Groceries and convenience · County · California
Grocery and convenience stores in San Diego County, CA
How San Diego County, CA compares with other counties and the U.S. for grocery and convenience stores: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 65 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #581 of 2,402 scored counties
#10 of 55 scored counties in California
- Listings
- 1,804
- 878 chain locations (49%)
- Official establishments
- 860
- +1.8% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $7.8B
- On groceries · $6,677 a household
- Spending per listing
- $4.3M
- 28% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 15.4
- 18% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 3,282,248
- −0.6% since 2020
See the grocery and convenience stores around any address in San Diego 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 San Diego 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
As of September 2026, map listings count 1,804 grocery and convenience stores in San Diego County. 878 of them (49%) are chain locations, against 42% across the U.S. That comes to 15.4 for every 10,000 households, 18% below the U.S. rate of 18.7.
Household spending on groceries in San Diego County comes to about $7.8B a year: $6,677 per household, 6% above the U.S. average. Spread across 1,804 grocery and convenience stores, that is $4.3M per store, 28% above the U.S. figure of $3.4M.
In 2023, official counts showed 860 businesses with payroll in San Diego County classed as grocery and convenience stores, up 1.8% from 2019. That is one for every 1,362 households, against one for every 1,293 across the U.S. Another 476 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 25 SBA-backed loans worth $27.3M have gone to businesses classed as grocery and convenience stores in San Diego County.
Population estimates put the population change in San Diego County from 2020 to 2025 at −0.6%, against +3.1% for the U.S. The Groundwork market score for grocery and convenience stores in San Diego County is 65 (upper middle), #581 of 2,402 scored counties and #10 of 55 scored counties in California. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How San Diego 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 | San Diego County | California | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 15.4 | 18.1 | 18.7 |
| Spending per listing | $4.3M | $3.6M | $3.4M |
| Households per official establishment | 1,362 | 1,214 | 1,293 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +1.8% | +5.3% | +7.2% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −0.6% | −0.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on groceries | $6,677 | $6,548 | $6,319 |
| Median household income | $106,268 | $99,122 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 65 | 49 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 845 → 860+1.8% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 28,687
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $1B
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 476Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 1,804878 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 2,308The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 25
- Amount
- $27.3M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as grocery and convenience stores in San Diego 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 San Diego County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 3,282,248−0.6% since 2020
- Households
- 1,171,278
- Median age
- 38.9
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 55%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 4,211 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 781
- Median household income
- $106,268+34.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $141,250
- Median home value
- $854,700
- Jobs located here
- 1,516,991
- Daytime population
- 3,269,716Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in San Diego 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 San Diego 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 San Diego 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 |
Other business types in San Diego County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
- Grocery and convenience stores65
- Grocery stores61
- Convenience stores72
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 San Diego County, CA?
San Diego County has 1,804 grocery and convenience stores on map listings as of September 2026. 878 of them (49%) are chain locations. The listings count grocery, convenience and specialty food stores. Official counts show 860 businesses with payroll classed as grocery and convenience stores in 2023, up 1.8% from 2019. Official counts list 476 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in San Diego County, CA spend on groceries?
About $7.8B a year, or $6,677 per household. That is 6% above the U.S. average (an index of 106, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 1,804 grocery and convenience stores on map listings, it comes to $4.3M per store. It is estimated from the incomes of the 1,171,278 households in San Diego County and national spending patterns by income.
How does San Diego County, CA compare with the U.S. for grocery and convenience stores?
San Diego County has 15.4 grocery and convenience stores per 10,000 households, 18% below the U.S. rate of 18.7. Spending per store is $4.3M, 28% above the U.S. figure of $3.4M. At the national ratio of grocery and convenience stores to household spending, San Diego County would have about 2,308, against 1,804 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,362 households, against one for every 1,293 across the U.S. The official count rose 1.8% from 2019 to 2023, against +7.2% for the U.S.
How fast is San Diego County, CA growing?
Population estimates put San Diego County at 3,282,248 people in 2025, down 0.6% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 1,171,278 households. Median household income in San Diego County is $106,268, 32% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 34.6%, 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. San Diego County scores 65 for grocery and convenience stores (upper middle), #581 of 2,402 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in San Diego 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 San Diego County
Screening a site or an acquisition in San Diego 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 San Diego 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.