Groundwork

Groceries and convenience · County · Michigan

Grocery stores in Alger County, MI

Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for grocery stores in Alger County, MI, set against other counties and the U.S.

Groundwork market score

Not scored

Counties under 10,000 people aren’t scored, since a few businesses can swing their figures.

Listings
2
1 chain location (50%)
Official establishments
5
Businesses with payroll, 2023
Household spending a year
$19.6M
On groceries · $5,542 a household
Spending per listing
$9.8M
Too few listings to compare
Listings per 10k households
5.7
Too few listings to compare
Population, 2025
8,641
−2.3% since 2020

See the grocery stores around any address in Alger 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 Alger 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

Household spending on groceries in Alger County comes to about $19.6M a year: $5,542 per household, 12% below the U.S. average. That works out to $9.8M per store. The spending figure covers all groceries, not only grocery stores.

There are 2 grocery stores on map listings in Alger County as of September 2026. That is 5.7 per 10,000 households.

The official count of businesses with payroll classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in Alger County was 5 in 2023. That is one for every 706 households, against one for every 2,053 across the U.S.

Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Alger County declined 2.3%, against +3.1% for the U.S. Counties under 10,000 people aren’t given a market score, since a few businesses can swing their figures.

How Alger County compares

The same measures for Michigan 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 Alger County, MI compared with Michigan and the U.S.
MeasureAlger CountyMichiganU.S.
Listings per 10k households5.76.46.8
Spending per listing$9.8M$9.3M$9.3M
Households per official establishment7062,4192,053
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023n/a−2.4%0.0%
Population growth, 2020–2025−2.3%+0.6%+3.1%
Spending per household on groceries$5,542$6,009$6,319
Median household income$61,286$72,875$80,734
Groundwork market scoreNot scored43

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
5 → 5
Employees, 2023
104
Annual payroll, 2023
$1.8M
One-person businesses, 2023
Not publishedNot published for this business type
Map listings, September 2026
21 chain location
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
2The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
0
Amount
$0

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

Population, 2025 estimate
8,641−2.3% since 2020
Households
3,531
Median age
49.8
Homes lived in by their owners
86%
Vehicles per household
1.8
Land area
915 sq. mi.
People per square mile
10
Median household income
$61,286
Average household income
$73,201
Median home value
$176,200
Jobs located here
2,254
Daytime population
8,368Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Alger 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 Alger 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 Michigan

Every Michigan market ranked →

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

Top counties in Michigan

Counties in Michigan ranked for grocery stores by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Livingston County, MI86222.9$23.4M+1.7%#90 of 2,070
2Clinton County, MI82154.7$13.4M+1.6%#156 of 2,070
3Ottawa County, MI77625.6$11.5M+3.9%#253 of 2,070
4Macomb County, MI751444.0$15.2M+0.7%#288 of 2,070
5Monroe County, MI74254.0$15.4M+0.7%#309 of 2,070
6Eaton County, MI74214.6$13.2M+0.4%#313 of 2,070
7Cass County, MI71104.7$12.6M+0.2%#372 of 2,070
8Oakland County, MI692975.6$11.9M+1.2%#432 of 2,070
9Jackson County, MI68274.3$13.5M−0.4%#450 of 2,070
10Barry County, MI67156.1$9.9M+2.2%#485 of 2,070
Alger County, MINot scored25.7$9.8M−2.3%

Other business types in Alger County

None has a Groundwork market score here. Counties under 10,000 people aren’t scored, since a few businesses can swing their figures.

Questions

How many grocery stores are in Alger County, MI?

As of September 2026, map listings count 2 grocery stores in Alger County. The listings count grocery stores and supermarkets. Official counts show 5 businesses with payroll classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in 2023.

How much do households in Alger County, MI spend on groceries?

About $19.6M a year, or $5,542 per household. That is 12% below the U.S. average (an index of 88, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 2 grocery stores on map listings, it comes to $9.8M per store. That spending covers all groceries, which grocery stores share with other businesses in the trade. It is estimated from the incomes of the 3,531 households in Alger County and national spending patterns by income.

How does Alger County, MI compare with the U.S. for grocery stores?

Alger County has 2 grocery stores on map listings, too few for a steady comparison with the U.S. rate. The count on map listings matches the U.S. ratio of grocery stores to household spending. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 706 households, against one for every 2,053 across the U.S.

How fast is Alger County, MI growing?

Population estimates put Alger County at 8,641 people in 2025, down 2.3% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 3,531 households. The median household income in Alger County is $61,286 a year, 24% below the U.S. median of $80,734.

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. The score leaves out counties under 10,000 people, where a handful of businesses would swing it.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Alger 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 Alger County

Screening a site or an acquisition in Alger 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 Alger 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.