Groundwork

Groceries and convenience · County · Iowa

Grocery stores in Johnson County, IA

The grocery stores in Johnson County, IA, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 61 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #661 of 2,070 scored counties
#13 of 60 scored counties in Iowa

Listings
44
18 chain locations (41%)
Official establishments
27
−6.9% since 2019
Household spending a year
$387.3M
On groceries · $6,114 a household
Spending per listing
$8.8M
5% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
6.9
In line with the U.S.
Population, 2025
160,044
+4.6% since 2020

See the grocery stores around any address in Johnson County

The site report maps the grocery 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 Johnson County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

Survey 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 44 grocery stores in Johnson County. 18 of them (41%) are chain locations, against 37% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 6.9, in line with the U.S. rate of 6.8.

At $6,114 per household (3% below the U.S. average), households in Johnson County spend about $387.3M a year on groceries. Spread across 44 grocery stores, that is $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.

In 2023, official counts showed 27 businesses with payroll in Johnson County classed as supermarkets and grocery stores, down 6.9% from 2019. That is one for every 2,346 households, against one for every 2,053 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 4 SBA-backed loans worth $450K have gone to businesses classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in Johnson County.

Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Johnson County grew 4.6%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). For grocery stores, Johnson County has a Groundwork market score of 61 (upper middle): #661 of 2,070 scored counties and #13 of 60 scored counties in Iowa.

How Johnson County compares

The same measures for Iowa and the whole U.S. Spending per listing divides a year of household spending on all groceries by the grocery 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 stores in Johnson County, IA compared with Iowa and the U.S.
MeasureJohnson CountyIowaU.S.
Listings per 10k households6.96.86.8
Spending per listing$8.8M$8.8M$9.3M
Households per official establishment2,3462,1392,053
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023−6.9%−1.4%0.0%
Population growth, 2020–2025+4.6%+1.5%+3.1%
Spending per household on groceries$6,114$6,036$6,319
Median household income$74,935$75,059$80,734
Groundwork market score6137

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
29 → 27−6.9% over the period
Employees, 2023
2,902
Annual payroll, 2023
$56.8M
One-person businesses, 2023
Not publishedNot published for this business type
Map listings, September 2026
4418 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
42The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
4
Amount
$450K

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in Johnson 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 Johnson County

Population, 2025 estimate
160,044+4.6% since 2020
Households
63,341
Median age
34.5
Homes lived in by their owners
59%
Vehicles per household
1.7
Land area
613 sq. mi.
People per square mile
256
Median household income
$74,935+19.8% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$108,874
Median home value
$308,600
Jobs located here
88,327
Daytime population
171,516Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Johnson 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 stores on map listings by name and distance.

Or open the report at the center of Johnson County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

Grocery stores across Iowa

Every Iowa market ranked →

The highest-scoring counties in Iowa for grocery stores, numbered among those based in Iowa, with Johnson County marked.

Top counties in Iowa

Counties in Iowa ranked for grocery stores by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Warren County, IA9352.4$26.7M+9.0%#24 of 2,070
2Dallas County, IA92184.2$16M+17.8%#37 of 2,070
3Linn County, IA71525.4$11.3M+0.7%#382 of 2,070
4Pottawattamie County, IA70143.7$16M−0.7%#401 of 2,070
5Scott County, IA70354.8$12.8M+0.4%#405 of 2,070
6Boone County, IA6954.6$13.5M+0.4%#428 of 2,070
7Benton County, IA6776.9$9.1M+1.8%#489 of 2,070
8Dubuque County, IA66204.9$12.4M+0.1%#502 of 2,070
9Bremer County, IA6655.1$12.1M+1.1%#503 of 2,070
10Marion County, IA6475.3$11.6M+2.3%#564 of 2,070
13Johnson County, IA61446.9$8.8M+4.6%#661 of 2,070

Other business types in Johnson County

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

Questions

How many grocery stores are in Johnson County, IA?

There are 44 grocery stores on map listings in Johnson County as of September 2026. 18 of them (41%) are chain locations. The listings count grocery stores and supermarkets. Official counts show 27 businesses with payroll classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in 2023, down 6.9% from 2019.

How much do households in Johnson County, IA spend on groceries?

About $387.3M a year, or $6,114 per household. That is 3% below the U.S. average (an index of 97, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 44 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 63,341 households in Johnson County and national spending patterns by income.

How does Johnson County, IA compare with the U.S. for grocery stores?

Johnson County has 6.9 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, Johnson County would have about 42, against 44 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,346 households, against one for every 2,053 across the U.S. The official count fell 6.9% from 2019 to 2023, against 0.0% for the U.S.

How fast is Johnson County, IA growing?

Population estimates put Johnson County at 160,044 people in 2025, up 4.6% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 63,341 households. Median household income in Johnson County is $74,935, 7% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 19.8%, 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. Johnson County scores 61 for grocery stores (upper middle), #661 of 2,070 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Johnson County. 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.

How the score works · Top markets for grocery stores · All 56 business types in Johnson County

Screening a site or an acquisition in Johnson 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 Johnson 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.