Grocery Stores & Food Systems in North Dakota

2026 Dataset and Interactive Map

A transparent, research-oriented resource for understanding where grocery retailers, food suppliers and distribution locations are across North Dakota, and how accessible they are.

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About The Data

Interactive Map

Sources

Methodology

Definitions

Citation

About the data

What this dataset covers

Built to support anyone working in food systems, food access, rural development, community planning and related fields.

Purpose

Shows the geographic distribution, accessibility and characteristics of grocery retailers, other food suppliers and distribution locations across the state.

The study is intended to support stakeholders interested in food systems, food access, rural development, community planning and related fields.

Methodology

Curated from publicly available, cross-referenced sources whenever possible, with documented steps so the work can be reproduced, reviewed and updated.

Limitations

Openings, closures, relocations, ownership changes and source inconsistencies can cause errors or omissions. Please verify information independently before making decisions.

Interactive Map

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Where the data comes from

Map Layers & Sources

Food Retail & Distribution

All Grocery Stores 2026

Grocery Stores, Cities Under 5,000 (2016)

Great Plains Food Bank Partner Agencies

Producers & Farmers Markets

Dollar Convenience Stores

Distributors

  • Search engine research

Population & Demographics

Population Density

Population Change 2010-2023

% of Population Over 65

Social Vulnerability Index

FAR Level Code 2020

USDA Food Access Research Atlas

Transportation

Railroads

State & Federal Roads

Interstate Entrance/Exit

  • Coordinates (WGS84) of each entrance/exit system center point

How it was built

Methodology By Layer

Each layer lists its inputs, processing steps and any calculations used. Open a layer to see the details.

Store & Location Layers

All Grocery Stores 2026
  • USDA data filtered to North Dakota and store types Grocery Store, Supermarket and Superstore. Excluded: Convenience Store, Other, Farmers and Market, Specialty Store.
  • Street number, street name, city, state and zip combined into one address string.
  • All stores verified with street view.
  • HHS licensed retail food establishment addresses (business address, city, state, zip) combined into one string.
  • Match/no match processing run between the two files.
  • 2020 Census population added to cities and counties.
  • Includes grocery stores in Montana, South Dakota and Minnesota within 35 miles of the North Dakota border.
Grocery Stores, Cities Under 5,000 (2026)
  • Source: All Grocery Stores 2026 file (see above).
  • Data processing: filter applied to cities with a population under 5,000.
Grocery Stores, Cities Under 5,000 (2016)
  • Source: list provided by NDAREC.
  • Data processing: stores marked as closed and convenience stores were removed.
Grocery Stores, All Stores (2016)
  • Source: the NDAREC list, plus center points of cities with a population over 5,000 and stores outside North Dakota within 40 miles of the border.
  • Used only for service area and distance calculations. Not descriptive of the stores.
Grocery Stores Closed Since 2016
  • Sources:
    • List provided by NDAREC
    • Grocery Stores Cities Under 5,000 2026, developed by NSF AgTech Engine
  • Data processing: lookup between the two files to find mismatches and isolate records in the 2016 list that are not in the 2026 file.
Dollar Convenience Stores
  • Data processing: ArcGIS Geocode File tool using store locator addresses.
Great Plains Food Bank Partner Agencies
  • Data processing: ArcGIS Geocode File tool using food pantry addresses.
Producers & Farmers Markets
  • Source: data provided by the North Dakota Department of Agriculture.
Distributors
  • Source: search engine research.
Interstate Entrance/Exit
  • Source: coordinates (WGS84) of every entrance/exit system added to a table by selecting the system center point.

