Market rankings · Groceries and convenience
Top markets for grocery and convenience stores
Every U.S. metro area, small-town market and county, ranked by the Groundwork market score for grocery and convenience stores. The score weighs household spending per store, households per business, population growth and spending power.
- Listings in the U.S.
- 240,991
- 101,140 chain locations (42%)
- Official establishments
- 99,939
- +7.2% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $816.5B
- On groceries
- Listings per 10k households
- 18.7
- Spending per listing: $3.4M
A site report maps the grocery and convenience stores on map listings around the address by name and distance, and the spending within reach.
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
Map listings as of September 2026 show 240,991 grocery and convenience stores in the U.S. Chain locations make up 42% of them. That is 18.7 per 10,000 households.
At $6,319 per household, households in the U.S. spend about $816.5B a year on groceries. That is about $3.4M of household spending for each store on map listings.
Official counts show 99,939 businesses with payroll classed as grocery and convenience stores in the U.S. in 2023, up 7.2% from 2019. They employ 2,974,201 people, with $87.7B in annual payroll. Official counts list 72,017 one-person businesses without payroll.
The Provo-Orem-Lehi, UT metro area has the highest market score for grocery and convenience stores among 387 scored metro areas, at 92. In the 10 highest-scoring metro areas, the median spending per store is 36% above the U.S. figure, and the median rate of listings per household is 25% below the U.S. rate.
Top markets
These tables (CSV)Ranked by the Groundwork market score, which weighs household spending per competitor, households per business with payroll, population growth and spending power against every other market of the same kind. How the score works.
Top metro areas of 1 million people or more
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ | 87 | 2,384 | 12.6 | $5M | +7.3% |
| 7Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX | 86 | 1,476 | 14.9 | $4.5M | +14.0% |
| 8Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN | 85 | 1,015 | 12.0 | $5.2M | +5.4% |
| 9Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO | 85 | 1,719 | 14.1 | $4.7M | +4.1% |
| 17Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | 81 | 2,105 | 14.2 | $4.7M | +2.6% |
| 19Kansas City, MO-KS | 80 | 1,235 | 13.8 | $4.6M | +3.4% |
| 20Raleigh-Cary, NC | 80 | 907 | 15.8 | $4.2M | +12.6% |
| 31Salt Lake City-Murray, UT | 75 | 670 | 14.9 | $4.4M | +3.8% |
| 34Tucson, AZ | 74 | 534 | 12.2 | $4.8M | +2.8% |
| 45Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | 72 | 3,408 | 14.4 | $5M | +3.3% |
| 47Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | 72 | 2,462 | 15.3 | $4.5M | +3.3% |
| 58Las Vegas-Henderson-North Las Vegas, NV | 70 | 1,281 | 14.9 | $4M | +5.8% |
| 64Dallas-Fort Worth-Arlington, TX | 69 | 4,769 | 16.5 | $3.9M | +10.6% |
| 67Tulsa, OK | 69 | 650 | 16.0 | $3.7M | +5.1% |
| 68San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA | 68 | 962 | 14.1 | $5.3M | −0.6% |
Top 50 metro areas
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Provo-Orem-Lehi, UT | 92 | 311 | 15.0 | $4.4M | +14.5% |
| 2Greeley, CO | 91 | 186 | 15.0 | $4.3M | +14.2% |
| 3Ogden, UT | 88 | 299 | 14.0 | $4.7M | +5.3% |
| 4Wildwood-The Villages, FL | 87 | 84 | 11.9 | $5.1M | +21.1% |
