Groceries and convenience · County · California
Grocery and convenience stores in Kern County, CA
The grocery and convenience stores in Kern County, CA, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 41 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,552 of 2,402 scored counties
#37 of 55 scored counties in California
- Listings
- 683
- 274 chain locations (40%)
- Official establishments
- 284
- +13.6% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $1.7B
- On groceries · $5,820 a household
- Spending per listing
- $2.4M
- 28% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 24.0
- 28% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 927,068
- +2.3% since 2020
See the grocery and convenience stores around any address in Kern 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 Kern 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
Households in Kern County spend about $1.7B a year on groceries, or $5,820 per household, 8% below the U.S. average. That is about $2.4M of household spending for each store on map listings, 28% below the U.S. figure of $3.4M.
Kern County has 683 grocery and convenience stores on map listings as of September 2026. Of those, 274 are chain locations, or 40%, against 42% across the U.S. That is 24.0 per 10,000 households, 28% above the U.S. rate of 18.7.
Official counts show 284 businesses with payroll classed as grocery and convenience stores in Kern County in 2023, up 13.6% from 2019. That is one for every 1,003 households, against one for every 1,293 across the U.S. Official counts also show 172 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 21 SBA-backed loans worth $17.4M have gone to businesses classed as grocery and convenience stores in Kern County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Kern County grew 2.3%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). Kern County scores 41 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for grocery and convenience stores, ranking #1,552 of 2,402 scored counties and #37 of 55 scored counties in California.
How Kern 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 | Kern County | California | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 24.0 | 18.1 | 18.7 |
| Spending per listing | $2.4M | $3.6M | $3.4M |
| Households per official establishment | 1,003 | 1,214 | 1,293 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +13.6% | +5.3% | +7.2% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.3% | −0.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on groceries | $5,820 | $6,548 | $6,319 |
| Median household income | $70,210 | $99,122 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 41 | 49 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 250 → 284+13.6% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 6,369
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $222.7M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 172Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 683274 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 489The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 21
- Amount
- $17.4M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as grocery and convenience stores in Kern 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 Kern County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 927,068+2.3% since 2020
- Households
- 284,931
- Median age
- 33.6
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 60%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 8,135 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 112
- Median household income
- $70,210+31.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $93,147
- Median home value
- $338,300
- Jobs located here
- 302,967
- Daytime population
- 882,683Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Kern 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 Kern 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 Kern 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 |
| 37Kern County, CA | 41 | 683 | 24.0 | $2.4M | +2.3% | #1,552 of 2,402 |
Other business types in Kern County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
- Grocery and convenience stores41
- Grocery stores36
- Convenience stores49
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 Kern County, CA?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 683 grocery and convenience stores in Kern County. 274 of them (40%) are chain locations. The listings count grocery, convenience and specialty food stores. Official counts show 284 businesses with payroll classed as grocery and convenience stores in 2023, up 13.6% from 2019. Another 172 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Kern County, CA spend on groceries?
About $1.7B a year, or $5,820 per household. That is 8% below the U.S. average (an index of 92, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 683 grocery and convenience stores on map listings, it comes to $2.4M per store. It is estimated from the incomes of the 284,931 households in Kern County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Kern County, CA compare with the U.S. for grocery and convenience stores?
Kern County has 24.0 grocery and convenience stores per 10,000 households, 28% above the U.S. rate of 18.7. Spending per store is $2.4M, 28% below the U.S. figure of $3.4M. At the U.S. ratio of grocery and convenience stores to household spending, Kern County would have about 489, against 683 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,003 households, against one for every 1,293 across the U.S. The official count rose 13.6% from 2019 to 2023, against +7.2% for the U.S.
How fast is Kern County, CA growing?
Population estimates put Kern County at 927,068 people in 2025, up 2.3% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 284,931 households. The median household income in Kern County is $70,210 a year, 13% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 31.6% 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. Kern County scores 41 for grocery and convenience stores (lower middle), #1,552 of 2,402 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Kern 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 Kern County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Kern 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 Kern 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.