7 |
| Spending per listing | $2.5M | $3M | $3.4M |
| Households per official establishment | 1,115 | 2,181 | 1,293 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +4.0% | +7.2% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.9% | +1.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on groceries | $5,811 | $6,105 | $6,319 |
| Median household income | $68,431 | $77,485 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 43 | 52 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 7 → 10
- Employees, 2023
- 258
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $7.4M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 0Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 2611 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 19The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $157K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as grocery and convenience stores in Vilas 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 Vilas County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 23,761+2.9% since 2020
- Households
- 11,147
- Median age
- 53.2
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 84%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 858 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 28
- Median household income
- $68,431+45.4% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $88,583
- Median home value
- $300,000
- Jobs located here
- 7,876
- Daytime population
- 22,608Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Vilas 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 Vilas 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 Vilas 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 |
| 51Vilas County, WI | 43 | 26 | 23.3 | $2.5M | +2.9% | #1,480 of 2,402 |
Other business types in Vilas County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
- Grocery and convenience stores43
- Grocery stores35
- Convenience stores58
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 Vilas County, WI?
Vilas County has 26 grocery and convenience stores on map listings as of September 2026. 11 of them (42%) are chain locations. The listings count grocery, convenience and specialty food stores. Official counts show 10 businesses with payroll classed as grocery and convenience stores in 2023.
How much do households in Vilas County, WI spend on groceries?
About $64.8M a year, or $5,811 per household. That is 8% below the U.S. average (an index of 92, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 26 grocery and convenience stores on map listings, it comes to $2.5M per store. It is estimated from the incomes of the 11,147 households in Vilas County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Vilas County, WI compare with the U.S. for grocery and convenience stores?
Vilas County has 23.3 grocery and convenience stores per 10,000 households, 25% above the U.S. rate of 18.7. Spending per store is $2.5M, 26% below the U.S. figure of $3.4M. At the national ratio of grocery and convenience stores to household spending, Vilas County would have about 19, against 26 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,115 households, against one for every 1,293 across the U.S.
How fast is Vilas County, WI growing?
Population estimates put Vilas County at 23,761 people in 2025, up 2.9% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 11,147 households. Median household income in Vilas County is $68,431, 15% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 45.4%, 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. Vilas County scores 43 for grocery and convenience stores (lower middle), #1,480 of 2,402 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Vilas 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 Vilas County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Vilas 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 Vilas 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.