Market rankings · California

Grocery and convenience stores in California

Markets across California ranked by the Groundwork market score for grocery and convenience stores, with competitor counts and household spending for each.

Listings: 24,469; 10,520 chain locations (43%)
Official establishments: 11,156; +5.3% since 2019
Household spending a year: $88.7B; On groceries
Listings per 10k households: 18.1; 3% below the U.S.
Spending per listing: $3.6M; 7% above the U.S.
Rank among states: #28 of 51; Market score 49 · Lower middle

A site report maps the grocery and convenience stores on map listings around any address in California by name and distance, and the spending within reach.

Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

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

What this means

As of September 2026, map listings count 24,469 grocery and convenience stores in California. Chain locations make up 43% of them, against 42% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 18.1, 3% below the U.S. rate of 18.7.

Household spending on groceries in California comes to about $88.7B a year: $6,548 per household, 4% above the U.S. average. Spread across 24,469 grocery and convenience stores, that is $3.6M per store, 7% above the U.S. figure of $3.4M.

The official count of businesses with payroll classed as grocery and convenience stores in California was 11,156 in 2023, up 5.3% from 2019. That is one for every 1,214 households, against one for every 1,293 across the U.S. Across the U.S., the count rose 7.2% over the same years. Since fiscal 2022, 560 SBA-backed loans worth $416.1M have gone to businesses classed as grocery and convenience stores in California.

Among the 50 states and DC, California ranks #28 for grocery and convenience stores, with a Groundwork market score of 49 (lower middle). Of the 25 scored metro areas in or partly in California, the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara metro area scores highest (68). Of the 10 scored small-town markets in or partly in California, the Gardnerville Ranchos area scores highest (74).

Every market in California for grocery and convenience stores

Download the ranking (CSV)

Numbered by Groundwork market score among the markets based in California, highest first; the U.S. rank compares each market with every other of its kind. A metro area that crosses a state line is listed in each state it reaches, and numbered only in the state its page is under. How the score works.

Metro areas

Metro areas reaching California, ranked for grocery and convenience stores by Groundwork market score
Market	Score	Listings	Per 10k households	Spending per listing	Population growth	U.S. rank
1San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA	68	962	14.1	$5.3M	−0.6%	#68 of 387
2Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA	64	1,420	16.1	$4M	+3.2%	#98 of 387
3San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA	61	1,804	15.4	$4.3M	−0.6%	#120 of 387
4Vallejo, CA	60	255	16.2	$4M	+0.6%	#124 of 387
5Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA	57	2,572	17.7	$3.5M	+3.5%	#152 of 387
6San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA	56	2,906	16.7	$4.3M	−2.4%	#154 of 387
7Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA	50	496	17.7	$3.8M	−1.5%	#198 of 387
8Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA	47	7,916	17.6	$3.7M	−2.6%	#216 of 387
9San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA	47	213	19.5	$3.3M	0.0%	#219 of 387
10Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA	43	369	19.3	$3.5M	−0.4%	#243 of 387
11Stockton-Lodi, CA	42	563	23.0	$2.8M	+5.5%	#253 of 387
12Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA	41	194	20.0	$3.4M	−4.7%	#256 of 387
13Redding, CA	38	130	18.3	$3.2M	−0.3%	#278 of 387
14Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA	37	307	20.5	$3.2M	−1.4%	#286 of 387
15Chico, CA	34	141	16.9	$3.4M	−0.5%	#299 of 387
16Napa, CA	33	114	22.9	$3M	−3.3%	#307 of 387
17Yuba City, CA	31	144	23.3	$2.6M	+3.3%	#318 of 387
18Modesto, CA	27	414	23.3	$2.6M	+0.7%	#338 of 387
19Fresno, CA	27	865	23.4	$2.5M	+3.2%	#339 of 387
20Merced, CA	25	230	26.7	$2.1M	+5.1%	#346 of 387
21Salinas, CA	23	347	26.2	$2.5M	−1.5%	#354 of 387
22Bakersfield-Delano, CA	23	683	24.0	$2.4M	+2.3%	#355 of 387
23Visalia, CA	20	398	27.8	$2.1M	+2.4%	#362 of 387
24Hanford-Corcoran, CA	15	121	27.5	$2.1M	+1.0%	#377 of 387
25El Centro, CA	14	155	31.2	$1.8M	+1.1%	#381 of 387