| 5Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ | 87 | 2,384 | 12.6 | $5M | +7.3% |
| 6Fort Collins-Loveland, CO | 87 | 217 | 14.1 | $4.5M | +4.8% |
| 7Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos, TX | 86 | 1,476 | 14.9 | $4.5M | +14.0% |
| 8Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN | 85 | 1,015 | 12.0 | $5.2M | +5.4% |
| 9Denver-Aurora-Centennial, CO | 85 | 1,719 | 14.1 | $4.7M | +4.1% |
| 10Huntsville, AL | 85 | 312 | 15.1 | $4.2M | +12.5% |
| 11Anchorage, AK | 84 | 203 | 13.7 | $4.8M | +1.9% |
| 12Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers, AR | 84 | 309 | 14.3 | $4.4M | +13.1% |
| 13Fargo, ND-MN | 84 | 159 | 14.4 | $4.2M | +7.7% |
| 14Boise City, ID | 84 | 485 | 15.9 | $3.9M | +12.2% |
| 15Colorado Springs, CO | 82 | 414 | 13.7 | $4.6M | +3.1% |
| 16Bismarck, ND | 82 | 86 | 15.4 | $4.1M | +4.5% |
| 17Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington, MN-WI | 81 | 2,105 | 14.2 | $4.7M | +2.6% |
| 18Omaha, NE-IA | 81 | 578 | 14.8 | $4.3M | +4.2% |
| 19Kansas City, MO-KS | 80 | 1,235 | 13.8 | $4.6M | +3.4% |
| 20Raleigh-Cary, NC | 80 | 907 | 15.8 | $4.2M | +12.6% |
| 21St. George, UT | 80 | 110 | 15.8 | $3.9M | +17.4% |
| 22Bremerton-Silverdale-Port Orchard, WA | 77 | 138 | 12.7 | $5.2M | +2.7% |
| 23Lincoln, NE | 77 | 179 | 12.7 | $4.8M | +3.3% |
| 24Punta Gorda, FL | 77 | 127 | 14.0 | $4.2M | +15.5% |
| 25Gettysburg, PA | 77 | 74 | 18.1 | $3.8M | +3.6% |
| 26Midland, TX | 77 | 139 | 20.0 | $3.3M | +9.8% |
| 27Fort Wayne, IN | 76 | 256 | 14.1 | $4.2M | +3.9% |
| 28York-Hanover, PA | 76 | 324 | 17.8 | $3.8M | +3.6% |
| 29Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA | 76 | 493 | 16.7 | $3.8M | +6.7% |
| 30Lawrence, KS | 75 | 59 | 11.7 | $5.1M | +1.8% |
| 31Salt Lake City-Murray, UT | 75 | 670 | 14.9 | $4.4M | +3.8% |
| 32Prescott Valley-Prescott, AZ | 75 | 157 | 14.1 | $4.1M | +6.5% |
| 33Logan, UT-ID | 75 | 79 | 16.0 | $3.8M | +8.8% |
| 34Tucson, AZ | 74 | 534 | 12.2 | $4.8M | +2.8% |
| 35Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA | 74 | 163 | 13.7 | $4.6M | +2.8% |
| 36Cheyenne, WY | 74 | 64 | 14.8 | $4.1M | +2.2% |
| 37Rochester, MN | 74 | 151 | 16.3 | $4M | +2.0% |
| 38Madison, WI | 74 | 534 | 17.7 | $3.6M | +4.1% |
| 39Monroe, MI | 73 | 79 | 12.5 | $4.9M | +0.7% |
| 40Boulder, CO | 73 | 203 | 14.8 | $4.5M | −0.7% |
| 41Ames, IA | 73 | 68 | 13.6 | $4.4M | +2.2% |
| 42North Port-Bradenton-Sarasota, FL | 73 | 585 | 15.0 | $4.2M | +13.2% |
| 43Iowa City, IA | 73 | 110 | 15.2 | $4M | +4.1% |
| 44Appleton, WI | 73 | 169 | 16.9 | $3.7M | +2.7% |
| 45Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | 72 | 3,408 | 14.4 | $5M | +3.3% |
| 46Albuquerque, NM | 72 | 444 | 11.8 | $4.9M | +0.8% |
| 47Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | 72 | 2,462 | 15.3 | $4.5M | +3.3% |
| 48Wichita, KS | 72 | 346 | 13.6 | $4.4M | +2.4% |
| 49Mankato, MN | 72 | 60 | 14.8 | $4.1M | +1.2% |
| 50Columbus, IN | 72 | 54 | 16.2 | $3.8M | +4.3% |
Top 25 small-town markets
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Greencastle, IN | 91 | 10 | 7.1 | $8.4M | +3.2% |
| 2Lake of the Woods, VA | 90 | 20 | 13.5 | $4.8M | +10.1% |
| 3Frankfort, KY | 88 | 39 | 12.0 | $4.9M | +3.1% |
| 4Auburn, IN | 88 | 22 | 12.9 | $4.6M | +2.9% |
| 5Granbury, TX | 86 | 39 | 15.3 | $4.1M | +13.6% |
| 6Warrensburg, MO | 86 | 31 | 14.7 | $3.9M | +4.9% |
| 7Hemlock Farms, PA | 85 | 48 | 19.8 | $3.4M | +7.2% |
