Groceries and convenience · County · North Dakota
Grocery stores in Ward County, ND
The grocery stores in Ward County, ND, 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 #451 of 2,070 scored counties
#5 of 10 scored counties in North Dakota
- Listings
- 13
- 8 chain locations (62%)
- Official establishments
- 9
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $175.2M
- On groceries · $6,133 a household
- Spending per listing
- $13.5M
- 45% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 4.6
- 32% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 68,233
- −2.4% since 2020
See the grocery stores around any address in Ward 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 Ward 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
At $6,133 per household (3% below the U.S. average), households in Ward County spend about $175.2M a year on groceries. That works out to $13.5M per store, 45% above the U.S. figure of $9.3M. The spending figure covers all groceries, not only grocery stores.
There are 13 grocery stores on map listings in Ward County as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 62% of them, against 37% across the U.S. That is 4.6 per 10,000 households, 32% below the U.S. rate of 6.8.
In 2023, official counts showed 9 businesses with payroll in Ward County classed as supermarkets and grocery stores. That is one for every 3,174 households, against one for every 2,053 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $1.3M has gone to businesses classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in Ward County.
Population estimates put the population change in Ward County from 2020 to 2025 at −2.4%, against +3.1% for the U.S. The Groundwork market score for grocery stores in Ward County is 68 (upper middle), #451 of 2,070 scored counties and #5 of 10 scored counties in North Dakota. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How Ward County compares
The same measures for North Dakota 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 | Ward County | North Dakota | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 4.6 | 7.7 | 6.8 |
| Spending per listing | $13.5M | $7.9M | $9.3M |
| Households per official establishment | 3,174 | 1,971 | 2,053 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | −5.6% | 0.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −2.4% | +2.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on groceries | $6,133 | $6,077 | $6,319 |
| Median household income | $78,238 | $76,657 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 68 | 34 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 6 → 9
- Employees, 2023
- 477
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $11.1M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 138 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 19The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $1.3M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in Ward 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 Ward County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 68,233−2.4% since 2020
- Households
- 28,568
- Median age
- 35.7
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 61%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 2,013 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 34
- Median household income
- $78,238+13.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $102,307
- Median home value
- $267,100
- Jobs located here
- 30,323
- Daytime population
- 68,012Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Ward 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 Ward 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 North Dakota
Every North Dakota market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in North Dakota for grocery stores, numbered among those based in North Dakota, with Ward County marked.
Top counties in North Dakota
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Burleigh County, ND | 86 | 15 | 3.6 | $17.4M | +4.7% | #93 of 2,070 |
| 2Morton County, ND | 79 | 5 | 3.6 | $17.1M | +3.8% | #209 of 2,070 |
| 3Cass County, ND | 74 | 49 | 5.8 | $10.4M | +9.1% | #329 of 2,070 |
| 4Williams County, ND | 71 | 10 | 6.6 | $9.6M | +1.4% | #392 of 2,070 |
| 5Ward County, ND | 68 | 13 | 4.6 | $13.5M | −2.4% | #451 of 2,070 |
| 6Stark County, ND | 63 | 10 | 7.4 | $8.2M | +0.5% | #601 of 2,070 |
| 7Grand Forks County, ND | 56 | 20 | 6.4 | $9.2M | +1.9% | #811 of 2,070 |
| 8Stutsman County, ND | 52 | 5 | 5.3 | $10.8M | −0.6% | #929 of 2,070 |
| 9Richland County, ND | 37 | 8 | 11.7 | $5.2M | +1.2% | #1,469 of 2,070 |
| 10Rolette County, ND | 9 | 6 | 15.9 | $3.5M | −4.1% | #2,030 of 2,070 |
Other business types in Ward County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
- Grocery and convenience stores62
- Grocery stores68
- Convenience stores44
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 Ward County, ND?
As of September 2026, map listings count 13 grocery stores in Ward County. 8 of them (62%) are chain locations. The listings count grocery stores and supermarkets. Official counts show 9 businesses with payroll classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in 2023.
How much do households in Ward County, ND spend on groceries?
About $175.2M a year, or $6,133 per household. That is 3% below the U.S. average (an index of 97, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 13 grocery stores on map listings, it comes to $13.5M 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 28,568 households in Ward County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Ward County, ND compare with the U.S. for grocery stores?
Ward County has 4.6 grocery stores per 10,000 households, 32% below the U.S. rate of 6.8. Spending per store is $13.5M, 45% above the U.S. figure of $9.3M. At the U.S. ratio of grocery stores to household spending, Ward County would have about 19, against 13 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 3,174 households, against one for every 2,053 across the U.S.
How fast is Ward County, ND growing?
Population estimates put Ward County at 68,233 people in 2025, down 2.4% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 28,568 households. The median household income in Ward County is $78,238 a year, 3% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 13.6% 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. Ward County scores 68 for grocery stores (upper middle), #451 of 2,070 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Ward 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 Ward County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Ward 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 Ward 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.