Market rankings · Iowa
Grocery stores in Iowa
Markets across Iowa ranked by the Groundwork market score for grocery stores, with competitor counts and household spending for each.
- Listings
- 899
- 365 chain locations (41%)
- Official establishments
- 615
- −1.4% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $7.9B
- On groceries
- Listings per 10k households
- 6.8
- In line with the U.S.
- Spending per listing
- $8.8M
- 5% below the U.S.
- Rank among states
- #37 of 51
- Market score 37 · Lower middle
A site report maps the grocery stores on map listings around any address in Iowa by name and distance, and the spending within reach.
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 899 grocery stores in Iowa. Chain locations make up 41% of them, against 37% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 6.8, in line with the U.S. rate of 6.8.
At $6,036 per household (4% below the U.S. average), households in Iowa spend about $7.9B a year on groceries. That works out to $8.8M per store, 5% below the U.S. figure of $9.3M. That spending covers all groceries, which grocery stores share with other businesses in the trade.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in Iowa was 615 in 2023, down 1.4% from 2019. That is one for every 2,139 households, against one for every 2,053 across the U.S. Across the U.S., the count held level over the same years. Since fiscal 2022, 23 SBA-backed loans worth $6.9M have gone to businesses classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in Iowa.
Among the 50 states and DC, Iowa ranks #37 for grocery stores, with a Groundwork market score of 37 (lower middle). Of the 9 scored metro areas in or partly in Iowa, the Omaha metro area scores highest (70). Of the 14 scored small-town markets in or partly in Iowa, the Pella area scores highest (71).
Every market in Iowa for grocery stores
Download the ranking (CSV)Numbered by Groundwork market score among the markets based in Iowa, highest first; the U.S. rank compares each market with every other of its kind. A metro area that crosses a state line is listed in each state it reaches, and numbered only in the state its page is under. How the score works.
Metro areas
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Omaha, NE-IA | 70 | 216 | 5.5 | $11.4M | +4.2% | #60 of 387 |
| 1Cedar Rapids, IA | 63 | 66 | 5.8 | $10.6M | +1.0% | #97 of 387 |
| 2Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA | 63 | 181 | 6.1 | $10.3M | +6.7% | #99 of 387 |
| 3Dubuque, IA | 61 | 20 | 4.9 | $12.4M | +0.1% | #113 of 387 |
| 4Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL | 46 | 91 | 5.6 | $10.6M | −0.9% | #222 of 387 |
| 5Ames, IA | 44 | 34 | 6.8 | $8.8M | +2.2% | #238 of 387 |
| 6Iowa City, IA | 41 | 53 | 7.3 | $8.3M | +4.1% | #255 of 387 |
| 7Sioux City, IA-NE-SD | 38 | 33 | 5.9 | $10M | +1.0% | #271 of 387 |
| 8Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA | 31 | 44 | 6.3 | $9.3M | +0.5% | #314 of 387 |
Small-town markets
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Pella, IA | 71 | 7 | 5.3 | $11.6M | +2.3% | #65 of 506 |
| 2Clinton, IA | 67 | 9 | 4.6 | $12.7M | −0.9% | #93 of 506 |
| 3Muscatine, IA | 63 | 10 | 5.8 | $10.2M | −3.0% | #124 of 506 |
| 4Le Mars, IA | 60 | 9 | 8.7 | $7.1M | 0.0% | #160 of 506 |
| 5Burlington, IA-IL | 57 | 9 | 4.5 | $12.5M | −2.5% | #182 of 506 |
| 6Fort Dodge, IA | 57 | 9 | 5.9 | $9.8M | −0.4% | #188 of 506 |
| 7Ottumwa, IA | 54 | 9 | 6.4 | $8.8M | −0.3% | #230 of 506 |
| 8Fort Madison, IA | 48 | 8 | 5.6 | $10.1M | −3.6% | #281 of 506 |
