Groceries and convenience · County · Colorado
Grocery and convenience stores in Boulder County, CO
The grocery and convenience stores in Boulder County, CO, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 75 out of 100: High
Ranked #288 of 2,402 scored counties
#12 of 37 scored counties in Colorado
- Listings
- 203
- 99 chain locations (49%)
- Official establishments
- 65
- −4.4% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $914.2M
- On groceries · $6,672 a household
- Spending per listing
- $4.5M
- 33% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 14.8
- 21% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 328,560
- −0.7% since 2020
See the grocery and convenience stores around any address in Boulder 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 Boulder 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 203 grocery and convenience stores in Boulder County. Of those, 99 are chain locations, or 49%, against 42% across the U.S. That is 14.8 per 10,000 households, 21% below the U.S. rate of 18.7.
Household spending on groceries in Boulder County comes to about $914.2M a year: $6,672 per household, 6% above the U.S. average. That works out to $4.5M per store, 33% above the U.S. figure of $3.4M.
Official counts show 65 businesses with payroll classed as grocery and convenience stores in Boulder County in 2023, down 4.4% from 2019. That is one for every 2,108 households, against one for every 1,293 across the U.S. Another 40 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $20K has gone to businesses classed as grocery and convenience stores in Boulder County.
Population estimates put the population change in Boulder County from 2020 to 2025 at −0.7%, against +3.1% for the U.S. Boulder County scores 75 (high) on the Groundwork market score for grocery and convenience stores, ranking #288 of 2,402 scored counties and #12 of 37 scored counties in Colorado. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How Boulder County compares
The same measures for Colorado 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 | Boulder County | Colorado | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 14.8 | 16.0 | 18.7 |
| Spending per listing | $4.5M | $4M | $3.4M |
| Households per official establishment | 2,108 | 2,194 | 1,293 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −4.4% | +5.7% | +7.2% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −0.7% | +3.9% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on groceries | $6,672 | $6,458 | $6,319 |
| Median household income | $103,994 | $95,470 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 75 | 83 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 68 → 65−4.4% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 3,646
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $139.7M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 40Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 20399 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 270The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $20K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as grocery and convenience stores in Boulder 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 Boulder County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 328,560−0.7% since 2020
- Households
- 137,008
- Median age
- 39.9
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 62%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 726 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 453
- Median household income
- $103,994+25.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $148,846
- Median home value
- $756,300
- Jobs located here
- 190,563
- Daytime population
- 376,803Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Boulder 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 Boulder 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 Colorado
Every Colorado market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Colorado for grocery and convenience stores, numbered among those based in Colorado, with Boulder County marked.
Top counties in Colorado
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Douglas County, CO | 98 | 153 | 10.9 | $6.8M | +10.9% | #2 of 2,402 |
| 2Elbert County, CO | 98 | 12 | 12.0 | $5.9M | +16.5% | #3 of 2,402 |
| 3Broomfield County, CO | 95 | 30 | 9.4 | $7.5M | +6.3% | #9 of 2,402 |
| 4Weld County, CO | 91 | 186 | 15.0 | $4.3M | +14.2% | #42 of 2,402 |
| 5Larimer County, CO | 88 | 217 | 14.1 | $4.5M | +4.8% | #65 of 2,402 |
| 6Park County, CO | 86 | 13 | 14.5 | $4.5M | +5.1% | #90 of 2,402 |
| 7El Paso County, CO | 85 | 390 | 13.4 | $4.7M | +3.2% | #100 of 2,402 |
| 8Jefferson County, CO | 81 | 296 | 12.2 | $5.5M | −0.5% | #155 of 2,402 |
| 9Arapahoe County, CO | 81 | 350 | 13.6 | $4.8M | +2.8% | #159 of 2,402 |
| 10Adams County, CO | 80 | 292 | 15.5 | $4.1M | +6.6% | #181 of 2,402 |
| 12Boulder County, CO | 75 | 203 | 14.8 | $4.5M | −0.7% | #288 of 2,402 |
Other business types in Boulder County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
- Grocery and convenience stores75
- Grocery stores72
- Convenience stores80
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 Boulder County, CO?
Boulder County has 203 grocery and convenience stores on map listings as of September 2026. 99 of them (49%) are chain locations. The listings count grocery, convenience and specialty food stores. Official counts show 65 businesses with payroll classed as grocery and convenience stores in 2023, down 4.4% from 2019. Official counts list 40 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Boulder County, CO spend on groceries?
About $914.2M a year, or $6,672 per household. That is 6% above the U.S. average (an index of 106, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 203 grocery and convenience stores on map listings, it comes to $4.5M per store. It is estimated from the incomes of the 137,008 households in Boulder County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Boulder County, CO compare with the U.S. for grocery and convenience stores?
Boulder County has 14.8 grocery and convenience stores per 10,000 households, 21% below the U.S. rate of 18.7. Spending per store is $4.5M, 33% above the U.S. figure of $3.4M. At the national ratio of grocery and convenience stores to household spending, Boulder County would have about 270, against 203 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,108 households, against one for every 1,293 across the U.S. The official count fell 4.4% from 2019 to 2023, against +7.2% for the U.S.
How fast is Boulder County, CO growing?
Population estimates put Boulder County at 328,560 people in 2025, down 0.7% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 137,008 households. Median household income in Boulder County is $103,994, 29% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 25.3%, 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. Boulder County scores 75 for grocery and convenience stores (high), #288 of 2,402 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Boulder 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 Boulder County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Boulder 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 Boulder 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.