Groundwork

Groceries and convenience · County · New Jersey

Convenience stores in Mercer County, NJ

How Mercer County, NJ 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 74 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #314 of 2,261 scored counties
#7 of 21 scored counties in New Jersey

Listings
98
79 chain locations (81%)
Official establishments
52
−13.3% since 2019
Household spending a year
$1.1B
On groceries · $7,324 a household
Spending per listing
$10.8M
37% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
6.8
15% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
399,289
+3.3% since 2020

See the convenience stores around any address in Mercer 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 Mercer 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

Map listings as of September 2026 show 98 convenience stores in Mercer County. Of those, 79 are chain locations, or 81%, against 60% across the U.S. That comes to 6.8 for every 10,000 households, 15% below the U.S. rate of 8.0.

At $7,324 per household (16% above the U.S. average), households in Mercer County spend about $1.1B a year on groceries. That is about $10.8M of household spending for each store on map listings, 37% 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 Mercer County was 52 in 2023, down 13.3% from 2019. That is one for every 2,771 households, against one for every 3,493 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $25K has gone to businesses classed as convenience stores in Mercer County.

Population estimates show Mercer County grew 3.3% from 2020 to 2025, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). Mercer County scores 74 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for convenience stores, ranking #314 of 2,261 scored counties and #7 of 21 scored counties in New Jersey. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.

How Mercer County compares

The same measures for New Jersey 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 Mercer County, NJ compared with New Jersey and the U.S.
MeasureMercer CountyNew JerseyU.S.
Listings per 10k households6.87.08.0
Spending per listing$10.8M$10.5M$7.9M
Households per official establishment2,7712,3913,493
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023−13.3%+6.3%+22.0%
Population growth, 2020–2025+3.3%+3.0%+3.1%
Spending per household on groceries$7,324$7,393$6,319
Median household income$100,645$103,556$80,734
Groundwork market score7466

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
60 → 52−13.3% over the period
Employees, 2023
320
Annual payroll, 2023
$7.5M
One-person businesses, 2023
Not publishedNot published for this business type
Map listings, September 2026
9879 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
134The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
1
Amount
$25K

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

Population, 2025 estimate
399,289+3.3% since 2020
Households
144,114
Median age
40.4
Homes lived in by their owners
62%
Vehicles per household
1.6
Land area
225 sq. mi.
People per square mile
1,719
Median household income
$100,645+24.2% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$142,372
Median home value
$377,700
Jobs located here
262,034
Daytime population
469,892Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

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

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Convenience stores across New Jersey

Every New Jersey market ranked →

The highest-scoring counties in New Jersey for convenience stores, numbered among those based in New Jersey, with Mercer County marked.

Top counties in New Jersey

Counties in New Jersey ranked for convenience stores by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Essex County, NJ791584.9$14M+4.2%#183 of 2,261
2Hunterdon County, NJ78316.1$13.3M+2.3%#212 of 2,261
3Somerset County, NJ78846.4$12.7M+3.5%#215 of 2,261
4Sussex County, NJ77427.3$10.5M+2.9%#246 of 2,261
5Morris County, NJ761166.0$13.5M+3.2%#270 of 2,261
6Warren County, NJ75398.6$8.4M+3.2%#298 of 2,261
7Mercer County, NJ74986.8$10.8M+3.3%#314 of 2,261
8Bergen County, NJ732075.8$13.4M+2.4%#337 of 2,261
9Ocean County, NJ732108.6$8.2M+5.6%#350 of 2,261
10Union County, NJ721376.7$11.1M+5.0%#360 of 2,261

Other business types in Mercer County

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

Questions

How many convenience stores are in Mercer County, NJ?

There are 98 convenience stores on map listings in Mercer County as of September 2026. 79 of them (81%) are chain locations. The listings count convenience stores without fuel. Official counts show 52 businesses with payroll classed as convenience stores in 2023, down 13.3% from 2019.

How much do households in Mercer County, NJ spend on groceries?

About $1.1B a year, or $7,324 per household. That is 16% above the U.S. average (an index of 116, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 98 convenience stores on map listings, it comes to $10.8M per store. The spending figure covers all groceries, not only convenience stores. It is estimated from the incomes of the 144,114 households in Mercer County and national spending patterns by income.

How does Mercer County, NJ compare with the U.S. for convenience stores?

Mercer County has 6.8 convenience stores per 10,000 households, 15% below the U.S. rate of 8.0. Spending per store is $10.8M, 37% above the U.S. figure of $7.9M. At the national ratio of convenience stores to household spending, Mercer County would have about 134, against 98 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,771 households, against one for every 3,493 across the U.S. The official count fell 13.3% from 2019 to 2023, against +22.0% for the U.S.

How fast is Mercer County, NJ growing?

Population estimates put Mercer County at 399,289 people in 2025, up 3.3% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 144,114 households. Median household income in Mercer County is $100,645, 25% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 24.2%, 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. Mercer County scores 74 for convenience stores (upper middle), #314 of 2,261 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Mercer 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 Mercer County

Screening a site or an acquisition in Mercer 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 Mercer 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.