Groceries and convenience · County · Delaware
Grocery and convenience stores in Sussex County, DE
The grocery and convenience stores in Sussex County, DE, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 71 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #423 of 2,402 scored counties
#2 of 3 scored counties in Delaware
- Listings
- 214
- 84 chain locations (39%)
- Official establishments
- 67
- +8.1% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $661.4M
- On groceries · $6,214 a household
- Spending per listing
- $3.1M
- 9% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 20.1
- 7% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 277,140
- +16.1% since 2020
See the grocery and convenience stores around any address in Sussex 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 Sussex 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 214 grocery and convenience stores in Sussex County. Of those, 84 are chain locations, or 39%, against 42% across the U.S. That is 20.1 per 10,000 households, 7% above the U.S. rate of 18.7.
Household spending on groceries in Sussex County comes to about $661.4M a year: $6,214 per household, 2% below the U.S. average. That works out to $3.1M per store, 9% below the U.S. figure of $3.4M.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as grocery and convenience stores in Sussex County was 67 in 2023, up 8.1% from 2019. That is one for every 1,589 households, against one for every 1,293 across the U.S. Another 57 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 3 SBA-backed loans worth $55K have gone to businesses classed as grocery and convenience stores in Sussex County.
Population estimates show Sussex County grew 16.1% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for grocery and convenience stores in Sussex County is 71 (upper middle), #423 of 2,402 scored counties and #2 of 3 scored counties in Delaware. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How Sussex County compares
The same measures for Delaware 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 | Sussex County | Delaware | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 20.1 | 16.9 | 18.7 |
| Spending per listing | $3.1M | $3.7M | $3.4M |
| Households per official establishment | 1,589 | 1,426 | 1,293 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +8.1% | +7.2% | +7.2% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +16.1% | +6.9% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on groceries | $6,214 | $6,314 | $6,319 |
| Median household income | $81,497 | $84,954 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 71 | 67 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 62 → 67+8.1% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 2,546
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $77.8M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 57Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 21484 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 195The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 3
- Amount
- $55K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as grocery and convenience stores in Sussex 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 Sussex County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 277,140+16.1% since 2020
- Households
- 106,441
- Median age
- 49.6
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 82%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 936 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 273
- Median household income
- $81,497+29.0% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $109,287
- Median home value
- $382,600
- Jobs located here
- 85,870
- Daytime population
- 239,628Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Sussex 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 Sussex 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 Delaware
Every Delaware market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Delaware for grocery and convenience stores, numbered among those based in Delaware, with Sussex County marked.
Top counties in Delaware
| 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 |
Other business types in Sussex County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
- Grocery and convenience stores71
- Grocery stores71
- Convenience stores78
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 Sussex County, DE?
Sussex County has 214 grocery and convenience stores on map listings as of September 2026. 84 of them (39%) are chain locations. The listings count grocery, convenience and specialty food stores. Official counts show 67 businesses with payroll classed as grocery and convenience stores in 2023, up 8.1% from 2019. Official counts list 57 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Sussex County, DE spend on groceries?
About $661.4M a year, or $6,214 per household. That is 2% below the U.S. average (an index of 98, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 214 grocery and convenience stores on map listings, it comes to $3.1M per store. It is estimated from the incomes of the 106,441 households in Sussex County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Sussex County, DE compare with the U.S. for grocery and convenience stores?
Sussex County has 20.1 grocery and convenience stores per 10,000 households, 7% above the U.S. rate of 18.7. Spending per store is $3.1M, 9% below the U.S. figure of $3.4M. At the national ratio of grocery and convenience stores to household spending, Sussex County would have about 195, against 214 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,589 households, against one for every 1,293 across the U.S. The official count rose 8.1% from 2019 to 2023, against +7.2% for the U.S.
How fast is Sussex County, DE growing?
Population estimates put Sussex County at 277,140 people in 2025, up 16.1% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 106,441 households. Median household income in Sussex County is $81,497, in line with the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 29.0%, 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. Sussex County scores 71 for grocery and convenience stores (upper middle), #423 of 2,402 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Sussex 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 Sussex County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Sussex 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 Sussex 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.