Groundwork

Groceries and convenience · County · Michigan

Grocery stores in Iron County, MI

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

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 22 out of 100: Low

Ranked #1,851 of 2,070 scored counties
#69 of 73 scored counties in Michigan

Listings
7
2 chain locations (29%)
Official establishments
3
Businesses with payroll, 2023
Household spending a year
$30M
On groceries · $5,407 a household
Spending per listing
$4.3M
54% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
12.6
85% above the U.S.
Population, 2025
11,757
+1.1% since 2020

See the grocery stores around any address in Iron 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 Iron 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

For grocery stores, Iron County has a Groundwork market score of 22 (low): #1,851 of 2,070 scored counties and #69 of 73 scored counties in Michigan. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.

Map listings as of September 2026 show 7 grocery stores in Iron County. Chain locations make up 29% of them, against 37% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 12.6, 85% above the U.S. rate of 6.8.

Households in Iron County spend about $30M a year on groceries, or $5,407 per household, 14% below the U.S. average. Spread across 7 grocery stores, that is $4.3M per store, 54% below the U.S. figure of $9.3M. That spending covers all groceries, which grocery stores share with other businesses in the trade.

Official counts show 3 businesses with payroll classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in Iron County in 2023. That is one for every 1,849 households, against one for every 2,053 across the U.S. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Iron County grew 1.1%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%).

How Iron 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 Iron County, MI compared with Michigan and the U.S.
MeasureIron CountyMichiganU.S.
Listings per 10k households12.66.46.8
Spending per listing$4.3M$9.3M$9.3M
Households per official establishment1,8492,4192,053
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023n/a−2.4%0.0%
Population growth, 2020–2025+1.1%+0.6%+3.1%
Spending per household on groceries$5,407$6,009$6,319
Median household income$55,940$72,875$80,734
Groundwork market score2243

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
3 → 3
Employees, 2023
153
Annual payroll, 2023
$3.6M
One-person businesses, 2023
Not publishedNot published for this business type
Map listings, September 2026
72 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
3The 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 Iron 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 Iron County

Population, 2025 estimate
11,757+1.1% since 2020
Households
5,547
Median age
52.5
Homes lived in by their owners
85%
Vehicles per household
1.7
Land area
1,166 sq. mi.
People per square mile
10
Median household income
$55,940+34.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$71,732
Median home value
$109,100
Jobs located here
3,223
Daytime population
10,732Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Iron 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 Iron 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 Iron 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
69Iron County, MI22712.6$4.3M+1.1%#1,851 of 2,070

Other business types in Iron County

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

Questions

How many grocery stores are in Iron County, MI?

There are 7 grocery stores on map listings in Iron County as of September 2026. 2 of them (29%) are chain locations. The listings count grocery stores and supermarkets. Official counts show 3 businesses with payroll classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in 2023.

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

About $30M a year, or $5,407 per household. That is 14% below the U.S. average (an index of 86, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 7 grocery stores on map listings, it comes to $4.3M per store. The spending figure covers all groceries, not only grocery stores. It is estimated from the incomes of the 5,547 households in Iron County and national spending patterns by income.

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

Iron County has 12.6 grocery stores per 10,000 households, 85% above the U.S. rate of 6.8. Spending per store is $4.3M, 54% below the U.S. figure of $9.3M. At the national ratio of grocery stores to household spending, Iron County would have about 3, against 7 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,849 households, against one for every 2,053 across the U.S.

How fast is Iron County, MI growing?

Population estimates put Iron County at 11,757 people in 2025, up 1.1% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 5,547 households. Median household income in Iron County is $55,940, 31% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 34.5%, 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. Iron County scores 22 for grocery stores (low), #1,851 of 2,070 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

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

Screening a site or an acquisition in Iron 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 Iron 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.