Groceries and convenience · County · Delaware
Convenience stores in New Castle County, DE
How New Castle County, DE 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 73 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #344 of 2,261 scored counties
#3 of 3 scored counties in Delaware
- Listings
- 146
- 106 chain locations (73%)
- Official establishments
- 67
- +17.5% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $1.4B
- On groceries · $6,461 a household
- Spending per listing
- $9.9M
- 26% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 6.5
- 19% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 588,026
- +3.0% since 2020
See the convenience stores around any address in New Castle 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 New Castle 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 146 convenience stores in New Castle County. 106 of them (73%) are chain locations, against 60% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 6.5, 19% below the U.S. rate of 8.0.
Households in New Castle County spend about $1.4B a year on groceries, or $6,461 per household, 2% above the U.S. average. That is about $9.9M of household spending for each store on map listings, 26% above the U.S. figure of $7.9M. That spending covers all groceries, which convenience stores share with other businesses in the trade.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as convenience stores in New Castle County was 67 in 2023, up 17.5% from 2019. That is one for every 3,346 households, against one for every 3,493 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 5 SBA-backed loans worth $702K have gone to businesses classed as convenience stores in New Castle County.
Population estimates put the population change in New Castle County from 2020 to 2025 at +3.0%, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). New Castle County scores 73 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for convenience stores, ranking #344 of 2,261 scored counties and #3 of 3 scored counties in Delaware. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How New Castle County compares
The same measures for Delaware 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 | New Castle County | Delaware | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 6.5 | 6.8 | 8.0 |
| Spending per listing | $9.9M | $9.2M | $7.9M |
| Households per official establishment | 3,346 | 3,723 | 3,493 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +17.5% | +17.4% | +22.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +3.0% | +6.9% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on groceries | $6,461 | $6,314 | $6,319 |
| Median household income | $91,166 | $84,954 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 73 | 68 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 57 → 67+17.5% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 753
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $15.8M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 146106 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 184The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 5
- Amount
- $702K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as convenience stores in New Castle 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 New Castle County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 588,026+3.0% since 2020
- Households
- 224,173
- Median age
- 40.7
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 69%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.7
- Land area
- 426 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 1,356
- Median household income
- $91,166+23.4% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $120,517
- Median home value
- $352,200
- Jobs located here
- 298,174
- Daytime population
- 607,117Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in New Castle 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 New Castle 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 Delaware
Every Delaware market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Delaware for convenience stores, numbered among those based in Delaware, with New Castle County marked.
Top counties in Delaware
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Kent County, DE | 78 | 45 | 6.3 | $9.5M | +6.8% | #223 of 2,261 |
| 2Sussex County, DE | 78 | 84 | 7.9 | $7.9M | +16.1% | #233 of 2,261 |
| 3New Castle County, DE | 73 | 146 | 6.5 | $9.9M | +3.0% | #344 of 2,261 |
Other business types in New Castle County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
- Grocery and convenience stores69
- Grocery stores67
- Convenience stores73
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 New Castle County, DE?
New Castle County has 146 convenience stores on map listings as of September 2026. 106 of them (73%) are chain locations. The listings count convenience stores without fuel. Official counts show 67 businesses with payroll classed as convenience stores in 2023, up 17.5% from 2019.
How much do households in New Castle County, DE spend on groceries?
About $1.4B a year, or $6,461 per household. That is 2% above the U.S. average (an index of 102, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 146 convenience stores on map listings, it comes to $9.9M per store. The spending figure covers all groceries, not only convenience stores. It is estimated from the incomes of the 224,173 households in New Castle County and national spending patterns by income.
How does New Castle County, DE compare with the U.S. for convenience stores?
New Castle County has 6.5 convenience stores per 10,000 households, 19% below the U.S. rate of 8.0. Spending per store is $9.9M, 26% above the U.S. figure of $7.9M. At the national ratio of convenience stores to household spending, New Castle County would have about 184, against 146 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 3,346 households, against one for every 3,493 across the U.S. The official count rose 17.5% from 2019 to 2023, against +22.0% for the U.S.
How fast is New Castle County, DE growing?
Population estimates put New Castle County at 588,026 people in 2025, up 3.0% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 224,173 households. Median household income in New Castle County is $91,166, 13% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 23.4%, 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. New Castle County scores 73 for convenience stores (upper middle), #344 of 2,261 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in New Castle 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 New Castle County
Screening a site or an acquisition in New Castle 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 New Castle 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.