Small-town markets

Small-town markets reaching California, ranked for grocery and convenience stores by Groundwork market score
Market	Score	Listings	Per 10k households	Spending per listing	Population growth	U.S. rank
Gardnerville Ranchos, NV-CA	74	25	11.5	$5.5M	+0.9%	#44 of 538
1Truckee-Grass Valley, CA	63	71	16.6	$3.8M	−0.4%	#139 of 538
2Crescent City, CA	57	14	14.7	$3.9M	−4.4%	#210 of 538
3Sonora, CA	50	46	20.3	$3M	−4.0%	#282 of 538
4Bishop, CA	47	21	26.1	$2.3M	−4.4%	#314 of 538
5Susanville, CA	45	14	15.1	$3.7M	−13.1%	#328 of 538
6Clearlake, CA	39	57	21.2	$2.7M	−0.6%	#389 of 538
7Eureka-Arcata, CA	36	113	20.6	$2.7M	−3.4%	#409 of 538
8Red Bluff, CA	35	59	23.8	$2.4M	−1.7%	#416 of 538
9Ukiah, CA	26	94	27.0	$2.1M	−3.5%	#471 of 538

Counties

Counties in California, ranked for grocery and convenience stores by Groundwork market score
Market	Score	Listings	Per 10k households	Spending per listing	Population growth	U.S. rank
1Placer County, CA	85	220	13.9	$4.9M	+8.9%	#99 of 2,402
2San Benito County, CA	80	38	18.5	$3.7M	+8.6%	#188 of 2,402
3El Dorado County, CA	74	107	14.0	$4.8M	+0.6%	#311 of 2,402
4Riverside County, CA	73	1,248	16.1	$4M	+5.0%	#354 of 2,402
5Contra Costa County, CA	71	552	13.3	$5.3M	+0.3%	#402 of 2,402
6Santa Clara County, CA	70	924	14.0	$5.4M	−0.9%	#427 of 2,402
7Orange County, CA	66	1,680	15.5	$4.4M	−1.1%	#550 of 2,402
8Solano County, CA	66	255	16.2	$4M	+0.6%	#555 of 2,402
9Amador County, CA	66	28	17.4	$3.5M	+3.2%	#560 of 2,402
10San Diego County, CA	65	1,804	15.4	$4.3M	−0.6%	#581 of 2,402
11Sacramento County, CA	65	919	16.1	$3.9M	+2.0%	#584 of 2,402
12San Mateo County, CA	62	397	15.0	$5M	−2.5%	#692 of 2,402
13Alameda County, CA	58	1,062	17.8	$4M	−2.6%	#853 of 2,402
14San Luis Obispo County, CA	58	213	19.5	$3.3M	0.0%	#865 of 2,402
15San Bernardino County, CA	58	1,324	19.6	$3.2M	+1.9%	#868 of 2,402
16Yolo County, CA	58	174	22.7	$2.8M	+3.1%	#876 of 2,402
17Marin County, CA	57	177	17.2	$4.3M	−2.9%	#887 of 2,402
18Ventura County, CA	57	496	17.7	$3.8M	−1.5%	#894 of 2,402
19Nevada County, CA	56	71	16.6	$3.8M	−0.4%	#920 of 2,402
20Calaveras County, CA	56	39	21.2	$2.9M	+2.8%	#943 of 2,402
21San Joaquin County, CA	56	563	23.0	$2.8M	+5.5%	#944 of 2,402
22Sonoma County, CA	53	369	19.3	$3.5M	−0.4%	#1,059 of 2,402
23Shasta County, CA	53	130	18.3	$3.2M	−0.3%	#1,062 of 2,402
24Yuba County, CA	53	63	22.0	$2.7M	+8.2%	#1,083 of 2,402
25Del Norte County, CA	52	14	14.7	$3.9M	−4.4%	#1,101 of 2,402

