Groundwork

Groceries and convenience · County · New Jersey

Convenience stores in Union County, NJ

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

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 72 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #360 of 2,261 scored counties
#10 of 21 scored counties in New Jersey

Listings
137
98 chain locations (72%)
Official establishments
106
+15.2% since 2019
Household spending a year
$1.5B
On groceries · $7,453 a household
Spending per listing
$11.1M
40% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
6.7
16% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
601,863
+5.0% since 2020

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

Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

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

What this means

Household spending on groceries in Union County comes to about $1.5B a year: $7,453 per household, 18% above the U.S. average. That works out to $11.1M per store, 40% above the U.S. figure of $7.9M. The spending figure covers all groceries, not only convenience stores.

There are 137 convenience stores on map listings in Union County as of September 2026. 98 of them (72%) are chain locations, against 60% across the U.S. That is 6.7 per 10,000 households, 16% below the U.S. rate of 8.0.

The official count of businesses with payroll classed as convenience stores in Union County was 106 in 2023, up 15.2% from 2019. That is one for every 1,918 households, against one for every 3,493 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 3 SBA-backed loans worth $75K have gone to businesses classed as convenience stores in Union County.

Population estimates put the population change in Union County from 2020 to 2025 at +5.0%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for convenience stores in Union County is 72 (upper middle), #360 of 2,261 scored counties and #10 of 21 scored counties in New Jersey. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.

How Union 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 Union County, NJ compared with New Jersey and the U.S.
MeasureUnion CountyNew JerseyU.S.
Listings per 10k households6.77.08.0
Spending per listing$11.1M$10.5M$7.9M
Households per official establishment1,9182,3913,493
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+15.2%+6.3%+22.0%
Population growth, 2020–2025+5.0%+3.0%+3.1%
Spending per household on groceries$7,453$7,393$6,319
Median household income$103,202$103,556$80,734
Groundwork market score7266

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
92 → 106+15.2% over the period
Employees, 2023
453
Annual payroll, 2023
$11.6M
One-person businesses, 2023
Not publishedNot published for this business type
Map listings, September 2026
13798 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
192The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
3
Amount
$75K

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

Population, 2025 estimate
601,863+5.0% since 2020
Households
203,277
Median age
39.6
Homes lived in by their owners
57%
Vehicles per household
1.7
Land area
103 sq. mi.
People per square mile
5,637
Median household income
$103,202+28.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$149,596
Median home value
$529,200
Jobs located here
247,379
Daytime population
551,422Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

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

Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

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 Union 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 Union County

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

Questions

How many convenience stores are in Union County, NJ?

As of September 2026, map listings count 137 convenience stores in Union County. 98 of them (72%) are chain locations. The listings count convenience stores without fuel. Official counts show 106 businesses with payroll classed as convenience stores in 2023, up 15.2% from 2019.

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

About $1.5B a year, or $7,453 per household. That is 18% above the U.S. average (an index of 118, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 137 convenience stores on map listings, it comes to $11.1M 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 203,277 households in Union County and national spending patterns by income.

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

Union County has 6.7 convenience stores per 10,000 households, 16% below the U.S. rate of 8.0. Spending per store is $11.1M, 40% above the U.S. figure of $7.9M. At the U.S. ratio of convenience stores to household spending, Union County would have about 192, against 137 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,918 households, against one for every 3,493 across the U.S. The official count rose 15.2% from 2019 to 2023, against +22.0% for the U.S.

How fast is Union County, NJ growing?

Population estimates put Union County at 601,863 people in 2025, up 5.0% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 203,277 households. The median household income in Union County is $103,202 a year, 28% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 28.7% 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. Union County scores 72 for convenience stores (upper middle), #360 of 2,261 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

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

Screening a site or an acquisition in Union 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 Union 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.