| 9Oskaloosa, IA | 48 | 6 | 6.9 | $8.5M | −1.2% | #283 of 506 |
| 10Spirit Lake, IA | 47 | 8 | 9.0 | $6.8M | +1.7% | #298 of 506 |
| 11Mason City, IA | 41 | 17 | 7.5 | $7.8M | −1.5% | #342 of 506 |
| 12Marshalltown, IA | 38 | 14 | 9.0 | $6.5M | −0.5% | #370 of 506 |
| 13Carroll, IA | 30 | 9 | 10.2 | $5.8M | −2.0% | #424 of 506 |
| 14Storm Lake, IA | 29 | 8 | 10.6 | $5.6M | −1.7% | #432 of 506 |
| Spencer, IA | Not scored | 3 | 4.1 | $14M | −0.8% |
Counties
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Warren County, IA | 93 | 5 | 2.4 | $26.7M | +9.0% | #24 of 2,070 |
| 2Dallas County, IA | 92 | 18 | 4.2 | $16M | +17.8% | #37 of 2,070 |
| 3Linn County, IA | 71 | 52 | 5.4 | $11.3M | +0.7% | #382 of 2,070 |
| 4Pottawattamie County, IA | 70 | 14 | 3.7 | $16M | −0.7% | #401 of 2,070 |
| 5Scott County, IA | 70 | 35 | 4.8 | $12.8M | +0.4% | #405 of 2,070 |
| 6Boone County, IA | 69 | 5 | 4.6 | $13.5M | +0.4% | #428 of 2,070 |
| 7Benton County, IA | 67 | 7 | 6.9 | $9.1M | +1.8% | #489 of 2,070 |
| 8Dubuque County, IA | 66 | 20 | 4.9 | $12.4M | +0.1% | #502 of 2,070 |
| 9Bremer County, IA | 66 | 5 | 5.1 | $12.1M | +1.1% | #503 of 2,070 |
| 10Marion County, IA | 64 | 7 | 5.3 | $11.6M | +2.3% | #564 of 2,070 |
| 11Polk County, IA | 64 | 140 | 6.8 | $9.2M | +4.8% | #576 of 2,070 |
| 12Clinton County, IA | 62 | 9 | 4.6 | $12.7M | −0.9% | #608 of 2,070 |
| 13Johnson County, IA | 61 | 44 | 6.9 | $8.8M | +4.6% | #661 of 2,070 |
| 14Des Moines County, IA | 59 | 7 | 4.1 | $13.9M | −2.0% | #696 of 2,070 |
| 15Muscatine County, IA | 58 | 10 | 5.8 | $10.2M | −3.0% | #745 of 2,070 |
| 16Story County, IA | 55 | 29 | 7.5 | $8M | +2.7% | #852 of 2,070 |
| 17Plymouth County, IA | 55 | 9 | 8.7 | $7.1M | 0.0% | #861 of 2,070 |
| 18Buchanan County, IA | 54 | 5 | 6.1 | $9.9M | +1.3% | #877 of 2,070 |
| 19Jasper County, IA | 54 | 10 | 6.7 | $8.9M | +0.9% | #885 of 2,070 |
| 20Webster County, IA | 51 | 9 | 5.9 | $9.8M | −0.4% | #969 of 2,070 |
| 21Woodbury County, IA | 49 | 25 | 6.1 | $9.6M | +0.7% | #1,039 of 2,070 |
| 22Wapello County, IA | 49 | 9 | 6.4 | $8.8M | −0.3% | #1,044 of 2,070 |
| 23Mills County, IA | 47 | 5 | 9.3 | $6.9M | +2.6% | #1,122 of 2,070 |
| 24Black Hawk County, IA | 46 | 34 | 6.2 | $9.3M | +0.4% | #1,136 of 2,070 |
| 25Jones County, IA | 46 | 7 | 8.5 | $7M | +2.9% | #1,155 of 2,070 |
Show all 99 counties
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26Jackson County, IA | 45 | 5 | 6.1 | $9.8M | −0.8% | #1,162 of 2,070 |
| 27Lee County, IA | 44 | 8 | 5.6 | $10.1M | −3.6% | #1,206 of 2,070 |
| 28Mahaska County, IA | 43 | 6 | 6.9 | $8.5M | −1.2% | #1,251 of 2,070 |
| 29Dickinson County, IA | 43 | 8 | 9.0 | $6.8M | +1.7% | #1,269 of 2,070 |
| 30Winneshiek County, IA | 39 | 6 | 7.4 | $8.2M | −1.6% | #1,387 of 2,070 |
| 31Grundy County, IA | 38 | 5 | 9.8 | $6.4M | +0.2% | #1,433 of 2,070 |
| 32Marshall County, IA | 35 | 14 | 9.0 | $6.5M | −0.5% | #1,505 of 2,070 |
| 33Guthrie County, IA | 35 | 5 | 10.9 | $5.6M | +1.6% | #1,516 of 2,070 |
| 34Harrison County, IA | 34 | 6 | 9.9 | $6.2M | +0.4% | #1,539 of 2,070 |
| 35Poweshiek County, IA | 33 | 6 | 7.7 | $7.7M | −1.4% | #1,561 of 2,070 |
| 36Washington County, IA | 33 | 9 | 10.0 | $6M | +0.6% | #1,574 of 2,070 |
| 37Cedar County, IA | 33 | 9 | 11.8 | $5.2M | −0.7% | #1,576 of 2,070 |
| 38Lyon County, IA | 32 | 6 | 13.4 | $4.5M | +3.6% | #1,607 of 2,070 |
| 39Clayton County, IA | 31 | 6 | 8.0 | $7.2M | −1.1% | #1,612 of 2,070 |
| 40Cerro Gordo County, IA | 31 | 16 | 8.2 | $7.1M | −1.5% | #1,613 of 2,070 |
| 41Iowa County, IA | 31 | 6 | 8.7 | $6.8M | −1.0% | #1,616 of 2,070 |
