Groundwork

Groceries and convenience · County · Montana

Grocery stores in Missoula County, MT

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

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 68 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #461 of 2,070 scored counties
#2 of 18 scored counties in Montana

Listings
31
10 chain locations (32%)
Official establishments
19
Businesses with payroll, 2023
Household spending a year
$313.6M
On groceries · $5,952 a household
Spending per listing
$10.1M
9% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
5.9
13% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
123,513
+4.4% since 2020

See the grocery stores around any address in Missoula 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 Missoula 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

As of September 2026, map listings count 31 grocery stores in Missoula County. 10 of them (32%) are chain locations, against 37% across the U.S. That is 5.9 per 10,000 households, 13% below the U.S. rate of 6.8.

Households in Missoula County spend about $313.6M a year on groceries, or $5,952 per household, 6% below the U.S. average. That works out to $10.1M per store, 9% above the U.S. figure of $9.3M. That spending covers all groceries, which grocery stores share with other businesses in the trade.

In 2023, official counts showed 19 businesses with payroll in Missoula County classed as supermarkets and grocery stores. That is one for every 2,773 households, against one for every 2,053 across the U.S.

Population estimates put the population change in Missoula County from 2020 to 2025 at +4.4%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). For grocery stores, Missoula County has a Groundwork market score of 68 (upper middle): #461 of 2,070 scored counties and #2 of 18 scored counties in Montana. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.

How Missoula County compares

The same measures for Montana 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 Missoula County, MT compared with Montana and the U.S.
MeasureMissoula CountyMontanaU.S.
Listings per 10k households5.97.66.8
Spending per listing$10.1M$7.8M$9.3M
Households per official establishment2,7731,7652,053
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023n/a+3.6%0.0%
Population growth, 2020–2025+4.4%+5.3%+3.1%
Spending per household on groceries$5,952$5,881$6,319
Median household income$75,598$72,509$80,734
Groundwork market score6826

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
19 → 19
Employees, 2023
1,140
Annual payroll, 2023
$36.4M
One-person businesses, 2023
Not publishedNot published for this business type
Map listings, September 2026
3110 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
34The 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 Missoula 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 Missoula County

Population, 2025 estimate
123,513+4.4% since 2020
Households
52,679
Median age
38.7
Homes lived in by their owners
59%
Vehicles per household
1.9
Land area
2,593 sq. mi.
People per square mile
47
Median household income
$75,598+39.8% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$103,306
Median home value
$472,100
Jobs located here
66,258
Daytime population
128,477Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Missoula 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 Missoula 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 Montana

Every Montana market ranked →

The highest-scoring counties in Montana for grocery stores, numbered among those based in Montana, with Missoula County marked.

Top counties in Montana

Counties in Montana ranked for grocery stores by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Yellowstone County, MT83284.0$15M+4.5%#132 of 2,070
2Missoula County, MT68315.9$10.1M+4.4%#461 of 2,070
3Lewis and Clark County, MT66154.8$12.6M+5.8%#501 of 2,070
4Cascade County, MT64164.5$12.7M+0.7%#560 of 2,070
5Flathead County, MT62255.7$10.5M+10.1%#619 of 2,070
6Gallatin County, MT61367.0$9.1M+7.7%#660 of 2,070
7Silver Bow County, MT5863.9$14.1M+2.6%#737 of 2,070
8Lake County, MT40108.0$7.1M+6.9%#1,355 of 2,070
9Ravalli County, MT40189.6$6M+9.4%#1,367 of 2,070
10Carbon County, MT38715.0$4M+9.1%#1,445 of 2,070

Other business types in Missoula County

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

Questions

How many grocery stores are in Missoula County, MT?

Missoula County has 31 grocery stores on map listings as of September 2026. 10 of them (32%) are chain locations. The listings count grocery stores and supermarkets. Official counts show 19 businesses with payroll classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in 2023.

How much do households in Missoula County, MT spend on groceries?

About $313.6M a year, or $5,952 per household. That is 6% below the U.S. average (an index of 94, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 31 grocery stores on map listings, it comes to $10.1M per store. The spending figure covers all groceries, not only grocery stores. It is estimated from the incomes of the 52,679 households in Missoula County and national spending patterns by income.

How does Missoula County, MT compare with the U.S. for grocery stores?

Missoula County has 5.9 grocery stores per 10,000 households, 13% below the U.S. rate of 6.8. Spending per store is $10.1M, 9% above the U.S. figure of $9.3M. At the national ratio of grocery stores to household spending, Missoula County would have about 34, against 31 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,773 households, against one for every 2,053 across the U.S.

How fast is Missoula County, MT growing?

Population estimates put Missoula County at 123,513 people in 2025, up 4.4% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 52,679 households. Median household income in Missoula County is $75,598, 6% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 39.8%, 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. 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. Missoula County scores 68 for grocery stores (upper middle), #461 of 2,070 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

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

Screening a site or an acquisition in Missoula 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 Missoula 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.