Groceries and convenience · Small-town market · Michigan
Grocery stores in the Sault Ste. Marie, MI area
The grocery stores in the Sault Ste. Marie, MI area, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other small-town markets.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 15 out of 100: Low
Ranked #490 of 506 scored small-town markets
#18 of 18 scored small-town markets based in Michigan
- Listings
- 20
- 4 chain locations (20%)
- Official establishments
- 10
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $78.7M
- On groceries · $5,593 a household
- Spending per listing
- $3.9M
- 58% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 14.2
- 2.1 times the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 36,081
- −1.9% since 2020
See the grocery stores around any address in the Sault Ste. Marie area
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 the Sault Ste. Marie area. 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
The Groundwork market score for grocery stores in the Sault Ste. Marie area is 15 (low), #490 of 506 scored small-town markets and #18 of 18 scored small-town markets based in Michigan. That puts it in the bottom quarter of small-town markets.
Map listings as of September 2026 show 20 grocery stores in the Sault Ste. Marie area. Of those, 4 are chain locations, or 20%, against 37% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 14.2, 2.1 times the U.S. rate of 6.8.
Household spending on groceries in the Sault Ste. Marie area comes to about $78.7M a year: $5,593 per household, 11% below the U.S. average. Spread across 20 grocery stores, that is $3.9M per store, 58% below the U.S. figure of $9.3M. That spending covers all groceries, which grocery stores share with other businesses in the trade.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in the Sault Ste. Marie area was 10 in 2023. That is one for every 1,408 households, against one for every 2,053 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $607K has gone to businesses classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in the Sault Ste. Marie area. Population estimates put the population change in the Sault Ste. Marie area from 2020 to 2025 at −1.9%, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How the Sault Ste. Marie area 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 | Sault Ste. Marie area | Michigan | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 14.2 | 6.4 | 6.8 |
| Spending per listing | $3.9M | $9.3M | $9.3M |
| Households per official establishment | 1,408 | 2,419 | 2,053 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | −2.4% | 0.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −1.9% | +0.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on groceries | $5,593 | $6,009 | $6,319 |
| Median household income | $62,217 | $72,875 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 15 | 43 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 10
- Employees, 2023
- 131
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $2.7M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 204 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
- 1
- Amount
- $607K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in the Sault Ste. Marie area, 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 the Sault Ste. Marie area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 36,081−1.9% since 2020
- Households
- 14,080
- Median age
- 42.1
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 75%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.7
- Land area
- 1,559 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 23
- Median household income
- $62,217+33.8% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $76,569
- Median home value
- $161,900
- Jobs located here
- 11,286
- Daytime population
- 35,358Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Sault Ste. Marie area?
These figures cover the whole small-town market. 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 the Sault Ste. Marie area. 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 small-town markets in Michigan for grocery stores, numbered among those based in Michigan, with the Sault Ste. Marie area marked.
Top small-town markets in Michigan
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Coldwater, MI | 68 | 11 | 6.5 | $8.7M | +2.5% | #90 of 506 |
| 2Holland, MI | 67 | 34 | 7.5 | $8.3M | +2.1% | #96 of 506 |
| 3Owosso, MI | 66 | 15 | 5.3 | $10.9M | −0.4% | #103 of 506 |
| 4Adrian, MI | 66 | 23 | 5.9 | $9.9M | −1.6% | #106 of 506 |
| 5Hillsdale, MI | 64 | 9 | 5.0 | $11.3M | 0.0% | #111 of 506 |
| 6Alma, MI | 63 | 7 | 4.7 | $12M | −1.1% | #119 of 506 |
| 7Mount Pleasant, MI | 62 | 8 | 3.2 | $17.1M | +0.3% | #129 of 506 |
| 8Big Rapids, MI | 57 | 12 | 7.2 | $7.7M | +4.7% | #195 of 506 |
| 9Sturgis, MI | 53 | 14 | 5.9 | $9.6M | +0.1% | #242 of 506 |
| 10Marquette, MI | 51 | 25 | 8.8 | $6.5M | +2.3% | #264 of 506 |
| 18Sault Ste. Marie, MI | 15 | 20 | 14.2 | $3.9M | −1.9% | #490 of 506 |
Other business types in the Sault Ste. Marie area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
- Grocery and convenience stores20
- Grocery stores15
- Convenience stores20
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 the Sault Ste. Marie, MI area?
There are 20 grocery stores on map listings in the Sault Ste. Marie area as of September 2026. 4 of them (20%) are chain locations. The listings count grocery stores and supermarkets. Official counts show 10 businesses with payroll classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in 2023.
How much do households in the Sault Ste. Marie, MI area spend on groceries?
About $78.7M a year, or $5,593 per household. That is 11% below the U.S. average (an index of 89, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 20 grocery stores on map listings, it comes to $3.9M per store. The spending figure covers all groceries, not only grocery stores. It is estimated from the incomes of the 14,080 households in the Sault Ste. Marie area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Sault Ste. Marie, MI area compare with the U.S. for grocery stores?
The Sault Ste. Marie area has 14.2 grocery stores per 10,000 households, 2.1 times the U.S. rate of 6.8. Spending per store is $3.9M, 58% below the U.S. figure of $9.3M. At the national ratio of grocery stores to household spending, the Sault Ste. Marie area would have about 9, against 20 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,408 households, against one for every 2,053 across the U.S.
How fast is the Sault Ste. Marie, MI area growing?
Population estimates put the Sault Ste. Marie area at 36,081 people in 2025, down 1.9% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 14,080 households. Median household income in the Sault Ste. Marie area is $62,217, 23% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 33.8%, 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. A small-town market is a town of 10,000 to 50,000 people and the county or counties tied to it by commuting. 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 Sault Ste. Marie area scores 15 for grocery stores (low), #490 of 506 scored small-town markets.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Sault Ste. Marie area. 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 the Sault Ste. Marie area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Sault Ste. Marie area?
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 the Sault Ste. Marie area. 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.