| 8Faribault-Northfield, MN | 85 | 43 | 18.3 | $3.4M | +4.2% |
| 9Laramie, WY | 84 | 20 | 11.7 | $4.8M | +3.9% |
| 10Torrington, CT | 84 | 82 | 17.1 | $4.2M | +2.2% |
| 11Richmond-Berea, KY | 84 | 69 | 13.9 | $4M | +7.0% |
| 12Pahrump, NV | 84 | 31 | 14.0 | $4M | +10.3% |
| 13Los Alamos, NM | 82 | 10 | 12.1 | $6.1M | 0.0% |
| 14Yankton, SD | 82 | 14 | 14.4 | $4.1M | +1.5% |
| 15Shawnee, OK | 81 | 40 | 14.9 | $3.8M | +3.5% |
| 16Spearfish, SD | 81 | 21 | 17.4 | $3.4M | +14.0% |
| 17Brigham City, UT-ID | 81 | 46 | 21.4 | $2.8M | +12.6% |
| 18Marion-Herrin, IL | 80 | 37 | 12.8 | $4.5M | +0.2% |
| 19Putnam, CT | 80 | 70 | 17.8 | $4M | +3.0% |
| 20Winona, MN | 80 | 37 | 18.3 | $3.2M | +1.8% |
| 21Durango, CO | 79 | 45 | 18.5 | $3.4M | +2.2% |
| 22Pella, IA | 79 | 26 | 19.5 | $3.1M | +2.3% |
| 23Kendallville, IN | 78 | 26 | 14.3 | $4.1M | +1.0% |
| 24Angola, IN | 78 | 24 | 17.1 | $3.5M | +1.0% |
| 25Decatur, IN | 78 | 21 | 16.9 | $3.4M | +2.2% |
Top 25 counties
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Hamilton County, IN | 98 | 119 | 8.7 | $8.2M | +10.9% |
| 2Douglas County, CO | 98 | 153 | 10.9 | $6.8M | +10.9% |
| 3Elbert County, CO | 98 | 12 | 12.0 | $5.9M | +16.5% |
| 4Hendricks County, IN | 97 | 46 | 6.9 | $9.7M | +10.2% |
| 5Sarpy County, NE | 96 | 73 | 9.9 | $6.8M | +9.0% |
| 6Hancock County, IN | 96 | 38 | 11.4 | $5.8M | +13.5% |
| 7Boone County, IN | 96 | 39 | 13.6 | $5.1M | +13.5% |
| 8Comal County, TX | 96 | 100 | 14.0 | $4.8M | +27.9% |
| 9Broomfield County, CO | 95 | 30 | 9.4 | $7.5M | +6.3% |
| 10Delaware County, OH | 95 | 96 | 11.7 | $6.3M | +12.5% |
| 11Powhatan County, VA | 95 | 13 | 11.5 | $6M | +7.0% |
| 12Washington County, MN | 95 | 127 | 12.0 | $5.8M | +6.9% |
| 13Dallas County, IA | 95 | 54 | 12.7 | $5.3M | +17.8% |
| 14Kendall County, IL | 94 | 46 | 10.1 | $6.8M | +9.9% |
| 15Oldham County, KY | 94 | 25 | 10.9 | $6.5M | +4.9% |
| 16Paulding County, GA | 94 | 61 | 10.2 | $6.5M | +12.7% |
| 17Johnson County, IN | 94 | 63 | 10.1 | $6.4M | +7.4% |
| 18Wagoner County, OK | 94 | 34 | 10.8 | $5.7M | +14.6% |
| 19Rockwall County, TX | 94 | 53 | 12.9 | $5.6M | +28.9% |
| 20King George County, VA | 94 | 15 | 14.8 | $4.7M | +10.5% |
| 21Fluvanna County, VA | 93 | 10 | 9.7 | $6.7M | +6.2% |
| 22Sherburne County, MN | 93 | 40 | 11.3 | $6M | +6.8% |
| 23Denton County, TX | 93 | 422 | 11.7 | $5.9M | +16.9% |
| 24Davis County, UT | 93 | 138 | 11.9 | $5.6M | +4.8% |
| 25Union County, OH | 93 | 35 | 14.4 | $4.7M | +16.5% |
Scored: 387 metro areas, 538 small-town markets and 2,402 counties, each with at least 5 grocery and convenience stores on map listings (counties: 10,000 people or more). Spending per listing is all household spending on groceries over the listings: demand for each competitor, not revenue. Each market has its own page, reached from its state below.
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Every market in one Excel file
Grocery and convenience stores figures for all 387 metro areas, 538 small-town markets, 3,144 counties and 51 states: the Groundwork market score and rank, map listings and chains, household spending, businesses with payroll, employees and payroll, one-person businesses, SBA-backed loans, population, income and home value, each linked to its page. Sorted, filterable and ready to screen.
Grocery and convenience stores by state
Every market in each state ranked, with the state’s highest-scoring metro area.
