Groceries and convenience · County · California
Grocery and convenience stores in Imperial County, CA
The grocery and convenience stores in Imperial County, CA, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 26 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #2,082 of 2,402 scored counties
#49 of 55 scored counties in California
- Listings
- 155
- 77 chain locations (50%)
- Official establishments
- 39
- −23.5% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $272.7M
- On groceries · $5,494 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.8M
- 48% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 31.2
- 67% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 181,411
- +1.1% since 2020
See the grocery and convenience stores around any address in Imperial County
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 Imperial 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
For grocery and convenience stores, Imperial County has a Groundwork market score of 26 (lower middle): #2,082 of 2,402 scored counties and #49 of 55 scored counties in California. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
At $5,494 per household (13% below the U.S. average), households in Imperial County spend about $272.7M a year on groceries. Spread across 155 grocery and convenience stores, that is $1.8M per store, 48% below the U.S. figure of $3.4M.
Imperial County has 155 grocery and convenience stores on map listings as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 50% of them, against 42% across the U.S. That comes to 31.2 for every 10,000 households, 67% above the U.S. rate of 18.7.
Official counts show 39 businesses with payroll classed as grocery and convenience stores in Imperial County in 2023, down 23.5% from 2019. That is one for every 1,273 households, against one for every 1,293 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 3 SBA-backed loans worth $550K have gone to businesses classed as grocery and convenience stores in Imperial County. Population estimates show Imperial County grew 1.1% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Imperial County compares
The same measures for California 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.
| Measure | Imperial County | California | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 31.2 | 18.1 | 18.7 |
| Spending per listing | $1.8M | $3.6M | $3.4M |
| Households per official establishment | 1,273 | 1,214 | 1,293 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −23.5% | +5.3% | +7.2% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +1.1% | −0.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on groceries | $5,494 | $6,548 | $6,319 |
| Median household income | $57,681 | $99,122 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 26 | 49 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 51 → 39−23.5% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 903
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $30.3M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 30Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 15577 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 81The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 3
- Amount
- $550K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as grocery and convenience stores in Imperial 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 Imperial County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 181,411+1.1% since 2020
- Households
- 49,644
- Median age
- 33.6
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 57%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 4,176 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 43
- Median household income
- $57,681+21.1% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $79,363
- Median home value
- $309,600
- Jobs located here
- 63,081
- Daytime population
- 165,766Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Imperial 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 grocery and convenience stores on map listings by name and distance.
Or open the report at the center of Imperial County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardGrocery and convenience stores across California
Every California market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in California for grocery and convenience stores, numbered among those based in California, with Imperial County marked.
Top counties in California
| 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 |
| 49Imperial County, CA | 26 | 155 | 31.2 | $1.8M | +1.1% | #2,082 of 2,402 |
Other business types in Imperial County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
- Grocery and convenience stores26
- Grocery stores22
- Convenience stores41
Auto
Beauty and personal care
Fitness and classes
Health care
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many grocery and convenience stores are in Imperial County, CA?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 155 grocery and convenience stores in Imperial County. 77 of them (50%) are chain locations. The listings count grocery, convenience and specialty food stores. Official counts show 39 businesses with payroll classed as grocery and convenience stores in 2023, down 23.5% from 2019. Official counts also show 30 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Imperial County, CA spend on groceries?
About $272.7M a year, or $5,494 per household. That is 13% below the U.S. average (an index of 87, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 155 grocery and convenience stores on map listings, it comes to $1.8M per store. It is estimated from the incomes of the 49,644 households in Imperial County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Imperial County, CA compare with the U.S. for grocery and convenience stores?
Imperial County has 31.2 grocery and convenience stores per 10,000 households, 67% above the U.S. rate of 18.7. Spending per store is $1.8M, 48% below the U.S. figure of $3.4M. At the U.S. ratio of grocery and convenience stores to household spending, Imperial County would have about 81, against 155 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,273 households, against one for every 1,293 across the U.S. The official count fell 23.5% from 2019 to 2023, against +7.2% for the U.S.
How fast is Imperial County, CA growing?
Population estimates put Imperial County at 181,411 people in 2025, up 1.1% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 49,644 households. The median household income in Imperial County is $57,681 a year, 29% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 21.1% from the 2015–2019 survey, 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. Imperial County scores 26 for grocery and convenience stores (lower middle), #2,082 of 2,402 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Imperial County. 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 Imperial County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Imperial 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 Imperial 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.