Groceries and convenience · County · Michigan
Grocery stores in Alpena County, MI
The grocery stores in Alpena County, MI, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 28 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,697 of 2,070 scored counties
#59 of 73 scored counties in Michigan
- Listings
- 12
- 5 chain locations (42%)
- Official establishments
- 6
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $70.8M
- On groceries · $5,440 a household
- Spending per listing
- $5.9M
- 36% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 9.2
- 35% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 28,853
- −0.1% since 2020
See the grocery stores around any address in Alpena 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 Alpena 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
For grocery stores, Alpena County has a Groundwork market score of 28 (lower middle): #1,697 of 2,070 scored counties and #59 of 73 scored counties in Michigan. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
Household spending on groceries in Alpena County comes to about $70.8M a year: $5,440 per household, 14% below the U.S. average. That works out to $5.9M per store, 36% below the U.S. figure of $9.3M. The spending figure covers all groceries, not only grocery stores.
There are 12 grocery stores on map listings in Alpena County as of September 2026. Of those, 5 are chain locations, or 42%, against 37% across the U.S. That comes to 9.2 for every 10,000 households, 35% above the U.S. rate of 6.8.
In 2023, official counts showed 6 businesses with payroll in Alpena County classed as supermarkets and grocery stores. That is one for every 2,170 households, against one for every 2,053 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $3.7M have gone to businesses classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in Alpena County. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Alpena County declined 0.1%, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How Alpena 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.
| Measure | Alpena County | Michigan | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 9.2 | 6.4 | 6.8 |
| Spending per listing | $5.9M | $9.3M | $9.3M |
| Households per official establishment | 2,170 | 2,419 | 2,053 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | −2.4% | 0.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −0.1% | +0.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on groceries | $5,440 | $6,009 | $6,319 |
| Median household income | $53,950 | $72,875 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 28 | 43 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 9 → 6
- Employees, 2023
- 112
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $2.8M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 125 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 8The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 2
- Amount
- $3.7M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in Alpena 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 Alpena County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 28,853−0.1% since 2020
- Households
- 13,019
- Median age
- 47.4
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 80%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.7
- Land area
- 572 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 50
- Median household income
- $53,950+24.4% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $74,418
- Median home value
- $153,900
- Jobs located here
- 11,363
- Daytime population
- 29,194Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Alpena 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 Alpena County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardGrocery stores across Michigan
Every Michigan market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Michigan for grocery stores, numbered among those based in Michigan, with Alpena County marked.
Top counties in Michigan
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Livingston County, MI | 86 | 22 | 2.9 | $23.4M | +1.7% | #90 of 2,070 |
| 2Clinton County, MI | 82 | 15 | 4.7 | $13.4M | +1.6% | #156 of 2,070 |
| 3Ottawa County, MI | 77 | 62 | 5.6 | $11.5M | +3.9% | #253 of 2,070 |
| 4Macomb County, MI | 75 | 144 | 4.0 | $15.2M | +0.7% | #288 of 2,070 |
| 5Monroe County, MI | 74 | 25 | 4.0 | $15.4M | +0.7% | #309 of 2,070 |
| 6Eaton County, MI | 74 | 21 | 4.6 | $13.2M | +0.4% | #313 of 2,070 |
| 7Cass County, MI | 71 | 10 | 4.7 | $12.6M | +0.2% | #372 of 2,070 |
| 8Oakland County, MI | 69 | 297 | 5.6 | $11.9M | +1.2% | #432 of 2,070 |
| 9Jackson County, MI | 68 | 27 | 4.3 | $13.5M | −0.4% | #450 of 2,070 |
| 10Barry County, MI | 67 | 15 | 6.1 | $9.9M | +2.2% | #485 of 2,070 |
| 59Alpena County, MI | 28 | 12 | 9.2 | $5.9M | −0.1% | #1,697 of 2,070 |
Other business types in Alpena County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
- Grocery and convenience stores31
- Grocery stores28
- Convenience stores39
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 stores are in Alpena County, MI?
As of September 2026, map listings count 12 grocery stores in Alpena County. 5 of them (42%) are chain locations. The listings count grocery stores and supermarkets. Official counts show 6 businesses with payroll classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in 2023.
How much do households in Alpena County, MI spend on groceries?
About $70.8M a year, or $5,440 per household. That is 14% below the U.S. average (an index of 86, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 12 grocery stores on map listings, it comes to $5.9M 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 13,019 households in Alpena County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Alpena County, MI compare with the U.S. for grocery stores?
Alpena County has 9.2 grocery stores per 10,000 households, 35% above the U.S. rate of 6.8. Spending per store is $5.9M, 36% below the U.S. figure of $9.3M. At the U.S. ratio of grocery stores to household spending, Alpena County would have about 8, against 12 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,170 households, against one for every 2,053 across the U.S.
How fast is Alpena County, MI growing?
Population estimates put Alpena County at 28,853 people in 2025, down 0.1% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 13,019 households. The median household income in Alpena County is $53,950 a year, 33% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 24.4% from the 2015–2019 survey, 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. Alpena County scores 28 for grocery stores (lower middle), #1,697 of 2,070 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Alpena 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 Alpena County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Alpena 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 Alpena 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.