Groundwork

Groceries and convenience · County · Michigan

Grocery stores in Kent County, MI

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

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 57 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #788 of 2,070 scored counties
#24 of 73 scored counties in Michigan

Listings
199
69 chain locations (35%)
Official establishments
104
+7.2% since 2019
Household spending a year
$1.6B
On groceries · $6,246 a household
Spending per listing
$8.1M
13% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
7.8
15% above the U.S.
Population, 2025
675,232
+2.5% since 2020

See the grocery stores around any address in Kent 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 Kent 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

At $6,246 per household (in line with the U.S. average), households in Kent County spend about $1.6B a year on groceries. That works out to $8.1M per store, 13% below the U.S. figure of $9.3M. The spending figure covers all groceries, not only grocery stores.

Kent County has 199 grocery stores on map listings as of September 2026. Of those, 69 are chain locations, or 35%, against 37% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 7.8, 15% above the U.S. rate of 6.8.

The official count of businesses with payroll classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in Kent County was 104 in 2023, up 7.2% from 2019. That is one for every 2,468 households, against one for every 2,053 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 7 SBA-backed loans worth $8.7M have gone to businesses classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in Kent County.

Population estimates show Kent County grew 2.5% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). Kent County scores 57 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for grocery stores, ranking #788 of 2,070 scored counties and #24 of 73 scored counties in Michigan.

How Kent 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 Kent County, MI compared with Michigan and the U.S.
MeasureKent CountyMichiganU.S.
Listings per 10k households7.86.46.8
Spending per listing$8.1M$9.3M$9.3M
Households per official establishment2,4682,4192,053
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+7.2%−2.4%0.0%
Population growth, 2020–2025+2.5%+0.6%+3.1%
Spending per household on groceries$6,246$6,009$6,319
Median household income$82,631$72,875$80,734
Groundwork market score5743

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
97 → 104+7.2% over the period
Employees, 2023
3,286
Annual payroll, 2023
$91.5M
One-person businesses, 2023
Not publishedNot published for this business type
Map listings, September 2026
19969 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
173The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
7
Amount
$8.7M

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

Population, 2025 estimate
675,232+2.5% since 2020
Households
256,648
Median age
37.4
Homes lived in by their owners
70%
Vehicles per household
1.8
Land area
850 sq. mi.
People per square mile
781
Median household income
$82,631+31.1% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$109,612
Median home value
$289,900
Jobs located here
399,575
Daytime population
767,130Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Kent 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 Kent 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 Kent 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
24Kent County, MI571997.8$8.1M+2.5%#788 of 2,070

Other business types in Kent County

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

Questions

How many grocery stores are in Kent County, MI?

Map listings as of September 2026 show 199 grocery stores in Kent County. 69 of them (35%) are chain locations. The listings count grocery stores and supermarkets. Official counts show 104 businesses with payroll classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in 2023, up 7.2% from 2019.

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

About $1.6B a year, or $6,246 per household. That is in line with the U.S. average (an index of 99, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 199 grocery stores on map listings, it comes to $8.1M 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 256,648 households in Kent County and national spending patterns by income.

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

Kent County has 7.8 grocery stores per 10,000 households, 15% above the U.S. rate of 6.8. Spending per store is $8.1M, 13% below the U.S. figure of $9.3M. At the U.S. ratio of grocery stores to household spending, Kent County would have about 173, against 199 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,468 households, against one for every 2,053 across the U.S. The official count rose 7.2% from 2019 to 2023, against 0.0% for the U.S.

How fast is Kent County, MI growing?

Population estimates put Kent County at 675,232 people in 2025, up 2.5% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 256,648 households. The median household income in Kent County is $82,631 a year, 2% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 31.1% 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. Kent County scores 57 for grocery stores (upper middle), #788 of 2,070 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

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

Screening a site or an acquisition in Kent 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 Kent 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.