Population Calculations

Population Density: Population estimate 2023 / square miles, by county

Population Change 2010-2023: [(pop 2023 - pop 2010) / pop 2010] x 100, by county

% Population Over 65: [(65-69)+(70-74)+(75-79)+(80-84)+(85+)] / total pop x 100, by county

Network & distance Analysis

Service Area (Driving Distance Buffer), 2016 & 2026
  • Input:
    • Grocery Stores Cities Under 5,000 2016
    • Grocery Stores Cities Under 5,000 2026
    • All Grocery Stores
  • Processing: Network Analysis > Service Area
  • Routing service: ArcGIS World Route service
  • Settings:
    • Mode: Driving Distance (km)
    • Direction: Away from facility
    • Cutoffs: 16, 32.2, 48 (km)
    • Polygons: Generalized
  • Post processing: km converted to miles for symbology (km x 0.621).
Areas Outside the 10 or 30 Mile Service Area
  • Input:
    • State boundary
    • Service Area 10 or 30 miles, all stores 2016 or 2026
  • Processing: Analysis > Tools > Symmetrical Difference
  • Post processing: added an Area Square Miles column and calculated area in square miles.
Route to Closest Grocery Store (2016 & 2026)
  • Input: Grocery Stores Cities Under 5,000, run separately for 2016 and 2026
  • Processing: Network Analysis > Closest Facility
  • Routing service: ArcGIS World Route service
  • Settings:
    • Mode: Driving Time (min)
    • Direction: Toward facilities
    • Facilities: 2
    • Output Geometry: Along Network
  • Post processing: driving distance converted from km to miles (Total kilometers x 0.621 = Total miles).
Route to Closest Distributor (2016 & 2026)
  • Input:
    • Facilities: Full Line Distributor 2016 or 2026 layer
    • Incidents: Grocery Stores Cities Under 5,000 2016 or 2026
  • Processing: Network Analysis > Closest Facility
  • Routing service: ArcGIS World Route service
  • Settings:
    • Mode: Driving Time (min)
    • Direction: Toward facilities
    • Facilities: 1
    • Output Geometry: Along Network
  • Post processing: driving distance converted from km to miles (Total kilometers x 0.621 = Total miles).
Closest Interstate Access & Exit
  • Input:
    • Facilities: Interstate entrance/exit
    • Incidents: Grocery Stores Cities Under 5,000 2026
  • Processing: Network Analysis > Closest Facility
  • Routing service: ArcGIS World Route service
  • Settings:
    • Mode: Driving Time (min)
    • Direction: Toward facilities
    • Facilities: 1
    • Output Geometry: Along Network
  • Post processing: driving distance converted from km to miles (Total kilometers x 0.621 = Total miles).

Key Terms

Definitions

Social Vulnerability Index

The CDC/ATSDR SVI uses 16 Census variables from the 5-year ACS to identify communities that may need support before, during or after disasters. Variables are grouped into four themes, then combined into one overall measure.

Frontier & Remote (FAR) Levels

FAR codes filtered to North Dakota and joined to census tracts by GEOID.

Areas up to 50,000 people, 60+ min from an urban area of 50,000+.

Areas up to 25,000 people, 45+ min from 25,000-49,999 and 60+ min from 50,000+.

Areas up to 10,000 people, 30+ min from 10,000-24,999, 45+ min from 25,000-49,999 and 60+ min from 50,000+.

Rural areas 15+ min from 5,000-10,000, 30+ min from 10,000-24,999, 45+ min from 25,000-49,999 and 60+ min from 50,000+.

Food Access (USDA Atlas)

A tract is low income if its poverty rate is 20%+, or median family income is at or below 80% of the state (or metro area) median.

Low Access

500+ people or 33%+ of residents live more than 1 mile (urban) or 10 or 20 miles (rural) from the nearest supermarket.

Low Income & Low Access

Low-income tracts that also meet the low access threshold at 1 mile urban and 10 or 20 miles rural.

Using this data

Citation & use

Provided for educational, research, planning and public-interest purposes. Not intended for commercial use, competitive intelligence or business development.

If you use this dataset, methodology, maps or analyses in publications, presentations, reports or grant applications, please cite the NSF AgTech Engine in North Dakota as the source.

Suggested Citation

Cristol, Olivier. Grocery Stores and Food Systems Dataset 2026. Fargo, North Dakota: NSF AgTech Engine in North Dakota, 2026.

Acknowledgements

Jennifer Rachels and Rushi Panday for their guidance and recommendations.

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