Market rankings · Delaware
Grocery and convenience stores in Delaware
Every metro area, small-town market and county in Delaware, ranked by the Groundwork market score for grocery and convenience stores, with competitor counts and household spending for each.
- Listings
- 678
- 310 chain locations (46%)
- Official establishments
- 282
- +7.2% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $2.5B
- On groceries
- Listings per 10k households
- 16.9
- 10% below the U.S.
- Spending per listing
- $3.7M
- 11% above the U.S.
- Rank among states
- #9 of 51
- Market score 67 · Upper middle
A site report maps the grocery and convenience stores on map listings around any address in Delaware by name and distance, and the spending within reach.
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
Delaware has 678 grocery and convenience stores on map listings as of September 2026. 310 of them (46%) are chain locations, against 42% across the U.S. That is 16.9 per 10,000 households, 10% below the U.S. rate of 18.7.
Households in Delaware spend about $2.5B a year on groceries, or $6,314 per household, in line with the U.S. average. That is about $3.7M of household spending for each store on map listings, 11% above the U.S. figure of $3.4M.
Official counts show 282 businesses with payroll classed as grocery and convenience stores in Delaware in 2023, up 7.2% from 2019. That is one for every 1,426 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, 15 SBA-backed loans worth $1.5M have gone to businesses classed as grocery and convenience stores in Delaware.
Among the 50 states and DC, Delaware ranks #9 for grocery and convenience stores, with a Groundwork market score of 67 (upper middle). Of the 2 scored metro areas in or partly in Delaware, the Dover metro area scores highest (68). The one scored small-town market in or partly in Delaware, the Seaford area, scores 77.
Every market in Delaware for grocery and convenience stores
Download the ranking (CSV)Numbered by Groundwork market score among the markets based in Delaware, 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
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Dover, DE | 68 | 112 | 15.7 | $3.8M | +6.8% | #71 of 387 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | 55 | 4,559 | 18.5 | $3.8M | +1.4% | #167 of 387 |
Small-town markets
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Seaford, DE | 77 | 214 | 20.1 | $3.1M | +16.1% | #32 of 538 |
Counties
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Kent County, DE | 75 | 112 | 15.7 | $3.8M | +6.8% | #297 of 2,402 |
| 2Sussex County, DE | 71 | 214 | 20.1 | $3.1M | +16.1% | #423 of 2,402 |
| 3New Castle County, DE | 69 | 352 | 15.7 | $4.1M | +3.0% | #458 of 2,402 |
Questions
How many grocery and convenience stores are in Delaware?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 678 grocery and convenience stores in Delaware. 310 of them (46%) are chain locations. The listings count grocery, convenience and specialty food stores. Official counts show 282 businesses with payroll classed as grocery and convenience stores in 2023, up 7.2% from 2019. Official counts also show 251 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Delaware spend on groceries?
About $2.5B a year, or $6,314 per household. That is in line with the U.S. average (an index of 100, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 678 grocery and convenience stores on map listings, it comes to $3.7M per store. It is estimated from the incomes of the 402,038 households in Delaware and national spending patterns by income.
How does Delaware compare with the U.S. for grocery and convenience stores?
Delaware has 16.9 grocery and convenience stores per 10,000 households, 10% below the U.S. rate of 18.7. Spending per store is $3.7M, 11% above the U.S. figure of $3.4M. At the U.S. ratio of grocery and convenience stores to household spending, Delaware would have about 749, against 678 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,426 households, against one for every 1,293 across the U.S. The official count rose 7.2% from 2019 to 2023, against +7.2% for the U.S.
Which market in Delaware has the highest market score for grocery and convenience stores?
Among 2 scored metro areas in or partly in Delaware, the Dover metro area scores highest, at 68 (upper middle). The one scored small-town market in or partly in Delaware is the Seaford area, at 77 (high). Among 3 scored counties in Delaware, Kent County scores highest, at 75 (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. Delaware scores 67 for grocery and convenience stores (upper middle), #9 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 Delaware. 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 and convenience stores in other states
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Top markets for grocery and convenience stores across the U.S. · All business types in Delaware
Related business types in Delaware
- Grocery stores230 listings
- Convenience stores275 listings
Screening a site or an acquisition in Delaware?
A site report maps the competitors on map listings near an address and sizes the households and spending around it.
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.