Groceries and convenience · County · North Dakota
Grocery stores in Wells County, ND
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for grocery stores in Wells County, ND, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score
Not scored
Counties under 10,000 people aren’t scored, since a few businesses can swing their figures.
- Listings
- 5
- 3 chain locations (60%)
- Official establishments
- 4
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $10.3M
- On groceries · $5,775 a household
- Spending per listing
- $2.1M
- 78% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 28.0
- 4.1 times the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 3,729
- −5.9% since 2020
See the grocery stores around any address in Wells 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 Wells 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
Households in Wells County spend about $10.3M a year on groceries, or $5,775 per household, 9% below the U.S. average. That is about $2.1M of household spending for each store on map listings, 78% below the U.S. figure of $9.3M. The spending figure covers all groceries, not only grocery stores.
Wells County has 5 grocery stores on map listings as of September 2026. Of those, 3 are chain locations, or 60%, against 37% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 28.0, 4.1 times the U.S. rate of 6.8.
In 2023, official counts showed 4 businesses with payroll in Wells County classed as supermarkets and grocery stores. That is one for every 447 households, against one for every 2,053 across the U.S.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Wells County declined 5.9%, against +3.1% for the U.S. Counties under 10,000 people aren’t given a market score, since a few businesses can swing their figures.
How Wells 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 | Wells County | North Dakota | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 28.0 | 7.7 | 6.8 |
| Spending per listing | $2.1M | $7.9M | $9.3M |
| Households per official establishment | 447 | 1,971 | 2,053 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | −5.6% | 0.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −5.9% | +2.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on groceries | $5,775 | $6,077 | $6,319 |
| Median household income | $66,114 | $76,657 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | Not scored | 34 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 5 → 4
- Employees, 2023
- 68
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $1.2M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 53 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 1The 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 Wells 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 Wells County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 3,729−5.9% since 2020
- Households
- 1,787
- Median age
- 45.9
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 77%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.2
- Land area
- 1,271 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 3
- Median household income
- $66,114
- Average household income
- $96,130
- Median home value
- $114,500
- Jobs located here
- 1,434
- Daytime population
- 3,709Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Wells 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 Wells 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 Wells 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 |
| Wells County, ND | Not scored | 5 | 28.0 | $2.1M | −5.9% |
Other business types in Wells County
None has a Groundwork market score here. Counties under 10,000 people aren’t scored, since a few businesses can swing their figures.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
- Grocery and convenience stores
- Grocery stores
- Convenience stores
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 Wells County, ND?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 5 grocery stores in Wells County. 3 of them (60%) are chain locations. The listings count grocery stores and supermarkets. Official counts show 4 businesses with payroll classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in 2023.
How much do households in Wells County, ND spend on groceries?
About $10.3M a year, or $5,775 per household. That is 9% below the U.S. average (an index of 91, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 5 grocery stores on map listings, it comes to $2.1M 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 1,787 households in Wells County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Wells County, ND compare with the U.S. for grocery stores?
Wells County has 28.0 grocery stores per 10,000 households, 4.1 times the U.S. rate of 6.8. Spending per store is $2.1M, 78% below the U.S. figure of $9.3M. At the U.S. ratio of grocery stores to household spending, Wells County would have about 1, against 5 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 447 households, against one for every 2,053 across the U.S.
How fast is Wells County, ND growing?
Population estimates put Wells County at 3,729 people in 2025, down 5.9% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 1,787 households. The median household income in Wells County is $66,114 a year, 18% below the U.S. median of $80,734.
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. The score leaves out counties under 10,000 people, where a handful of businesses would swing it.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Wells 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 Wells County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Wells 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 Wells 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.