Groceries and convenience · County · Wisconsin
Grocery stores in Milwaukee County, WI
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for grocery stores in Milwaukee County, WI, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 33 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,565 of 2,070 scored counties
#53 of 61 scored counties in Wisconsin
- Listings
- 313
- 86 chain locations (27%)
- Official establishments
- 214
- −0.5% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $2.3B
- On groceries · $5,784 a household
- Spending per listing
- $7.3M
- 22% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 8.0
- 18% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 924,216
- −1.5% since 2020
See the grocery stores around any address in Milwaukee 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 Milwaukee 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
The Groundwork market score for grocery stores in Milwaukee County is 33 (lower middle), #1,565 of 2,070 scored counties and #53 of 61 scored counties in Wisconsin. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
As of September 2026, map listings count 313 grocery stores in Milwaukee County. Chain locations make up 27% of them, against 37% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 8.0, 18% above the U.S. rate of 6.8.
Household spending on groceries in Milwaukee County comes to about $2.3B a year: $5,784 per household, 8% below the U.S. average. That works out to $7.3M per store, 22% below the U.S. figure of $9.3M. That spending covers all groceries, which grocery stores share with other businesses in the trade.
Official counts show 214 businesses with payroll classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in Milwaukee County in 2023, down 0.5% from 2019. That is one for every 1,834 households, against one for every 2,053 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 11 SBA-backed loans worth $6M have gone to businesses classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in Milwaukee County. Population estimates put the population change in Milwaukee County from 2020 to 2025 at −1.5%, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How Milwaukee County compares
The same measures for Wisconsin 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 | Milwaukee County | Wisconsin | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 8.0 | 6.5 | 6.8 |
| Spending per listing | $7.3M | $9.3M | $9.3M |
| Households per official establishment | 1,834 | 2,540 | 2,053 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −0.5% | +1.1% | 0.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −1.5% | +1.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on groceries | $5,784 | $6,105 | $6,319 |
| Median household income | $64,435 | $77,485 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 33 | 49 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 215 → 214−0.5% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 7,312
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $212.9M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 31386 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 244The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 11
- Amount
- $6M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in Milwaukee 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 Milwaukee County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 924,216−1.5% since 2020
- Households
- 392,399
- Median age
- 36.5
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 50%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.5
- Land area
- 241 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 3,837
- Median household income
- $64,435+27.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $88,836
- Median home value
- $230,700
- Jobs located here
- 496,935
- Daytime population
- 971,639Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Milwaukee 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 Milwaukee 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 Wisconsin
Every Wisconsin market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Wisconsin for grocery stores, numbered among those based in Wisconsin, with Milwaukee County marked.
Top counties in Wisconsin
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Calumet County, WI | 87 | 7 | 3.3 | $19.4M | +2.9% | #78 of 2,070 |
| 2St. Croix County, WI | 87 | 17 | 4.5 | $14.8M | +4.7% | #81 of 2,070 |
| 3Waukesha County, WI | 82 | 83 | 4.9 | $13.8M | +2.4% | #154 of 2,070 |
| 4Dane County, WI | 81 | 130 | 5.2 | $12.5M | +4.9% | #172 of 2,070 |
| 5Ozaukee County, WI | 80 | 18 | 4.7 | $14.2M | +3.0% | #188 of 2,070 |
| 6Outagamie County, WI | 80 | 36 | 4.6 | $13.7M | +2.6% | #189 of 2,070 |
| 7Washington County, WI | 79 | 26 | 4.6 | $14.3M | +1.8% | #215 of 2,070 |
| 8Eau Claire County, WI | 77 | 24 | 5.4 | $11.3M | +3.0% | #254 of 2,070 |
| 9Chippewa County, WI | 73 | 13 | 4.8 | $12.5M | +1.9% | #337 of 2,070 |
| 10Winnebago County, WI | 73 | 36 | 5.0 | $12.1M | +1.4% | #338 of 2,070 |
| 53Milwaukee County, WI | 33 | 313 | 8.0 | $7.3M | −1.5% | #1,565 of 2,070 |
Other business types in Milwaukee County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
- Grocery and convenience stores52
- Grocery stores33
- Convenience stores69
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 Milwaukee County, WI?
Milwaukee County has 313 grocery stores on map listings as of September 2026. 86 of them (27%) are chain locations. The listings count grocery stores and supermarkets. Official counts show 214 businesses with payroll classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in 2023, down 0.5% from 2019.
How much do households in Milwaukee County, WI spend on groceries?
About $2.3B a year, or $5,784 per household. That is 8% below the U.S. average (an index of 92, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 313 grocery stores on map listings, it comes to $7.3M per store. The spending figure covers all groceries, not only grocery stores. It is estimated from the incomes of the 392,399 households in Milwaukee County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Milwaukee County, WI compare with the U.S. for grocery stores?
Milwaukee County has 8.0 grocery stores per 10,000 households, 18% above the U.S. rate of 6.8. Spending per store is $7.3M, 22% below the U.S. figure of $9.3M. At the national ratio of grocery stores to household spending, Milwaukee County would have about 244, against 313 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,834 households, against one for every 2,053 across the U.S. The official count fell 0.5% from 2019 to 2023, against 0.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Milwaukee County, WI growing?
Population estimates put Milwaukee County at 924,216 people in 2025, down 1.5% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 392,399 households. Median household income in Milwaukee County is $64,435, 20% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 27.3%, 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. Milwaukee County scores 33 for grocery stores (lower middle), #1,565 of 2,070 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Milwaukee 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 Milwaukee County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Milwaukee 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 Milwaukee 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.