Groceries and convenience · County · Michigan
Grocery stores in Houghton County, MI
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for grocery stores in Houghton County, MI, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 30 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,648 of 2,070 scored counties
#53 of 73 scored counties in Michigan
- Listings
- 15
- 5 chain locations (33%)
- Official establishments
- 8
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $80.8M
- On groceries · $5,648 a household
- Spending per listing
- $5.4M
- 42% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 10.5
- 54% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 37,842
- +1.6% since 2020
See the grocery stores around any address in Houghton 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 Houghton 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, Houghton County has a Groundwork market score of 30 (lower middle): #1,648 of 2,070 scored counties and #53 of 73 scored counties in Michigan. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
Households in Houghton County spend about $80.8M a year on groceries, or $5,648 per household, 11% below the U.S. average. Spread across 15 grocery stores, that is $5.4M per store, 42% below the U.S. figure of $9.3M. The spending figure covers all groceries, not only grocery stores.
There are 15 grocery stores on map listings in Houghton County as of September 2026. 5 of them (33%) are chain locations, against 37% across the U.S. That comes to 10.5 for every 10,000 households, 54% above the U.S. rate of 6.8.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in Houghton County was 8 in 2023. That is one for every 1,788 households, against one for every 2,053 across the U.S. Population estimates put the population change in Houghton County from 2020 to 2025 at +1.6%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Houghton 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 | Houghton County | Michigan | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 10.5 | 6.4 | 6.8 |
| Spending per listing | $5.4M | $9.3M | $9.3M |
| Households per official establishment | 1,788 | 2,419 | 2,053 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | −2.4% | 0.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +1.6% | +0.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on groceries | $5,648 | $6,009 | $6,319 |
| Median household income | $58,899 | $72,875 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 30 | 43 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 8 → 8
- Employees, 2023
- 377
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $8.4M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 155 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 9The 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 Houghton 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 Houghton County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 37,842+1.6% since 2020
- Households
- 14,305
- Median age
- 36.5
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 72%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 1,009 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 37
- Median household income
- $58,899+36.4% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $80,899
- Median home value
- $159,900
- Jobs located here
- 11,811
- Daytime population
- 36,847Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Houghton 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 Houghton 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 Houghton 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 |
| 53Houghton County, MI | 30 | 15 | 10.5 | $5.4M | +1.6% | #1,648 of 2,070 |
Other business types in Houghton 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 stores30
- Convenience stores47
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 Houghton County, MI?
As of September 2026, map listings count 15 grocery stores in Houghton County. 5 of them (33%) are chain locations. The listings count grocery stores and supermarkets. Official counts show 8 businesses with payroll classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in 2023.
How much do households in Houghton County, MI spend on groceries?
About $80.8M a year, or $5,648 per household. That is 11% below the U.S. average (an index of 89, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 15 grocery stores on map listings, it comes to $5.4M 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 14,305 households in Houghton County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Houghton County, MI compare with the U.S. for grocery stores?
Houghton County has 10.5 grocery stores per 10,000 households, 54% above the U.S. rate of 6.8. Spending per store is $5.4M, 42% below the U.S. figure of $9.3M. At the U.S. ratio of grocery stores to household spending, Houghton County would have about 9, against 15 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,788 households, against one for every 2,053 across the U.S.
How fast is Houghton County, MI growing?
Population estimates put Houghton County at 37,842 people in 2025, up 1.6% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 14,305 households. The median household income in Houghton County is $58,899 a year, 27% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 36.4% 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. Houghton County scores 30 for grocery stores (lower middle), #1,648 of 2,070 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Houghton 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 Houghton County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Houghton 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 Houghton 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.