- AlabamaTop metro area: Huntsville metro area · 85
- AlaskaTop metro area: Anchorage metro area · 84
- ArizonaTop metro area: Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler metro area · 87
- ArkansasTop metro area: Fayetteville-Springdale-Rogers metro area · 84
- CaliforniaTop metro area: San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara metro area · 68
- ColoradoTop metro area: Greeley metro area · 91
- ConnecticutTop metro area: Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury metro area · 69
- DelawareTop metro area: Dover metro area · 68
- District of ColumbiaTop metro area: Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area · 72
- FloridaTop metro area: Wildwood-The Villages metro area · 87
- GeorgiaTop metro area: Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell metro area · 68
- HawaiiTop metro area: Urban Honolulu metro area · 45
- IdahoTop metro area: Boise City metro area · 84
- IllinoisTop metro area: Bloomington metro area · 64
- IndianaTop metro area: Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood metro area · 85
- IowaTop metro area: Des Moines-West Des Moines metro area · 76
- KansasTop metro area: Lawrence metro area · 75
- KentuckyTop metro area: Lexington-Fayette metro area · 66
- LouisianaTop metro area: Slidell-Mandeville-Covington metro area · 64
- MaineTop metro area: Portland-South Portland metro area · 47
- MarylandTop metro area: Lexington Park metro area · 71
- MassachusettsTop metro area: Worcester metro area · 67
- MichiganTop metro area: Monroe metro area · 73
- MinnesotaTop metro area: Minneapolis-St. Paul-Bloomington metro area · 81
- MississippiTop metro area: Gulfport-Biloxi metro area · 43
- MissouriTop metro area: Kansas City metro area · 80
- MontanaTop metro area: Helena metro area · 71
- NebraskaTop metro area: Omaha metro area · 81
- NevadaTop metro area: Reno metro area · 70
- New HampshireTop metro area: Manchester-Nashua metro area · 63
- New JerseyTop metro area: Trenton-Princeton metro area · 61
- New MexicoTop metro area: Albuquerque metro area · 72
- New YorkTop metro area: Kiryas Joel-Poughkeepsie-Newburgh metro area · 62
- North CarolinaTop metro area: Raleigh-Cary metro area · 80
- North DakotaTop metro area: Fargo metro area · 84
- OhioTop metro area: Cincinnati metro area · 67
- OklahomaTop metro area: Tulsa metro area · 69
- OregonTop metro area: Bend metro area · 59
- PennsylvaniaTop metro area: Gettysburg metro area · 77
- Rhode IslandTop metro area: Providence-Warwick metro area · 55
- South CarolinaTop metro area: Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal metro area · 57
- South DakotaTop metro area: Sioux Falls metro area · 67
- TennesseeTop metro area: Nashville-Davidson–Murfreesboro–Franklin metro area · 66
- TexasTop metro area: Austin-Round Rock-San Marcos metro area · 86
- UtahTop metro area: Provo-Orem-Lehi metro area · 92
- VermontTop metro area: Burlington-South Burlington metro area · 37
- VirginiaTop metro area: Richmond metro area · 51
- WashingtonTop metro area: Bremerton-Silverdale-Port Orchard metro area · 77
- West VirginiaTop metro area: Morgantown metro area · 54
- WisconsinTop metro area: Madison metro area · 74
- WyomingTop metro area: Cheyenne metro area · 74
Related business types
- Grocery stores87,856 listings
- Convenience stores103,637 listings
Questions
Which metro areas have the highest market score for grocery and convenience stores?
The top 5 are Provo-Orem-Lehi, UT (92); Greeley, CO (91); Ogden, UT (88); Wildwood-The Villages, FL (87); and Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ (87). The score compares each of 387 scored metro areas with the others for grocery and convenience stores.
How many grocery and convenience stores are in the U.S.?
There are 240,991 grocery and convenience stores on map listings in the U.S. as of September 2026. 101,140 of them (42%) are chain locations. The listings count grocery, convenience and specialty food stores. Official counts show 99,939 businesses with payroll classed as grocery and convenience stores in 2023, up 7.2% from 2019. Official counts also show 72,017 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do U.S. households spend on groceries?
About $816.5B a year, or $6,319 per household. Spread across the 240,991 grocery and convenience stores on map listings, it comes to $3.4M per store. It is estimated from the incomes of the 129,209,336 households in the U.S. and national spending patterns by income.
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. Markets with fewer than 5 map listings of the type, and counties under 10,000 people, aren’t scored, since a few businesses can swing their figures.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address anywhere in the U.S. It maps the grocery and 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.
All business types and every U.S. market · How we measure
Screening a site or an acquisition?
A site report maps the competitors on map listings near an address and sizes the households and spending around it.
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.