Groceries and convenience · County · Virginia
Convenience stores in Arlington County, VA
How Arlington County, VA 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 82 out of 100: High
Ranked #126 of 2,261 scored counties
#3 of 113 scored counties in Virginia
- Listings
- 52
- 41 chain locations (79%)
- Official establishments
- 26
- −13.3% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $830.5M
- On groceries · $7,413 a household
- Spending per listing
- $16M
- Twice the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 4.6
- 43% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 243,931
- +2.1% since 2020
See the convenience stores around any address in Arlington 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 Arlington 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
Arlington County scores 82 (high) on the Groundwork market score for convenience stores, ranking #126 of 2,261 scored counties and #3 of 113 scored counties in Virginia. That puts it in the top 10% of counties for convenience stores.
As of September 2026, map listings count 52 convenience stores in Arlington County. Chain locations make up 79% of them, against 60% across the U.S. That is 4.6 per 10,000 households, 43% below the U.S. rate of 8.0.
Household spending on groceries in Arlington County comes to about $830.5M a year: $7,413 per household, 17% above the U.S. average. That works out to $16M per store, twice the U.S. figure of $7.9M. That spending covers all groceries, which convenience stores share with other businesses in the trade.
Official counts show 26 businesses with payroll classed as convenience stores in Arlington County in 2023, down 13.3% from 2019. That is one for every 4,309 households, against one for every 3,493 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $568K have gone to businesses classed as convenience stores in Arlington County. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Arlington County grew 2.1%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Arlington County compares
The same measures for Virginia 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 | Arlington County | Virginia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 4.6 | 9.4 | 8.0 |
| Spending per listing | $16M | $6.9M | $7.9M |
| Households per official establishment | 4,309 | 2,341 | 3,493 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −13.3% | +19.9% | +22.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.1% | +2.8% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on groceries | $7,413 | $6,537 | $6,319 |
| Median household income | $142,114 | $93,170 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 82 | 43 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 30 → 26−13.3% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 244
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $6.1M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 5241 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 105The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 2
- Amount
- $568K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as convenience stores in Arlington 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 Arlington County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 243,931+2.1% since 2020
- Households
- 112,027
- Median age
- 37.3
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 41%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.3
- Land area
- 26 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 9,089
- Median household income
- $142,114+18.4% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $189,970
- Median home value
- $895,000
- Jobs located here
- 166,762
- Daytime population
- 284,944Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Arlington 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 Arlington 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 Virginia
Every Virginia market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Virginia for convenience stores, numbered among those based in Virginia, with Arlington County marked.
Top counties in Virginia
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Powhatan County, VA | 91 | 7 | 6.2 | $11.1M | +7.0% | #29 of 2,261 |
| 2Loudoun County, VA | 89 | 88 | 6.2 | $13M | +6.4% | #43 of 2,261 |
| 3Arlington County, VA | 82 | 52 | 4.6 | $16M | +2.1% | #126 of 2,261 |
| 4Fairfax County, VA | 81 | 170 | 4.1 | $18.5M | +1.7% | #136 of 2,261 |
| 5King George County, VA | 81 | 10 | 9.9 | $7M | +10.5% | #156 of 2,261 |
| 6James City County, VA | 80 | 24 | 7.5 | $9.1M | +6.2% | #172 of 2,261 |
| 7Stafford County, VA | 80 | 51 | 9.7 | $7.6M | +8.3% | #175 of 2,261 |
| 8Orange County, VA | 79 | 9 | 6.1 | $10.7M | +10.1% | #190 of 2,261 |
| 9Greene County, VA | 79 | 7 | 8.7 | $7.4M | +6.6% | #203 of 2,261 |
| 10Prince William County, VA | 77 | 101 | 6.4 | $11.4M | +4.2% | #244 of 2,261 |
Other business types in Arlington County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
- Grocery and convenience stores80
- Grocery stores79
- Convenience stores82
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 Arlington County, VA?
Arlington County has 52 convenience stores on map listings as of September 2026. 41 of them (79%) are chain locations. The listings count convenience stores without fuel. Official counts show 26 businesses with payroll classed as convenience stores in 2023, down 13.3% from 2019.
How much do households in Arlington County, VA spend on groceries?
About $830.5M a year, or $7,413 per household. That is 17% above the U.S. average (an index of 117, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 52 convenience stores on map listings, it comes to $16M per store. The spending figure covers all groceries, not only convenience stores. It is estimated from the incomes of the 112,027 households in Arlington County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Arlington County, VA compare with the U.S. for convenience stores?
Arlington County has 4.6 convenience stores per 10,000 households, 43% below the U.S. rate of 8.0. Spending per store is $16M, twice the U.S. figure of $7.9M. At the national ratio of convenience stores to household spending, Arlington County would have about 105, against 52 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 4,309 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 Arlington County, VA growing?
Population estimates put Arlington County at 243,931 people in 2025, up 2.1% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 112,027 households. Median household income in Arlington County is $142,114, 76% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 18.4%, 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. Arlington County scores 82 for convenience stores (high), #126 of 2,261 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Arlington 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 Arlington County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Arlington 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 Arlington 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.