| 42Fayette County, IA | 30 | 6 | 7.2 | $7.8M | −2.1% | #1,637 of 2,070 |
| 43Sioux County, IA | 30 | 21 | 16.5 | $3.8M | +2.5% | #1,661 of 2,070 |
| 44Carroll County, IA | 29 | 9 | 10.2 | $5.8M | −2.0% | #1,672 of 2,070 |
| 45Hamilton County, IA | 28 | 6 | 9.3 | $6.4M | −0.5% | #1,692 of 2,070 |
| 46Kossuth County, IA | 27 | 5 | 7.6 | $7.6M | −3.2% | #1,719 of 2,070 |
| 47Buena Vista County, IA | 27 | 8 | 10.6 | $5.6M | −1.7% | #1,724 of 2,070 |
| 48Cass County, IA | 26 | 5 | 8.6 | $6.7M | −1.2% | #1,743 of 2,070 |
| 49Henry County, IA | 26 | 7 | 9.2 | $6.3M | −5.4% | #1,747 of 2,070 |
| 50Page County, IA | 26 | 6 | 9.6 | $5.8M | −2.3% | #1,749 of 2,070 |
| 51Allamakee County, IA | 25 | 7 | 11.8 | $5M | +1.2% | #1,778 of 2,070 |
| 52Louisa County, IA | 23 | 6 | 14.2 | $4.2M | −3.7% | #1,826 of 2,070 |
| 53Crawford County, IA | 21 | 7 | 11.1 | $5.3M | −1.5% | #1,865 of 2,070 |
| 54Winnebago County, IA | 20 | 5 | 10.8 | $5.3M | −3.8% | #1,881 of 2,070 |
| 55Hancock County, IA | 20 | 6 | 12.8 | $4.5M | −2.2% | #1,884 of 2,070 |
| 56O’Brien County, IA | 19 | 10 | 17.2 | $3.4M | +0.5% | #1,908 of 2,070 |
| 57Wright County, IA | 18 | 8 | 14.9 | $3.9M | −0.9% | #1,914 of 2,070 |
| 58Tama County, IA | 17 | 9 | 13.4 | $4.3M | −1.5% | #1,924 of 2,070 |
| 59Hardin County, IA | 16 | 9 | 12.8 | $4.4M | −2.2% | #1,940 of 2,070 |
| 60Appanoose County, IA | 11 | 7 | 13.5 | $4M | −1.7% | #2,005 of 2,070 |
| Delaware County, IA | Not scored | 3 | 4.1 | $14.7M | +1.3% | |
| Madison County, IA | Not scored | 3 | 4.5 | $14.1M | +3.8% | |
| Clay County, IA | Not scored | 3 | 4.1 | $14M | −0.8% | |
| Jefferson County, IA | Not scored | 3 | 4.3 | $13M | −2.5% | |
| Floyd County, IA | Not scored | 3 | 4.6 | $12.5M | −4.4% | |
| Butler County, IA | Not scored | 3 | 5.1 | $11.7M | −2.0% | |
| Union County, IA | Not scored | 2 | 3.9 | $14M | −2.5% | |
| Chickasaw County, IA | Not scored | 4 | 8.0 | $7.4M | −2.8% | |
| Shelby County, IA | Not scored | 2 | 4.1 | $14.8M | −0.2% | |
| Cherokee County, IA | Not scored | 3 | 5.9 | $9.9M | −2.4% | |
| Mitchell County, IA | Not scored | 3 | 6.5 | $9.1M | +0.6% | |
| Montgomery County, IA | Not scored | 2 | 4.4 | $12.9M | −3.2% | |
| Franklin County, IA | Not scored | 3 | 7.1 | $7.8M | −1.2% | |
| Keokuk County, IA | Not scored | 4 | 9.8 | $5.8M | −2.0% | |
| Calhoun County, IA | Not scored | 2 | 5.0 | $11.6M | −3.4% | |
| Sac County, IA | Not scored | 5 | 11.6 | $5M | −2.7% | |
| Clarke County, IA | Not scored | 2 | 4.9 | $12M | −1.6% | |
| Humboldt County, IA | Not scored | 4 | 9.5 | $6.2M | −2.0% | |
| Howard County, IA | Not scored | 4 | 10.6 | $5.4M | −0.8% | |
| Emmet County, IA | Not scored | 5 | 12.3 | $4.5M | −2.5% | |
| Davis County, IA | Not scored | 1 | 3.1 | $19.2M | +1.3% | |
| Palo Alto County, IA | Not scored | 6 | 15.9 | $3.7M | −1.0% | |
| Lucas County, IA | Not scored | 2 | 5.4 | $10.3M | +2.6% | |
| Greene County, IA | Not scored | 2 | 5.1 | $11.3M | −1.0% | |
| Monona County, IA | Not scored | 4 | 10.3 | $5.6M | −2.4% | |
| Decatur County, IA | Not scored | 2 | 6.5 | $8.4M | −0.9% | |
| Monroe County, IA | Not scored | 2 | 6.5 | $9M | −2.5% | |
| Adair County, IA | Not scored | 2 | 6.2 | $9.5M | −1.3% | |
| Worth County, IA | Not scored | 1 | 3.1 | $19M | −1.3% | |
| Van Buren County, IA | Not scored | 4 | 13.8 | $4M | −1.2% | |
| Pocahontas County, IA | Not scored | 3 | 10.0 | $5.7M | −3.5% | |
| Ida County, IA | Not scored | 2 | 6.6 | $8.8M | −3.4% | |
| Wayne County, IA | Not scored | 2 | 7.8 | $7.3M | +3.6% | |
