Groceries and convenience · County · Montana
Grocery stores in Yellowstone County, MT
The grocery stores in Yellowstone County, MT, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 83 out of 100: High
Ranked #132 of 2,070 scored counties
#1 of 18 scored counties in Montana
- Listings
- 28
- 12 chain locations (43%)
- Official establishments
- 19
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $420.2M
- On groceries · $6,012 a household
- Spending per listing
- $15M
- 61% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 4.0
- 41% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 172,692
- +4.5% since 2020
See the grocery stores around any address in Yellowstone 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 Yellowstone 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, Yellowstone County has a Groundwork market score of 83 (high): #132 of 2,070 scored counties and #1 of 18 scored counties in Montana. That puts it in the top 10% of counties for grocery stores.
Map listings as of September 2026 show 28 grocery stores in Yellowstone County. Chain locations make up 43% of them, against 37% across the U.S. That is 4.0 per 10,000 households, 41% below the U.S. rate of 6.8.
Households in Yellowstone County spend about $420.2M a year on groceries, or $6,012 per household, 5% below the U.S. average. That works out to $15M per store, 61% above 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 Yellowstone County was 19 in 2023. That is one for every 3,679 households, against one for every 2,053 across the U.S. Population estimates show Yellowstone County grew 4.5% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Yellowstone 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.
| Measure | Yellowstone County | Montana | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 4.0 | 7.6 | 6.8 |
| Spending per listing | $15M | $7.8M | $9.3M |
| Households per official establishment | 3,679 | 1,765 | 2,053 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +3.6% | 0.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +4.5% | +5.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on groceries | $6,012 | $5,881 | $6,319 |
| Median household income | $76,570 | $72,509 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 83 | 26 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 16 → 19
- Employees, 2023
- 1,035
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $34.4M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 2812 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 45The 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 Yellowstone 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 Yellowstone County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 172,692+4.5% since 2020
- Households
- 69,897
- Median age
- 39.6
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 70%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 2,633 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 64
- Median household income
- $76,570+25.0% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $104,900
- Median home value
- $349,500
- Jobs located here
- 90,871
- Daytime population
- 173,526Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Yellowstone 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 Yellowstone 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 Montana
Every Montana market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Montana for grocery stores, numbered among those based in Montana, with Yellowstone County marked.
Top counties in Montana
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Yellowstone County, MT | 83 | 28 | 4.0 | $15M | +4.5% | #132 of 2,070 |
| 2Missoula County, MT | 68 | 31 | 5.9 | $10.1M | +4.4% | #461 of 2,070 |
| 3Lewis and Clark County, MT | 66 | 15 | 4.8 | $12.6M | +5.8% | #501 of 2,070 |
| 4Cascade County, MT | 64 | 16 | 4.5 | $12.7M | +0.7% | #560 of 2,070 |
| 5Flathead County, MT | 62 | 25 | 5.7 | $10.5M | +10.1% | #619 of 2,070 |
| 6Gallatin County, MT | 61 | 36 | 7.0 | $9.1M | +7.7% | #660 of 2,070 |
| 7Silver Bow County, MT | 58 | 6 | 3.9 | $14.1M | +2.6% | #737 of 2,070 |
| 8Lake County, MT | 40 | 10 | 8.0 | $7.1M | +6.9% | #1,355 of 2,070 |
| 9Ravalli County, MT | 40 | 18 | 9.6 | $6M | +9.4% | #1,367 of 2,070 |
| 10Carbon County, MT | 38 | 7 | 15.0 | $4M | +9.1% | #1,445 of 2,070 |
Other business types in Yellowstone County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
- Grocery and convenience stores77
- Grocery stores83
- Convenience stores66
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 Yellowstone County, MT?
There are 28 grocery stores on map listings in Yellowstone County as of September 2026. 12 of them (43%) 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 Yellowstone County, MT spend on groceries?
About $420.2M a year, or $6,012 per household. That is 5% below the U.S. average (an index of 95, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 28 grocery stores on map listings, it comes to $15M per store. The spending figure covers all groceries, not only grocery stores. It is estimated from the incomes of the 69,897 households in Yellowstone County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Yellowstone County, MT compare with the U.S. for grocery stores?
Yellowstone County has 4.0 grocery stores per 10,000 households, 41% below the U.S. rate of 6.8. Spending per store is $15M, 61% above the U.S. figure of $9.3M. At the national ratio of grocery stores to household spending, Yellowstone County would have about 45, against 28 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 3,679 households, against one for every 2,053 across the U.S.
How fast is Yellowstone County, MT growing?
Population estimates put Yellowstone County at 172,692 people in 2025, up 4.5% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 69,897 households. Median household income in Yellowstone County is $76,570, 5% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 25.0%, 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. Yellowstone County scores 83 for grocery stores (high), #132 of 2,070 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Yellowstone 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 Yellowstone County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Yellowstone 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 Yellowstone 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.