Groceries and convenience · County · Georgia
Grocery and convenience stores in Columbia County, GA
How Columbia County, GA compares with other counties and the U.S. for grocery and convenience stores: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 87 out of 100: High
Ranked #78 of 2,402 scored counties
#3 of 124 scored counties in Georgia
- Listings
- 77
- 51 chain locations (66%)
- Official establishments
- 27
- +8.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $363.2M
- On groceries · $6,586 a household
- Spending per listing
- $4.7M
- 39% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 14.0
- 25% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 169,189
- +7.9% since 2020
See the grocery and convenience stores around any address in Columbia 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 Columbia 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
The Groundwork market score for grocery and convenience stores in Columbia County is 87 (high), #78 of 2,402 scored counties and #3 of 124 scored counties in Georgia. That puts it in the top 10% of counties for grocery and convenience stores.
Map listings as of September 2026 show 77 grocery and convenience stores in Columbia County. 51 of them (66%) are chain locations, against 42% across the U.S. That is 14.0 per 10,000 households, 25% below the U.S. rate of 18.7.
Household spending on groceries in Columbia County comes to about $363.2M a year: $6,586 per household, 4% above the U.S. average. Spread across 77 grocery and convenience stores, that is $4.7M per store, 39% above the U.S. figure of $3.4M.
In 2023, official counts showed 27 businesses with payroll in Columbia County classed as grocery and convenience stores, up 8.0% from 2019. That is one for every 2,043 households, against one for every 1,293 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $5,000 has gone to businesses classed as grocery and convenience stores in Columbia County. Population estimates put the population change in Columbia County from 2020 to 2025 at +7.9%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Columbia County compares
The same measures for Georgia 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 | Columbia County | Georgia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 14.0 | 20.3 | 18.7 |
| Spending per listing | $4.7M | $3M | $3.4M |
| Households per official establishment | 2,043 | 1,111 | 1,293 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +8.0% | +14.0% | +7.2% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +7.9% | +5.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on groceries | $6,586 | $6,137 | $6,319 |
| Median household income | $95,592 | $77,353 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 87 | 44 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 25 → 27+8.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,605
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $46.1M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 35Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 7751 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 107The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $5,000
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as grocery and convenience stores in Columbia 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 Columbia County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 169,189+7.9% since 2020
- Households
- 55,149
- Median age
- 38.5
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 78%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 290 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 560
- Median household income
- $95,592+16.1% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $119,651
- Median home value
- $305,300
- Jobs located here
- 38,609
- Daytime population
- 137,846Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Columbia 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 Columbia 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 Georgia
Every Georgia market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Georgia for grocery and convenience stores, numbered among those based in Georgia, with Columbia County marked.
Top counties in Georgia
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Paulding County, GA | 94 | 61 | 10.2 | $6.5M | +12.7% | #16 of 2,402 |
| 2Effingham County, GA | 91 | 36 | 14.8 | $4.3M | +14.1% | #41 of 2,402 |
| 3Columbia County, GA | 87 | 77 | 14.0 | $4.7M | +7.9% | #78 of 2,402 |
| 4Forsyth County, GA | 85 | 111 | 12.5 | $6M | +11.8% | #97 of 2,402 |
| 5Cherokee County, GA | 84 | 130 | 12.8 | $5.3M | +11.6% | #108 of 2,402 |
| 6Oconee County, GA | 83 | 20 | 13.3 | $5.3M | +6.9% | #122 of 2,402 |
| 7Fayette County, GA | 83 | 60 | 13.5 | $5.1M | +4.7% | #123 of 2,402 |
| 8Henry County, GA | 80 | 114 | 13.1 | $4.8M | +9.5% | #178 of 2,402 |
| 9Coweta County, GA | 79 | 72 | 12.8 | $5.1M | +9.2% | #194 of 2,402 |
| 10Banks County, GA | 79 | 8 | 11.7 | $5M | +17.3% | #195 of 2,402 |
Other business types in Columbia County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
- Grocery and convenience stores87
- Grocery stores83
- Convenience stores88
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 Columbia County, GA?
There are 77 grocery and convenience stores on map listings in Columbia County as of September 2026. 51 of them (66%) are chain locations. The listings count grocery, convenience and specialty food stores. Official counts show 27 businesses with payroll classed as grocery and convenience stores in 2023, up 8.0% from 2019. Another 35 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Columbia County, GA spend on groceries?
About $363.2M a year, or $6,586 per household. That is 4% above the U.S. average (an index of 104, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 77 grocery and convenience stores on map listings, it comes to $4.7M per store. It is estimated from the incomes of the 55,149 households in Columbia County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Columbia County, GA compare with the U.S. for grocery and convenience stores?
Columbia County has 14.0 grocery and convenience stores per 10,000 households, 25% below the U.S. rate of 18.7. Spending per store is $4.7M, 39% above the U.S. figure of $3.4M. At the national ratio of grocery and convenience stores to household spending, Columbia County would have about 107, against 77 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,043 households, against one for every 1,293 across the U.S. The official count rose 8.0% from 2019 to 2023, against +7.2% for the U.S.
How fast is Columbia County, GA growing?
Population estimates put Columbia County at 169,189 people in 2025, up 7.9% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 55,149 households. Median household income in Columbia County is $95,592, 18% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 16.1%, 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. Columbia County scores 87 for grocery and convenience stores (high), #78 of 2,402 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Columbia 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 Columbia County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Columbia 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 Columbia 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.