Groundwork

Market rankings · District of Columbia

Grocery and convenience stores in the District of Columbia

Markets across the District of Columbia ranked by the Groundwork market score for grocery and convenience stores, with competitor counts and household spending for each.

Listings
423
149 chain locations (35%)
Official establishments
310
+2.0% since 2019
Household spending a year
$2.2B
On groceries
Listings per 10k households
13.0
30% below the U.S.
Spending per listing
$5.3M
55% above the U.S.
Rank among states
#7 of 51
Market score 68 · Upper middle

A site report maps the grocery and convenience stores on map listings around any address in the District of Columbia by name and distance, and the spending within reach.

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Survey 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 423 grocery and convenience stores in the District of Columbia. Of those, 149 are chain locations, or 35%, against 42% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 13.0, 30% below the U.S. rate of 18.7.

At $6,863 per household (9% above the U.S. average), households in the District of Columbia spend about $2.2B a year on groceries. That is about $5.3M of household spending for each store on map listings, 55% above the U.S. figure of $3.4M.

In 2023, official counts showed 310 businesses with payroll in the District of Columbia classed as grocery and convenience stores, up 2.0% from 2019. That is one for every 1,047 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 $5.7M have gone to businesses classed as grocery and convenience stores in the District of Columbia.

Among the 50 states and DC, the District of Columbia ranks #7 for grocery and convenience stores, with a Groundwork market score of 68 (upper middle). The one scored metro area in or partly in the District of Columbia, the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area, scores 72.

Every market in the District of Columbia for grocery and convenience stores

Download the ranking (CSV)

Numbered by Groundwork market score among the markets based in the District of Columbia, 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

Metro areas reaching the District of Columbia, ranked for grocery and convenience stores by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV723,40814.4$5M+3.3%#45 of 387

Counties

Counties in the District of Columbia, ranked for grocery and convenience stores by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
District of ColumbiaNot scored42313.0$5.3M+3.4%

Markets with fewer than 5 grocery and convenience stores on map listings, and counties under 10,000 people, aren’t scored; they’re listed last in each table.

Questions

How many grocery and convenience stores are in the District of Columbia?

The District of Columbia has 423 grocery and convenience stores on map listings as of September 2026. 149 of them (35%) are chain locations. The listings count grocery, convenience and specialty food stores. Official counts show 310 businesses with payroll classed as grocery and convenience stores in 2023, up 2.0% from 2019. Official counts also show 102 one-person businesses without payroll.

How much do households in the District of Columbia spend on groceries?

About $2.2B a year, or $6,863 per household. That is 9% above the U.S. average (an index of 109, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 423 grocery and convenience stores on map listings, it comes to $5.3M per store. It is estimated from the incomes of the 324,491 households in the District of Columbia and national spending patterns by income.

How does the District of Columbia compare with the U.S. for grocery and convenience stores?

The District of Columbia has 13.0 grocery and convenience stores per 10,000 households, 30% below the U.S. rate of 18.7. Spending per store is $5.3M, 55% above the U.S. figure of $3.4M. At the national ratio of grocery and convenience stores to household spending, the District of Columbia would have about 657, against 423 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,047 households, against one for every 1,293 across the U.S. The official count rose 2.0% from 2019 to 2023, against +7.2% for the U.S.

Which market in the District of Columbia has the highest market score for grocery and convenience stores?

The one scored metro area in or partly in the District of Columbia is the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area, at 72 (upper middle). 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. The District of Columbia scores 68 for grocery and convenience stores (upper middle), #7 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 the District of Columbia. 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

All 51 states

Top markets for grocery and convenience stores across the U.S. · All business types in the District of Columbia

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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.