Groceries and convenience · County · California
Convenience stores in San Luis Obispo County, CA
How San Luis Obispo County, CA compares with other counties and the U.S. for convenience stores: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 77 out of 100: High
Ranked #243 of 2,261 scored counties
#10 of 54 scored counties in California
- Listings
- 60
- 39 chain locations (65%)
- Official establishments
- 19
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $707.9M
- On groceries · $6,465 a household
- Spending per listing
- $11.8M
- 50% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 5.5
- 31% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 282,367
- 0.0% since 2020
See the convenience stores around any address in San Luis Obispo County
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 San Luis Obispo 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
As of September 2026, map listings count 60 convenience stores in San Luis Obispo County. Chain locations make up 65% of them, against 60% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 5.5, 31% below the U.S. rate of 8.0.
Households in San Luis Obispo County spend about $707.9M a year on groceries, or $6,465 per household, 2% above the U.S. average. That works out to $11.8M per store, 50% above the U.S. figure of $7.9M. That spending covers all groceries, which convenience stores share with other businesses in the trade.
Official counts show 19 businesses with payroll classed as convenience stores in San Luis Obispo County in 2023. That is one for every 5,763 households, against one for every 3,493 across the U.S.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of San Luis Obispo County held about level, against +3.1% for the U.S. The Groundwork market score for convenience stores in San Luis Obispo County is 77 (high), #243 of 2,261 scored counties and #10 of 54 scored counties in California. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How San Luis Obispo County compares
The same measures for California 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 | San Luis Obispo County | California | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 5.5 | 6.7 | 8.0 |
| Spending per listing | $11.8M | $9.8M | $7.9M |
| Households per official establishment | 5,763 | 4,353 | 3,493 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +8.6% | +22.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | 0.0% | −0.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on groceries | $6,465 | $6,548 | $6,319 |
| Median household income | $97,446 | $99,122 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 77 | 58 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 17 → 19
- Employees, 2023
- 69
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $2.3M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 6039 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 90The 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 convenience stores in San Luis Obispo 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 San Luis Obispo County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 282,3670.0% since 2020
- Households
- 109,503
- Median age
- 42.3
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 62%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.1
- Land area
- 3,301 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 85
- Median household income
- $97,446+32.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $132,001
- Median home value
- $824,700
- Jobs located here
- 112,621
- Daytime population
- 276,085Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in San Luis Obispo 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 convenience stores on map listings by name and distance.
Or open the report at the center of San Luis Obispo County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardConvenience stores across California
Every California market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in California for convenience stores, numbered among those based in California, with San Luis Obispo County marked.
Top counties in California
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1San Benito County, CA | 95 | 9 | 4.4 | $15.7M | +8.6% | #8 of 2,261 |
| 2Placer County, CA | 89 | 102 | 6.5 | $10.6M | +8.9% | #45 of 2,261 |
| 3Amador County, CA | 81 | 9 | 5.6 | $11M | +3.2% | #141 of 2,261 |
| 4Contra Costa County, CA | 80 | 210 | 5.1 | $14M | +0.3% | #160 of 2,261 |
| 5Riverside County, CA | 80 | 574 | 7.4 | $8.6M | +5.0% | #173 of 2,261 |
| 6Santa Clara County, CA | 79 | 304 | 4.6 | $16.4M | −0.9% | #181 of 2,261 |
| 7El Dorado County, CA | 79 | 46 | 6.0 | $11.2M | +0.6% | #188 of 2,261 |
| 8San Mateo County, CA | 78 | 100 | 3.8 | $19.8M | −2.5% | #209 of 2,261 |
| 9San Joaquin County, CA | 78 | 207 | 8.4 | $7.5M | +5.5% | #235 of 2,261 |
| 10San Luis Obispo County, CA | 77 | 60 | 5.5 | $11.8M | 0.0% | #243 of 2,261 |
Other business types in San Luis Obispo County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
- Grocery and convenience stores58
- Grocery stores46
- Convenience stores77
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 San Luis Obispo County, CA?
San Luis Obispo County has 60 convenience stores on map listings as of September 2026. 39 of them (65%) are chain locations. The listings count convenience stores without fuel. Official counts show 19 businesses with payroll classed as convenience stores in 2023.
How much do households in San Luis Obispo County, CA spend on groceries?
About $707.9M a year, or $6,465 per household. That is 2% above the U.S. average (an index of 102, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 60 convenience stores on map listings, it comes to $11.8M per store. The spending figure covers all groceries, not only convenience stores. It is estimated from the incomes of the 109,503 households in San Luis Obispo County and national spending patterns by income.
How does San Luis Obispo County, CA compare with the U.S. for convenience stores?
San Luis Obispo County has 5.5 convenience stores per 10,000 households, 31% below the U.S. rate of 8.0. Spending per store is $11.8M, 50% above the U.S. figure of $7.9M. At the national ratio of convenience stores to household spending, San Luis Obispo County would have about 90, against 60 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 5,763 households, against one for every 3,493 across the U.S.
How fast is San Luis Obispo County, CA growing?
Population estimates put San Luis Obispo County at 282,367 people in 2025, unchanged since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 109,503 households. Median household income in San Luis Obispo County is $97,446, 21% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 32.6%, 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. San Luis Obispo County scores 77 for convenience stores (high), #243 of 2,261 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in San Luis Obispo County. 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 San Luis Obispo County
Screening a site or an acquisition in San Luis Obispo 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 San Luis Obispo 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.