Groceries and convenience · County · Florida
Grocery and convenience stores in Highlands County, FL
The grocery and convenience stores in Highlands County, FL, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 63 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #666 of 2,402 scored counties
#30 of 65 scored counties in Florida
- Listings
- 75
- 33 chain locations (44%)
- Official establishments
- 26
- +23.8% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $255M
- On groceries · $5,439 a household
- Spending per listing
- $3.4M
- In line with the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 16.0
- 14% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 111,122
- +9.7% since 2020
See the grocery and convenience stores around any address in Highlands 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 Highlands 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
At $5,439 per household (14% below the U.S. average), households in Highlands County spend about $255M a year on groceries. That works out to $3.4M per store, in line with the U.S. figure of $3.4M.
Highlands County has 75 grocery and convenience stores on map listings as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 44% of them, against 42% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 16.0, 14% below the U.S. rate of 18.7.
Official counts show 26 businesses with payroll classed as grocery and convenience stores in Highlands County in 2023, up 23.8% from 2019. That is one for every 1,803 households, against one for every 1,293 across the U.S. Another 15 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $100K has gone to businesses classed as grocery and convenience stores in Highlands County.
Population estimates show Highlands County grew 9.7% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for grocery and convenience stores in Highlands County is 63 (upper middle), #666 of 2,402 scored counties and #30 of 65 scored counties in Florida.
How Highlands County compares
The same measures for Florida 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 | Highlands County | Florida | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 16.0 | 17.4 | 18.7 |
| Spending per listing | $3.4M | $3.5M | $3.4M |
| Households per official establishment | 1,803 | 1,240 | 1,293 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +23.8% | +9.7% | +7.2% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +9.7% | +8.7% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on groceries | $5,439 | $6,077 | $6,319 |
| Median household income | $54,897 | $74,568 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 63 | 58 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 21 → 26+23.8% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 924
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $23M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 15Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 7533 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 75The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $100K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as grocery and convenience stores in Highlands 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 Highlands County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 111,122+9.7% since 2020
- Households
- 46,879
- Median age
- 52.0
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 79%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.6
- Land area
- 1,018 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 104
- Median household income
- $54,897+34.1% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $71,953
- Median home value
- $187,900
- Jobs located here
- 28,038
- Daytime population
- 94,243Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Highlands 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 Highlands 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 Florida
Every Florida market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Florida for grocery and convenience stores, numbered among those based in Florida, with Highlands County marked.
Top counties in Florida
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1St. Johns County, FL | 90 | 188 | 16.2 | $4.3M | +25.0% | #50 of 2,402 |
| 2Santa Rosa County, FL | 89 | 108 | 14.9 | $4.3M | +11.7% | #58 of 2,402 |
| 3Sumter County, FL | 88 | 84 | 11.9 | $5.1M | +21.1% | #64 of 2,402 |
| 4Flagler County, FL | 88 | 74 | 14.1 | $4.3M | +21.0% | #66 of 2,402 |
| 5Clay County, FL | 87 | 110 | 13.1 | $4.8M | +9.4% | #77 of 2,402 |
| 6Charlotte County, FL | 81 | 127 | 14.0 | $4.2M | +15.5% | #165 of 2,402 |
| 7Pasco County, FL | 79 | 313 | 13.3 | $4.5M | +19.1% | #200 of 2,402 |
| 8Sarasota County, FL | 79 | 302 | 14.2 | $4.4M | +10.0% | #201 of 2,402 |
| 9Lake County, FL | 79 | 267 | 16.2 | $3.7M | +18.1% | #209 of 2,402 |
| 10Walton County, FL | 78 | 72 | 21.0 | $3M | +22.9% | #232 of 2,402 |
| 30Highlands County, FL | 63 | 75 | 16.0 | $3.4M | +9.7% | #666 of 2,402 |
Other business types in Highlands County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
- Grocery and convenience stores63
- Grocery stores66
- Convenience stores60
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 Highlands County, FL?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 75 grocery and convenience stores in Highlands County. 33 of them (44%) are chain locations. The listings count grocery, convenience and specialty food stores. Official counts show 26 businesses with payroll classed as grocery and convenience stores in 2023, up 23.8% from 2019. Official counts list 15 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Highlands County, FL spend on groceries?
About $255M a year, or $5,439 per household. That is 14% below the U.S. average (an index of 86, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 75 grocery and convenience stores on map listings, it comes to $3.4M per store. It is estimated from the incomes of the 46,879 households in Highlands County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Highlands County, FL compare with the U.S. for grocery and convenience stores?
Highlands County has 16.0 grocery and convenience stores per 10,000 households, 14% below the U.S. rate of 18.7. Spending per store is $3.4M, in line with the U.S. figure of $3.4M. The count on map listings matches the U.S. ratio of grocery and convenience stores to household spending. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,803 households, against one for every 1,293 across the U.S. The official count rose 23.8% from 2019 to 2023, against +7.2% for the U.S.
How fast is Highlands County, FL growing?
Population estimates put Highlands County at 111,122 people in 2025, up 9.7% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 46,879 households. The median household income in Highlands County is $54,897 a year, 32% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 34.1% from the 2015–2019 survey, 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. Highlands County scores 63 for grocery and convenience stores (upper middle), #666 of 2,402 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Highlands 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 Highlands County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Highlands 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 Highlands 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.