Groceries and convenience · Metro area · District of Columbia
Grocery and convenience stores in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV metro area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for grocery and convenience stores in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV metro area, set against other metro areas and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 72 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #45 of 387 scored metro areas
The only scored metro area based in the District of Columbia
- Listings
- 3,408
- 1,767 chain locations (52%)
- Official establishments
- 1,942
- +7.8% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $17.1B
- On groceries · $7,192 a household
- Spending per listing
- $5M
- 48% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 14.4
- 23% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 6,465,724
- +3.3% since 2020
See the grocery and convenience stores around any address in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area
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 the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area. 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
Households in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area spend about $17.1B a year on groceries, or $7,192 per household, 14% above the U.S. average. That works out to $5M per store, 48% above the U.S. figure of $3.4M.
The Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area has 3,408 grocery and convenience stores on map listings as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 52% of them, against 42% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 14.4, 23% below the U.S. rate of 18.7.
Official counts show 1,942 businesses with payroll classed as grocery and convenience stores in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area in 2023, up 7.8% from 2019. That is one for every 1,222 households, against one for every 1,293 across the U.S. Official counts list 1,297 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 65 SBA-backed loans worth $23M have gone to businesses classed as grocery and convenience stores in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area.
Population estimates put the population change in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area from 2020 to 2025 at +3.3%, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). The Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area scores 72 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for grocery and convenience stores, ranking #45 of 387 scored metro areas and the only scored metro area based in the District of Columbia. That puts it in the top quarter of metro areas.
How the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area compares
The same measures for District of Columbia 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 | Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area | District of Columbia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 14.4 | 13.0 | 18.7 |
| Spending per listing | $5M | $5.3M | $3.4M |
| Households per official establishment | 1,222 | 1,047 | 1,293 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +7.8% | +2.0% | +7.2% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +3.3% | +3.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on groceries | $7,192 | $6,863 | $6,319 |
| Median household income | $126,684 | $109,870 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 72 | 68 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 1,942+7.8% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 62,683
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $2.1B
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 1,297Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 3,4081,767 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 5,037The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 65
- Amount
- $23M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as grocery and convenience stores in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area, 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 the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 6,465,724+3.3% since 2020
- Households
- 2,373,022
- Median age
- 39.3
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 64%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.7
- Land area
- 6,034 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 1,047
- Median household income
- $126,684
- Average household income
- $166,652
- Median home value
- $579,900
- Jobs located here
- 3,140,160
- Daytime population
- 6,505,668Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area?
These figures cover the whole metro area. 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 the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardOther business types in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
- Grocery and convenience stores72
- Grocery stores62
- 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 the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV metro area?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 3,408 grocery and convenience stores in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area. 1,767 of them (52%) are chain locations. The listings count grocery, convenience and specialty food stores. Official counts show 1,942 businesses with payroll classed as grocery and convenience stores in 2023, up 7.8% from 2019. Official counts also show 1,297 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV metro area spend on groceries?
About $17.1B a year, or $7,192 per household. That is 14% above the U.S. average (an index of 114, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 3,408 grocery and convenience stores on map listings, it comes to $5M per store. It is estimated from the incomes of the 2,373,022 households in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV metro area compare with the U.S. for grocery and convenience stores?
The Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area has 14.4 grocery and convenience stores per 10,000 households, 23% below the U.S. rate of 18.7. Spending per store is $5M, 48% above the U.S. figure of $3.4M. At the U.S. ratio of grocery and convenience stores to household spending, the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area would have about 5,037, against 3,408 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,222 households, against one for every 1,293 across the U.S. The official count rose 7.8% from 2019 to 2023, against +7.2% for the U.S.
How fast is the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area at 6,465,724 people in 2025, up 3.3% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 2,373,022 households. The median household income in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area is $126,684 a year, 57% above the U.S. median of $80,734.
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 Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area scores 72 for grocery and convenience stores (upper middle), #45 of 387 scored metro areas.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area. 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 the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area?
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 the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area. 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.