Show all 58 counties

Counties in California, ranked for grocery and convenience stores by Groundwork market score, continued
Market	Score	Listings	Per 10k households	Spending per listing	Population growth	U.S. rank
26Los Angeles County, CA	52	6,236	18.3	$3.5M	−3.0%	#1,105 of 2,402
27San Francisco County, CA	50	718	19.7	$3.6M	−5.6%	#1,189 of 2,402
28Santa Cruz County, CA	50	194	20.0	$3.4M	−4.7%	#1,194 of 2,402
29Butte County, CA	49	141	16.9	$3.4M	−0.5%	#1,232 of 2,402
30Santa Barbara County, CA	48	307	20.5	$3.2M	−1.4%	#1,279 of 2,402
31Madera County, CA	48	118	26.0	$2.3M	+7.4%	#1,299 of 2,402
32Tuolumne County, CA	45	46	20.3	$3M	−4.0%	#1,382 of 2,402
33Napa County, CA	44	114	22.9	$3M	−3.3%	#1,426 of 2,402
34Stanislaus County, CA	43	414	23.3	$2.6M	+0.7%	#1,475 of 2,402
35Fresno County, CA	43	747	23.0	$2.6M	+2.6%	#1,476 of 2,402
36Inyo County, CA	43	21	26.1	$2.3M	−4.4%	#1,487 of 2,402
37Kern County, CA	41	683	24.0	$2.4M	+2.3%	#1,552 of 2,402
38Lassen County, CA	40	14	15.1	$3.7M	−13.1%	#1,580 of 2,402
39Merced County, CA	40	230	26.7	$2.1M	+5.1%	#1,606 of 2,402
40Mariposa County, CA	38	16	21.3	$2.7M	−1.2%	#1,661 of 2,402
41Monterey County, CA	38	347	26.2	$2.5M	−1.5%	#1,664 of 2,402
42Sutter County, CA	37	81	24.3	$2.5M	−0.7%	#1,707 of 2,402
43Tulare County, CA	35	398	27.8	$2.1M	+2.4%	#1,791 of 2,402
44Lake County, CA	33	57	21.2	$2.7M	−0.6%	#1,848 of 2,402
45Mono County, CA	33	16	27.9	$2.3M	−5.4%	#1,858 of 2,402
46Humboldt County, CA	31	113	20.6	$2.7M	−3.4%	#1,916 of 2,402
47Tehama County, CA	31	59	23.8	$2.4M	−1.7%	#1,921 of 2,402
48Kings County, CA	30	121	27.5	$2.1M	+1.0%	#1,950 of 2,402
49Imperial County, CA	26	155	31.2	$1.8M	+1.1%	#2,082 of 2,402
50Colusa County, CA	25	23	30.6	$1.9M	−0.1%	#2,105 of 2,402
51Mendocino County, CA	23	94	27.0	$2.1M	−3.5%	#2,144 of 2,402
52Plumas County, CA	22	21	26.1	$2.2M	−5.9%	#2,168 of 2,402
53Trinity County, CA	21	12	21.5	$2.5M	−2.3%	#2,189 of 2,402
54Glenn County, CA	18	32	32.6	$1.7M	−2.6%	#2,247 of 2,402
55Siskiyou County, CA	17	51	26.7	$2.1M	−4.5%	#2,262 of 2,402
Modoc County, CA	Not scored	17	52.0	$1.1M	−2.9%
Sierra County, CA	Not scored	5	41.0	$1.4M	−4.0%
Alpine County, CA	Not scored	1	23.0	$2.9M	−11.6%

Markets with fewer than 5 grocery and convenience stores on map listings, and counties under 10,000 people, aren’t scored; they’re listed last in each table.

Questions

How many grocery and convenience stores are in California?

California has 24,469 grocery and convenience stores on map listings as of September 2026. 10,520 of them (43%) are chain locations. The listings count grocery, convenience and specialty food stores. Official counts show 11,156 businesses with payroll classed as grocery and convenience stores in 2023, up 5.3% from 2019. Another 7,097 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.

How much do households in California spend on groceries?

About $88.7B a year, or $6,548 per household. That is 4% above the U.S. average (an index of 104, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 24,469 grocery and convenience stores on map listings, it comes to $3.6M per store. It is estimated from the incomes of the 13,548,091 households in California and national spending patterns by income.

How does California compare with the U.S. for grocery and convenience stores?

California has 18.1 grocery and convenience stores per 10,000 households, 3% below the U.S. rate of 18.7. Spending per store is $3.6M, 7% above the U.S. figure of $3.4M. At the national ratio of grocery and convenience stores to household spending, California would have about 26,183, against 24,469 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,214 households, against one for every 1,293 across the U.S. The official count rose 5.3% from 2019 to 2023, against +7.2% for the U.S.

Which market in California has the highest market score for grocery and convenience stores?

Among 25 scored metro areas in or partly in California, the San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara metro area scores highest, at 68 (upper middle). Among 10 scored small-town markets in or partly in California, the Gardnerville Ranchos area scores highest, at 74 (upper middle). Among 55 scored counties in California, Placer County scores highest, at 85 (high). Scores compare each market with others of its kind across the U.S.

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. California scores 49 for grocery and convenience stores (lower middle), #28 of the 50 states and DC.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in California. 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.

Grocery stores9,786 listings
Convenience stores9,019 listings

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