Groundwork

Groceries and convenience · County · California

Convenience stores in Santa Clara County, CA

Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for convenience stores in Santa Clara County, CA, set against other counties and the U.S.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 79 out of 100: High

Ranked #181 of 2,261 scored counties
#6 of 54 scored counties in California

Listings
304
225 chain locations (74%)
Official establishments
122
−3.9% since 2019
Household spending a year
$5B
On groceries · $7,547 a household
Spending per listing
$16.4M
2.1 times the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
4.6
43% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
1,914,391
−0.9% since 2020

See the convenience stores around any address in Santa Clara 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 Santa Clara County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Survey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure

What this means

Santa Clara County scores 79 (high) on the Groundwork market score for convenience stores, ranking #181 of 2,261 scored counties and #6 of 54 scored counties in California. That puts it in the top 10% of counties for convenience stores.

Household spending on groceries in Santa Clara County comes to about $5B a year: $7,547 per household, 19% above the U.S. average. That is about $16.4M of household spending for each store on map listings, 2.1 times the U.S. figure of $7.9M. The spending figure covers all groceries, not only convenience stores.

There are 304 convenience stores on map listings in Santa Clara County as of September 2026. Of those, 225 are chain locations, or 74%, against 60% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 4.6, 43% below the U.S. rate of 8.0.

Official counts show 122 businesses with payroll classed as convenience stores in Santa Clara County in 2023, down 3.9% from 2019. That is one for every 5,405 households, against one for every 3,493 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 4 SBA-backed loans worth $2.1M have gone to businesses classed as convenience stores in Santa Clara County. Population estimates show Santa Clara County declined 0.9% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S.

How Santa Clara 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.

Convenience stores in Santa Clara County, CA compared with California and the U.S.
MeasureSanta Clara CountyCaliforniaU.S.
Listings per 10k households4.66.78.0
Spending per listing$16.4M$9.8M$7.9M
Households per official establishment5,4054,3533,493
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023−3.9%+8.6%+22.0%
Population growth, 2020–2025−0.9%−0.4%+3.1%
Spending per household on groceries$7,547$6,548$6,319
Median household income$164,281$99,122$80,734
Groundwork market score7958

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
127 → 122−3.9% over the period
Employees, 2023
864
Annual payroll, 2023
$29.8M
One-person businesses, 2023
Not publishedNot published for this business type
Map listings, September 2026
304225 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
632The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
4
Amount
$2.1M

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as convenience stores in Santa Clara 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 Santa Clara County

Population, 2025 estimate
1,914,391−0.9% since 2020
Households
659,353
Median age
39.6
Homes lived in by their owners
55%
Vehicles per household
1.9
Land area
1,291 sq. mi.
People per square mile
1,473
Median household income
$164,281+32.4% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$227,008
Median home value
$1,490,600
Jobs located here
1,140,081
Daytime population
2,082,732Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Santa Clara 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 Santa Clara County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Convenience stores across California

Every California market ranked →

The highest-scoring counties in California for convenience stores, numbered among those based in California, with Santa Clara County marked.

Top counties in California

Counties in California ranked for convenience stores by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1San Benito County, CA9594.4$15.7M+8.6%#8 of 2,261
2Placer County, CA891026.5$10.6M+8.9%#45 of 2,261
3Amador County, CA8195.6$11M+3.2%#141 of 2,261
4Contra Costa County, CA802105.1$14M+0.3%#160 of 2,261
5Riverside County, CA805747.4$8.6M+5.0%#173 of 2,261
6Santa Clara County, CA793044.6$16.4M−0.9%#181 of 2,261
7El Dorado County, CA79466.0$11.2M+0.6%#188 of 2,261
8San Mateo County, CA781003.8$19.8M−2.5%#209 of 2,261
9San Joaquin County, CA782078.4$7.5M+5.5%#235 of 2,261
10San Luis Obispo County, CA77605.5$11.8M0.0%#243 of 2,261

Other business types in Santa Clara County

Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.

Questions

How many convenience stores are in Santa Clara County, CA?

As of September 2026, map listings count 304 convenience stores in Santa Clara County. 225 of them (74%) are chain locations. The listings count convenience stores without fuel. Official counts show 122 businesses with payroll classed as convenience stores in 2023, down 3.9% from 2019.

How much do households in Santa Clara County, CA spend on groceries?

About $5B a year, or $7,547 per household. That is 19% above the U.S. average (an index of 119, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 304 convenience stores on map listings, it comes to $16.4M 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 659,353 households in Santa Clara County and national spending patterns by income.

How does Santa Clara County, CA compare with the U.S. for convenience stores?

Santa Clara County has 4.6 convenience stores per 10,000 households, 43% below the U.S. rate of 8.0. Spending per store is $16.4M, 2.1 times the U.S. figure of $7.9M. At the U.S. ratio of convenience stores to household spending, Santa Clara County would have about 632, against 304 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 5,405 households, against one for every 3,493 across the U.S. The official count fell 3.9% from 2019 to 2023, against +22.0% for the U.S.

How fast is Santa Clara County, CA growing?

Population estimates put Santa Clara County at 1,914,391 people in 2025, down 0.9% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 659,353 households. The median household income in Santa Clara County is $164,281 a year, twice the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 32.4% 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. Santa Clara County scores 79 for convenience stores (high), #181 of 2,261 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Santa Clara 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 Santa Clara County

Screening a site or an acquisition in Santa Clara 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 Santa Clara 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.