Groundwork

Groceries and convenience · County · Connecticut

Convenience stores in the Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region, CT

Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for convenience stores in the Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region, CT, set against other counties and the U.S.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 80 out of 100: High

Ranked #162 of 2,261 scored counties
#3 of 9 scored counties in Connecticut

Listings
42
23 chain locations (55%)
Official establishments
19
Businesses with payroll, 2023
Household spending a year
$549.1M
On groceries · $7,414 a household
Spending per listing
$13.1M
66% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
5.7
29% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
177,311
+2.3% since 2020

See the convenience stores around any address in the Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region

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 Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region. 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

The Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region scores 80 (high) on the Groundwork market score for convenience stores, ranking #162 of 2,261 scored counties and #3 of 9 scored counties in Connecticut. That puts it in the top 10% of counties for convenience stores.

Households in the Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region spend about $549.1M a year on groceries, or $7,414 per household, 17% above the U.S. average. Spread across 42 convenience stores, that is $13.1M per store, 66% above the U.S. figure of $7.9M. The spending figure covers all groceries, not only convenience stores.

There are 42 convenience stores on map listings in the Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region as of September 2026. 23 of them (55%) are chain locations, against 60% across the U.S. That comes to 5.7 for every 10,000 households, 29% below the U.S. rate of 8.0.

In 2023, official counts showed 19 businesses with payroll in the Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region classed as convenience stores. That is one for every 3,898 households, against one for every 3,493 across the U.S. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of the Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region grew 2.3%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%).

How the Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region compares

The same measures for Connecticut 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 Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region, CT compared with Connecticut and the U.S.
MeasureLower Connecticut River Valley Planning RegionConnecticutU.S.
Listings per 10k households5.76.08.0
Spending per listing$13.1M$12.1M$7.9M
Households per official establishment3,8983,1383,493
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023n/a+25.6%+22.0%
Population growth, 2020–2025+2.3%+3.0%+3.1%
Spending per household on groceries$7,414$7,222$6,319
Median household income$104,428$95,781$80,734
Groundwork market score8074

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
19
Employees, 2023
48
Annual payroll, 2023
$1.3M
One-person businesses, 2023
Not publishedNot published for this business type
Map listings, September 2026
4223 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
70The 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 the Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region, 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 Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region

Population, 2025 estimate
177,311+2.3% since 2020
Households
74,068
Median age
45.6
Homes lived in by their owners
76%
Vehicles per household
1.9
Land area
424 sq. mi.
People per square mile
415
Median household income
$104,428
Average household income
$138,522
Median home value
$379,700
Jobs located here
70,497
Daytime population
159,861Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in the Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region?

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 the Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Convenience stores across Connecticut

Every Connecticut market ranked →

The highest-scoring counties in Connecticut for convenience stores, numbered among those based in Connecticut, with the Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region marked.

Top counties in Connecticut

Counties in Connecticut ranked for convenience stores by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Western Connecticut Planning Region, CT861195.1$15.7M+3.5%#80 of 2,261
2Northwest Hills Planning Region, CT84326.7$10.7M+2.2%#102 of 2,261
3Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region, CT80425.7$13.1M+2.3%#162 of 2,261
4Capitol Planning Region, CT782225.7$12.6M+3.1%#216 of 2,261
5Greater Bridgeport Planning Region, CT77695.8$12.4M+4.1%#242 of 2,261
6Naugatuck Valley Planning Region, CT741146.3$11M+3.2%#313 of 2,261
7Northeastern Connecticut Planning Region, CT73297.4$9.6M+3.0%#345 of 2,261
8South Central Connecticut Planning Region, CT711365.9$11.9M+2.5%#393 of 2,261
9Southeastern Connecticut Planning Region, CT70917.9$8.8M+2.0%#431 of 2,261

Other business types in the Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region

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

Questions

How many convenience stores are in the Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region, CT?

As of September 2026, map listings count 42 convenience stores in the Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region. 23 of them (55%) 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 the Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region, CT spend on groceries?

About $549.1M a year, or $7,414 per household. That is 17% above the U.S. average (an index of 117, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 42 convenience stores on map listings, it comes to $13.1M 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 74,068 households in the Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region and national spending patterns by income.

How does the Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region, CT compare with the U.S. for convenience stores?

The Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region has 5.7 convenience stores per 10,000 households, 29% below the U.S. rate of 8.0. Spending per store is $13.1M, 66% above the U.S. figure of $7.9M. At the U.S. ratio of convenience stores to household spending, the Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region would have about 70, against 42 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 3,898 households, against one for every 3,493 across the U.S.

How fast is the Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region, CT growing?

Population estimates put the Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region at 177,311 people in 2025, up 2.3% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 74,068 households. The median household income in the Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region is $104,428 a year, 29% above the U.S. median of $80,734.

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 Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region scores 80 for convenience stores (high), #162 of 2,261 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region. 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 Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region

Screening a site or an acquisition in the Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region?

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 Lower Connecticut River Valley Planning Region. 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.