Groceries and convenience · County · North Carolina
Convenience stores in McDowell County, NC
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for convenience stores in McDowell County, NC, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 53 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #1,030 of 2,261 scored counties
#44 of 92 scored counties in North Carolina
- Listings
- 18
- 7 chain locations (39%)
- Official establishments
- 3
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $102.8M
- On groceries · $5,515 a household
- Spending per listing
- $5.7M
- 28% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 9.7
- 21% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 45,198
- +1.5% since 2020
See the convenience stores around any address in McDowell 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 McDowell 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
Household spending on groceries in McDowell County comes to about $102.8M a year: $5,515 per household, 13% below the U.S. average. That is about $5.7M of household spending for each store on map listings, 28% below the U.S. figure of $7.9M. The spending figure covers all groceries, not only convenience stores.
McDowell County has 18 convenience stores on map listings as of September 2026. 7 of them (39%) are chain locations, against 60% across the U.S. That is 9.7 per 10,000 households, 21% above the U.S. rate of 8.0.
In 2023, official counts showed 3 businesses with payroll in McDowell County classed as convenience stores. That is one for every 6,213 households, against one for every 3,493 across the U.S.
Population estimates put the population change in McDowell County from 2020 to 2025 at +1.5%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). McDowell County scores 53 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for convenience stores, ranking #1,030 of 2,261 scored counties and #44 of 92 scored counties in North Carolina.
How McDowell County compares
The same measures for North Carolina 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 | McDowell County | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 9.7 | 9.3 | 8.0 |
| Spending per listing | $5.7M | $6.5M | $7.9M |
| Households per official establishment | 6,213 | 4,711 | 3,493 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +20.6% | +22.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +1.5% | +7.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on groceries | $5,515 | $6,016 | $6,319 |
| Median household income | $57,168 | $72,388 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 53 | 50 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 3 → 3
- Employees, 2023
- 14
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $195K
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 187 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 13The 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 McDowell 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 McDowell County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 45,198+1.5% since 2020
- Households
- 18,638
- Median age
- 44.7
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 76%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 440 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 102
- Median household income
- $57,168+31.0% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $72,753
- Median home value
- $171,100
- Jobs located here
- 15,917
- Daytime population
- 39,859Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in McDowell 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 McDowell 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 North Carolina
Every North Carolina market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in North Carolina for convenience stores, numbered among those based in North Carolina, with McDowell County marked.
Top counties in North Carolina
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Wake County, NC | 90 | 277 | 6.0 | $11.3M | +11.2% | #34 of 2,261 |
| 2Orange County, NC | 90 | 35 | 6.1 | $10.7M | +6.1% | #36 of 2,261 |
| 3Union County, NC | 90 | 58 | 6.9 | $9.8M | +11.7% | #37 of 2,261 |
| 4Cabarrus County, NC | 87 | 60 | 7.1 | $9M | +9.9% | #73 of 2,261 |
| 5Mecklenburg County, NC | 85 | 332 | 7.1 | $9.1M | +10.5% | #91 of 2,261 |
| 6Johnston County, NC | 85 | 72 | 8.4 | $7.4M | +17.9% | #94 of 2,261 |
| 7Lincoln County, NC | 84 | 29 | 7.9 | $7.9M | +13.2% | #110 of 2,261 |
| 8Iredell County, NC | 82 | 62 | 8.1 | $7.7M | +12.9% | #132 of 2,261 |
| 9Chatham County, NC | 81 | 30 | 9.1 | $7.3M | +11.0% | #155 of 2,261 |
| 10Henderson County, NC | 80 | 33 | 6.5 | $9.1M | +5.0% | #171 of 2,261 |
| 44McDowell County, NC | 53 | 18 | 9.7 | $5.7M | +1.5% | #1,030 of 2,261 |
Other business types in McDowell County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
- Grocery and convenience stores55
- Grocery stores52
- Convenience stores53
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 McDowell County, NC?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 18 convenience stores in McDowell County. 7 of them (39%) are chain locations. The listings count convenience stores without fuel. Official counts show 3 businesses with payroll classed as convenience stores in 2023.
How much do households in McDowell County, NC spend on groceries?
About $102.8M a year, or $5,515 per household. That is 13% below the U.S. average (an index of 87, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 18 convenience stores on map listings, it comes to $5.7M 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 18,638 households in McDowell County and national spending patterns by income.
How does McDowell County, NC compare with the U.S. for convenience stores?
McDowell County has 9.7 convenience stores per 10,000 households, 21% above the U.S. rate of 8.0. Spending per store is $5.7M, 28% below the U.S. figure of $7.9M. At the U.S. ratio of convenience stores to household spending, McDowell County would have about 13, against 18 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 6,213 households, against one for every 3,493 across the U.S.
How fast is McDowell County, NC growing?
Population estimates put McDowell County at 45,198 people in 2025, up 1.5% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 18,638 households. The median household income in McDowell County is $57,168 a year, 29% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 31.0% 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. McDowell County scores 53 for convenience stores (upper middle), #1,030 of 2,261 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in McDowell 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 McDowell County
Screening a site or an acquisition in McDowell 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 McDowell 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.