Groceries and convenience · Small-town market · North Dakota
Grocery stores in the Williston, ND area
How the Williston, ND area compares with other small-town markets and the U.S. for grocery stores: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 77 out of 100: High
Ranked #37 of 506 scored small-town markets
#1 of 4 scored small-town markets based in North Dakota
- Listings
- 10
- 3 chain locations (30%)
- Official establishments
- 4
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $96.4M
- On groceries · $6,364 a household
- Spending per listing
- $9.6M
- 4% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 6.6
- 3% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 41,767
- +1.4% since 2020
See the grocery stores around any address in the Williston 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 Williston 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
For grocery stores, the Williston area has a Groundwork market score of 77 (high): #37 of 506 scored small-town markets and #1 of 4 scored small-town markets based in North Dakota. That puts it in the top 10% of small-town markets for grocery stores.
As of September 2026, map listings count 10 grocery stores in the Williston area. Chain locations make up 30% of them, against 37% across the U.S. That is 6.6 per 10,000 households, 3% below the U.S. rate of 6.8.
At $6,364 per household (in line with the U.S. average), households in the Williston area spend about $96.4M a year on groceries. That is about $9.6M of household spending for each store on map listings, 4% 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 the Williston area was 4 in 2023. That is one for every 3,789 households, against one for every 2,053 across the U.S. Population estimates put the population change in the Williston area from 2020 to 2025 at +1.4%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How the Williston area 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 | Williston area | North Dakota | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 6.6 | 7.7 | 6.8 |
| Spending per listing | $9.6M | $7.9M | $9.3M |
| Households per official establishment | 3,789 | 1,971 | 2,053 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | −5.6% | 0.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +1.4% | +2.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on groceries | $6,364 | $6,077 | $6,319 |
| Median household income | $85,595 | $76,657 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 77 | 34 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 4
- Employees, 2023
- 278
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $9.2M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 103 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 10The 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 the Williston 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 Williston area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 41,767+1.4% since 2020
- Households
- 15,154
- Median age
- 33.3
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 53%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 2,078 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 19
- Median household income
- $85,595−1.8% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $117,741
- Median home value
- $284,800
- Jobs located here
- 25,521
- Daytime population
- 44,045Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Williston 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 Williston 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 North Dakota
Every North Dakota market ranked →The highest-scoring small-town markets in North Dakota for grocery stores, numbered among those based in North Dakota, with the Williston area marked.
Top small-town markets in North Dakota
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Williston, ND | 77 | 10 | 6.6 | $9.6M | +1.4% | #37 of 506 |
| 2Dickinson, ND | 71 | 11 | 7.1 | $8.7M | +0.7% | #68 of 506 |
| 3Jamestown, ND | 60 | 5 | 5.3 | $10.8M | −0.6% | #155 of 506 |
| 4Wahpeton, ND-MN | 40 | 10 | 10.5 | $5.7M | 0.0% | #358 of 506 |
Other business types in the Williston area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
- Grocery and convenience stores75
- Grocery stores77
- Convenience stores72
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 Williston, ND area?
The Williston area has 10 grocery stores on map listings as of September 2026. 3 of them (30%) 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 the Williston, ND area spend on groceries?
About $96.4M a year, or $6,364 per household. That is in line with the U.S. average (an index of 101, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 10 grocery stores on map listings, it comes to $9.6M per store. The spending figure covers all groceries, not only grocery stores. It is estimated from the incomes of the 15,154 households in the Williston area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Williston, ND area compare with the U.S. for grocery stores?
The Williston area has 6.6 grocery stores per 10,000 households, 3% below the U.S. rate of 6.8. Spending per store is $9.6M, 4% above the U.S. figure of $9.3M. The count on map listings matches the U.S. ratio of grocery stores to household spending. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 3,789 households, against one for every 2,053 across the U.S.
How fast is the Williston, ND area growing?
Population estimates put the Williston area at 41,767 people in 2025, up 1.4% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 15,154 households. Median household income in the Williston area is $85,595, 6% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median fell 1.8%, 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 Williston area scores 77 for grocery stores (high), #37 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 Williston 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 Williston area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Williston 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 Williston 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.