Groceries and convenience · Small-town market · North Carolina
Convenience stores in the Washington, NC area
The convenience stores in the Washington, NC area, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other small-town markets.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 29 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #448 of 529 scored small-town markets
#16 of 23 scored small-town markets based in North Carolina
- Listings
- 27
- 13 chain locations (48%)
- Official establishments
- 8
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $107.9M
- On groceries · $5,569 a household
- Spending per listing
- $4M
- 49% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 13.9
- 74% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 44,670
- 0.0% since 2020
See the convenience stores around any address in the Washington area
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 Washington area. 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
The Washington area scores 29 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for convenience stores, ranking #448 of 529 scored small-town markets and #16 of 23 scored small-town markets based in North Carolina. That puts it in the bottom quarter of small-town markets.
As of September 2026, map listings count 27 convenience stores in the Washington area. Of those, 13 are chain locations, or 48%, against 60% across the U.S. That is 13.9 per 10,000 households, 74% above the U.S. rate of 8.0.
Household spending on groceries in the Washington area comes to about $107.9M a year: $5,569 per household, 12% below the U.S. average. Spread across 27 convenience stores, that is $4M per store, 49% below the U.S. figure of $7.9M. That spending covers all groceries, which convenience stores share with other businesses in the trade.
In 2023, official counts showed 8 businesses with payroll in the Washington area classed as convenience stores. That is one for every 2,423 households, against one for every 3,493 across the U.S. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of the Washington area held about level, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How the Washington area 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 | Washington area | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 13.9 | 9.3 | 8.0 |
| Spending per listing | $4M | $6.5M | $7.9M |
| Households per official establishment | 2,423 | 4,711 | 3,493 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +20.6% | +22.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | 0.0% | +7.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on groceries | $5,569 | $6,016 | $6,319 |
| Median household income | $58,357 | $72,388 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 29 | 50 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 8
- Employees, 2023
- 16
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $260K
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 2713 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 14The 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 Washington area, 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 Washington area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 44,6700.0% since 2020
- Households
- 19,385
- Median age
- 46.9
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 70%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 833 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 53
- Median household income
- $58,357+29.1% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $78,141
- Median home value
- $192,700
- Jobs located here
- 16,163
- Daytime population
- 41,743Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Washington area?
These figures cover the whole small-town market. 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 Washington area. 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 small-town markets in North Carolina for convenience stores, numbered among those based in North Carolina, with the Washington area marked.
Top small-town markets in North Carolina
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Waynesville, NC | 74 | 18 | 6.6 | $8.5M | +1.9% | #56 of 529 |
| 2Anderson Creek, NC | 73 | 41 | 8.2 | $7.1M | +12.3% | #64 of 529 |
| 3Brevard, NC | 71 | 12 | 8.2 | $7.1M | +2.9% | #82 of 529 |
| 4New Bern, NC | 70 | 43 | 8.2 | $6.9M | +3.6% | #86 of 529 |
| 5Morehead City, NC | 66 | 37 | 11.6 | $5.2M | +4.1% | #126 of 529 |
| 6Albemarle, NC | 62 | 26 | 10.3 | $5.5M | +9.8% | #161 of 529 |
| 7Boone, NC | 61 | 19 | 9.0 | $6.2M | +0.6% | #167 of 529 |
| 8Marion, NC | 60 | 18 | 9.7 | $5.7M | +1.5% | #182 of 529 |
| 9Elizabeth City, NC | 60 | 17 | 10.8 | $5.3M | +4.5% | #183 of 529 |
| 10Mount Airy, NC | 56 | 33 | 11.0 | $4.9M | +1.3% | #229 of 529 |
| 16Washington, NC | 29 | 27 | 13.9 | $4M | 0.0% | #448 of 529 |
Other business types in the Washington area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
- Grocery and convenience stores30
- Grocery stores39
- Convenience stores29
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 the Washington, NC area?
The Washington area has 27 convenience stores on map listings as of September 2026. 13 of them (48%) are chain locations. The listings count convenience stores without fuel. Official counts show 8 businesses with payroll classed as convenience stores in 2023.
How much do households in the Washington, NC area spend on groceries?
About $107.9M a year, or $5,569 per household. That is 12% below the U.S. average (an index of 88, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 27 convenience stores on map listings, it comes to $4M per store. The spending figure covers all groceries, not only convenience stores. It is estimated from the incomes of the 19,385 households in the Washington area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Washington, NC area compare with the U.S. for convenience stores?
The Washington area has 13.9 convenience stores per 10,000 households, 74% above the U.S. rate of 8.0. Spending per store is $4M, 49% below the U.S. figure of $7.9M. At the national ratio of convenience stores to household spending, the Washington area would have about 14, against 27 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,423 households, against one for every 3,493 across the U.S.
How fast is the Washington, NC area growing?
Population estimates put the Washington area at 44,670 people in 2025, unchanged since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 19,385 households. Median household income in the Washington area is $58,357, 28% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 29.1%, 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. A small-town market is a town of 10,000 to 50,000 people and the county or counties tied to it by commuting. 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 Washington area scores 29 for convenience stores (lower middle), #448 of 529 scored small-town markets.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Washington area. 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 Washington area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Washington area?
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 Washington area. 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.