| Fremont County, IA | Not scored | 2 | 7.1 | $8.4M | −0.8% | |
| Osceola County, IA | Not scored | 3 | 11.4 | $5.1M | −3.6% | |
| Taylor County, IA | Not scored | 4 | 16.1 | $3.5M | −0.5% | |
| Audubon County, IA | Not scored | 1 | 3.9 | $14.7M | −3.0% | |
| Ringgold County, IA | Not scored | 4 | 21.1 | $2.8M | 0.0% | |
| Adams County, IA | Not scored | 1 | 6.5 | $9.1M | −2.5% |
Markets with fewer than 5 grocery stores on map listings, and counties under 10,000 people, aren’t scored; they’re listed last in each table.
Questions
How many grocery stores are in Iowa?
There are 899 grocery stores on map listings in Iowa as of September 2026. 365 of them (41%) are chain locations. The listings count grocery stores and supermarkets. Official counts show 615 businesses with payroll classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in 2023, down 1.4% from 2019.
How much do households in Iowa spend on groceries?
About $7.9B a year, or $6,036 per household. That is 4% below the U.S. average (an index of 96, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 899 grocery stores on map listings, it comes to $8.8M per store. The spending figure covers all groceries, not only grocery stores. It is estimated from the incomes of the 1,315,707 households in Iowa and national spending patterns by income.
How does Iowa compare with the U.S. for grocery stores?
Iowa has 6.8 grocery stores per 10,000 households, in line with the U.S. rate of 6.8. Spending per store is $8.8M, 5% below the U.S. figure of $9.3M. At the national ratio of grocery stores to household spending, Iowa would have about 855, against 899 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,139 households, against one for every 2,053 across the U.S. The official count fell 1.4% from 2019 to 2023, against 0.0% for the U.S.
Which market in Iowa has the highest market score for grocery stores?
Among 9 scored metro areas in or partly in Iowa, the Omaha metro area scores highest, at 70 (upper middle). Among 14 scored small-town markets in or partly in Iowa, the Pella area scores highest, at 71 (upper middle). Among 60 scored counties in Iowa, Warren County scores highest, at 93 (very high). Scores compare each market with others of its kind across the U.S.
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. Iowa scores 37 for grocery stores (lower middle), #37 of the 50 states and DC.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Iowa. It maps the grocery 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.
Grocery stores in other states
All 51 states
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- Arkansas
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- Delaware
- District of Columbia
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- Hawaii
- Idaho
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- Iowa
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- New Hampshire
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- New Mexico
- New York
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- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Washington
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
Top markets for grocery stores across the U.S. · All business types in Iowa
Related business types in Iowa
- Grocery and convenience stores2,463 listings
- Convenience stores1,101 listings
Screening a site or an acquisition in Iowa?
A site report maps the competitors on map listings near an address and sizes the households and spending around it.
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.