Groundwork

Groceries and convenience · Metro area · Arizona

Grocery and convenience stores in the Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ metro area

Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for grocery and convenience stores in the Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ metro area, set against other metro areas and the U.S.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 87 out of 100: High

Ranked #5 of 387 scored metro areas
#1 of 7 scored metro areas based in Arizona

Listings
2,384
1,397 chain locations (59%)
Official establishments
759
+3.1% since 2019
Household spending a year
$11.9B
On groceries · $6,283 a household
Spending per listing
$5M
47% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
12.6
33% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
5,228,938
+7.3% since 2020

See the grocery and convenience stores around any address in the Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler metro area

The site report maps the grocery and 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 Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler metro area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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

What this means

The Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler metro area scores 87 (high) on the Groundwork market score for grocery and convenience stores, ranking #5 of 387 scored metro areas and #1 of 7 scored metro areas based in Arizona. That puts it in the top 10% of metro areas for grocery and convenience stores.

As of September 2026, map listings count 2,384 grocery and convenience stores in the Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler metro area. Of those, 1,397 are chain locations, or 59%, against 42% across the U.S. That comes to 12.6 for every 10,000 households, 33% below the U.S. rate of 18.7.

Household spending on groceries in the Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler metro area comes to about $11.9B a year: $6,283 per household, in line with the U.S. average. That is about $5M of household spending for each store on map listings, 47% above the U.S. figure of $3.4M.

Official counts show 759 businesses with payroll classed as grocery and convenience stores in the Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler metro area in 2023, up 3.1% from 2019. That is one for every 2,494 households, against one for every 1,293 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 21 SBA-backed loans worth $17.6M have gone to businesses classed as grocery and convenience stores in the Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler metro area. Population estimates show the Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler metro area grew 7.3% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%).

How the Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler metro area compares

The same measures for Arizona and the whole U.S. Spending per listing divides a year of household spending on all groceries by the grocery and 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.

Grocery and convenience stores in Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ metro area compared with Arizona and the U.S.
MeasurePhoenix-Mesa-Chandler metro areaArizonaU.S.
Listings per 10k households12.613.418.7
Spending per listing$5M$4.5M$3.4M
Households per official establishment2,4942,4641,293
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+3.1%+2.3%+7.2%
Population growth, 2020–2025+7.3%+6.1%+3.1%
Spending per household on groceries$6,283$6,084$6,319
Median household income$88,301$79,964$80,734
Groundwork market score8786

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
759+3.1% over the period
Employees, 2023
35,792
Annual payroll, 2023
$1.2B
One-person businesses, 2023
853Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
2,3841,397 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
3,510The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
21
Amount
$17.6M

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as grocery and convenience stores in the Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler metro 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 Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler metro area

Population, 2025 estimate
5,228,938+7.3% since 2020
Households
1,892,613
Median age
39.3
Homes lived in by their owners
67%
Vehicles per household
1.9
Land area
14,569 sq. mi.
People per square mile
345
Median household income
$88,301+38.2% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$118,261
Median home value
$440,900
Jobs located here
2,390,924
Daytime population
5,104,371Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in the Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler metro area?

These figures cover the whole metro area. A site report draws rings around one address and counts what’s inside them: households, spending, jobs, and the grocery and convenience stores on map listings by name and distance.

Or open the report at the center of the Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler metro area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Grocery and convenience stores across Arizona

Every Arizona market ranked →

The highest-scoring metro areas in Arizona for grocery and convenience stores, numbered among those based in Arizona, with the Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler metro area marked.

Top metro areas in Arizona

Metro areas in Arizona ranked for grocery and convenience stores by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ872,38412.6$5M+7.3%#5 of 387
2Prescott Valley-Prescott, AZ7515714.1$4.1M+6.5%#32 of 387
3Tucson, AZ7453412.2$4.8M+2.8%#34 of 387
4Lake Havasu City-Kingman, AZ6913813.5$4M+6.5%#63 of 387
5Yuma, AZ6012615.9$3.5M+9.2%#128 of 387
6Sierra Vista-Douglas, AZ478316.3$3.4M+0.6%#217 of 387
7Flagstaff, AZ4210418.9$3.1M−0.6%#249 of 387

Other business types in the Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler metro area

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

Questions

How many grocery and convenience stores are in the Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ metro area?

The Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler metro area has 2,384 grocery and convenience stores on map listings as of September 2026. 1,397 of them (59%) are chain locations. The listings count grocery, convenience and specialty food stores. Official counts show 759 businesses with payroll classed as grocery and convenience stores in 2023, up 3.1% from 2019. Official counts list 853 one-person businesses without payroll.

How much do households in the Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ metro area spend on groceries?

About $11.9B a year, or $6,283 per household. That is in line with the U.S. average (an index of 99, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 2,384 grocery and convenience stores on map listings, it comes to $5M per store. It is estimated from the incomes of the 1,892,613 households in the Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler metro area and national spending patterns by income.

How does the Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ metro area compare with the U.S. for grocery and convenience stores?

The Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler metro area has 12.6 grocery and convenience stores per 10,000 households, 33% below the U.S. rate of 18.7. Spending per store is $5M, 47% above the U.S. figure of $3.4M. At the national ratio of grocery and convenience stores to household spending, the Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler metro area would have about 3,510, against 2,384 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,494 households, against one for every 1,293 across the U.S. The official count rose 3.1% from 2019 to 2023, against +7.2% for the U.S.

How fast is the Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler, AZ metro area growing?

Population estimates put the Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler metro area at 5,228,938 people in 2025, up 7.3% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 1,892,613 households. Median household income in the Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler metro area is $88,301, 9% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 38.2%, 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. The Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler metro area scores 87 for grocery and convenience stores (high), #5 of 387 scored metro areas.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler metro area. 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.

How the score works · Top markets for grocery and convenience stores · All 56 business types in the Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler metro area

Screening a site or an acquisition in the Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler metro 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 Phoenix-Mesa-Chandler metro 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.