Groceries and convenience · Metro area · Arizona
Convenience stores in the Tucson, AZ metro area
The convenience stores in the Tucson, AZ metro area, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other metro areas.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 67 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #74 of 387 scored metro areas
#4 of 7 scored metro areas based in Arizona
- Listings
- 260
- 224 chain locations (86%)
- Official establishments
- 47
- −13.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $2.6B
- On groceries · $5,843 a household
- Spending per listing
- $9.8M
- 25% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 5.9
- 26% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 1,074,685
- +2.8% since 2020
See the convenience stores around any address in the Tucson metro area
The site report maps the convenience 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 Tucson metro 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
Households in the Tucson metro area spend about $2.6B a year on groceries, or $5,843 per household, 8% below the U.S. average. That works out to $9.8M per store, 25% above the U.S. figure of $7.9M. The spending figure covers all groceries, not only convenience stores.
The Tucson metro area has 260 convenience stores on map listings as of September 2026. 224 of them (86%) are chain locations, against 60% across the U.S. That comes to 5.9 for every 10,000 households, 26% below the U.S. rate of 8.0.
In 2023, official counts showed 47 businesses with payroll in the Tucson metro area classed as convenience stores, down 13.0% from 2019. That is one for every 9,315 households, against one for every 3,493 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $50K has gone to businesses classed as convenience stores in the Tucson metro area.
Population estimates show the Tucson metro area grew 2.8% from 2020 to 2025, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). The Tucson metro area scores 67 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for convenience stores, ranking #74 of 387 scored metro areas and #4 of 7 scored metro areas based in Arizona. That puts it in the top quarter of metro areas.
How the Tucson metro area compares
The same measures for Arizona and the whole U.S. Spending per listing divides a year of household spending on all groceries by the convenience 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 | Tucson metro area | Arizona | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 5.9 | 6.3 | 8.0 |
| Spending per listing | $9.8M | $9.7M | $7.9M |
| Households per official establishment | 9,315 | 8,000 | 3,493 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −13.0% | −1.1% | +22.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.8% | +6.1% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on groceries | $5,843 | $6,084 | $6,319 |
| Median household income | $70,315 | $79,964 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 67 | 73 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 47−13.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 236
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $6.3M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 260224 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 325The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $50K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as convenience stores in the Tucson metro 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 Tucson metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 1,074,685+2.8% since 2020
- Households
- 437,827
- Median age
- 41.4
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 65%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.7
- Land area
- 9,189 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 115
- Median household income
- $70,315+31.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $96,008
- Median home value
- $319,700
- Jobs located here
- 381,409
- Daytime population
- 1,030,631Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Tucson metro area?
These figures cover the whole metro area. A site report draws rings around one address and counts what’s inside them: households, spending, jobs, and the convenience stores on map listings by name and distance.
Or open the report at the center of the Tucson metro area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardConvenience stores across Arizona
Every Arizona market ranked →The highest-scoring metro areas in Arizona for convenience stores, numbered among those based in Arizona, with the Tucson metro area marked.
Top metro areas in Arizona
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ | 82 | 1,112 | 5.9 | $10.7M | +7.3% | #11 of 387 |
| 2Yuma, AZ | 71 | 43 | 5.4 | $10.2M | +9.2% | #56 of 387 |
| 3Prescott Valley-Prescott, AZ | 70 | 70 | 6.3 | $9.2M | +6.5% | #63 of 387 |
| 4Tucson, AZ | 67 | 260 | 5.9 | $9.8M | +2.8% | #74 of 387 |
| 5Lake Havasu City-Kingman, AZ | 46 | 87 | 8.5 | $6.4M | +6.5% | #229 of 387 |
| 6Sierra Vista-Douglas, AZ | 38 | 44 | 8.6 | $6.4M | +0.6% | #276 of 387 |
| 7Flagstaff, AZ | 36 | 51 | 9.3 | $6.4M | −0.6% | #288 of 387 |
Other business types in the Tucson metro area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
- Grocery and convenience stores74
- Grocery stores74
- Convenience stores67
Auto
Beauty and personal care
Fitness and classes
Health care
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many convenience stores are in the Tucson, AZ metro area?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 260 convenience stores in the Tucson metro area. 224 of them (86%) are chain locations. The listings count convenience stores without fuel. Official counts show 47 businesses with payroll classed as convenience stores in 2023, down 13.0% from 2019.
How much do households in the Tucson, AZ metro area spend on groceries?
About $2.6B a year, or $5,843 per household. That is 8% below the U.S. average (an index of 92, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 260 convenience stores on map listings, it comes to $9.8M per store. That spending covers all groceries, which convenience stores share with other businesses in the trade. It is estimated from the incomes of the 437,827 households in the Tucson metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Tucson, AZ metro area compare with the U.S. for convenience stores?
The Tucson metro area has 5.9 convenience stores per 10,000 households, 26% below the U.S. rate of 8.0. Spending per store is $9.8M, 25% above the U.S. figure of $7.9M. At the U.S. ratio of convenience stores to household spending, the Tucson metro area would have about 325, against 260 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 9,315 households, against one for every 3,493 across the U.S. The official count fell 13.0% from 2019 to 2023, against +22.0% for the U.S.
How fast is the Tucson, AZ metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Tucson metro area at 1,074,685 people in 2025, up 2.8% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 437,827 households. The median household income in the Tucson metro area is $70,315 a year, 13% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 31.7% 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. The Tucson metro area scores 67 for convenience stores (upper middle), #74 of 387 scored metro areas.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Tucson metro area. It maps the convenience 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 convenience stores · All 56 business types in the Tucson metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Tucson metro 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 Tucson metro 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.