Groceries and convenience · County · Kentucky
Grocery and convenience stores in Barren County, KY
The grocery and convenience stores in Barren County, KY, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 40 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,604 of 2,402 scored counties
#54 of 99 scored counties in Kentucky
- Listings
- 45
- 15 chain locations (33%)
- Official establishments
- 11
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $97M
- On groceries · $5,384 a household
- Spending per listing
- $2.2M
- 36% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 25.0
- 34% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 45,641
- +2.6% since 2020
See the grocery and convenience stores around any address in Barren 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 Barren 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 45 grocery and convenience stores in Barren County. Chain locations make up 33% of them, against 42% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 25.0, 34% above the U.S. rate of 18.7.
Households in Barren County spend about $97M a year on groceries, or $5,384 per household, 15% below the U.S. average. That works out to $2.2M per store, 36% below the U.S. figure of $3.4M.
In 2023, official counts showed 11 businesses with payroll in Barren County classed as grocery and convenience stores. That is one for every 1,638 households, against one for every 1,293 across the U.S. Official counts also show 11 one-person businesses without payroll.
Population estimates show Barren County grew 2.6% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). For grocery and convenience stores, Barren County has a Groundwork market score of 40 (lower middle): #1,604 of 2,402 scored counties and #54 of 99 scored counties in Kentucky.
How Barren County compares
The same measures for Kentucky 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 | Barren County | Kentucky | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 25.0 | 19.4 | 18.7 |
| Spending per listing | $2.2M | $3M | $3.4M |
| Households per official establishment | 1,638 | 1,728 | 1,293 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +11.4% | +7.2% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.6% | +2.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on groceries | $5,384 | $5,746 | $6,319 |
| Median household income | $50,628 | $63,726 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 40 | 37 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 11 → 11
- Employees, 2023
- 255
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $5.3M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 11Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 4515 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 29The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 0
- Amount
- $0
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as grocery and convenience stores in Barren 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 Barren County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 45,641+2.6% since 2020
- Households
- 18,017
- Median age
- 40.1
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 65%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 487 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 92
- Median household income
- $50,628+22.1% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $73,460
- Median home value
- $178,000
- Jobs located here
- 15,309
- Daytime population
- 41,898Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Barren 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 Barren 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 Kentucky
Every Kentucky market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Kentucky for grocery and convenience stores, numbered among those based in Kentucky, with Barren County marked.
Top counties in Kentucky
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Oldham County, KY | 94 | 25 | 10.9 | $6.5M | +4.9% | #15 of 2,402 |
| 2Scott County, KY | 87 | 36 | 15.9 | $4M | +8.2% | #83 of 2,402 |
| 3Bullitt County, KY | 86 | 44 | 13.9 | $4.4M | +5.0% | #91 of 2,402 |
| 4Spencer County, KY | 85 | 13 | 17.8 | $3.7M | +7.7% | #104 of 2,402 |
| 5Meade County, KY | 84 | 10 | 9.1 | $6.7M | +2.2% | #106 of 2,402 |
| 6Madison County, KY | 84 | 42 | 11.3 | $5.1M | +9.4% | #111 of 2,402 |
| 7Boone County, KY | 84 | 88 | 17.3 | $3.8M | +6.5% | #117 of 2,402 |
| 8Anderson County, KY | 83 | 14 | 14.5 | $4.1M | +5.5% | #134 of 2,402 |
| 9Jessamine County, KY | 83 | 32 | 16.1 | $3.8M | +7.8% | #137 of 2,402 |
| 10Kenton County, KY | 79 | 85 | 12.6 | $4.9M | +3.9% | #196 of 2,402 |
| 54Barren County, KY | 40 | 45 | 25.0 | $2.2M | +2.6% | #1,604 of 2,402 |
Other business types in Barren County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
- Grocery and convenience stores40
- Grocery stores27
- Convenience stores43
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 Barren County, KY?
Barren County has 45 grocery and convenience stores on map listings as of September 2026. 15 of them (33%) are chain locations. The listings count grocery, convenience and specialty food stores. Official counts show 11 businesses with payroll classed as grocery and convenience stores in 2023. Another 11 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Barren County, KY spend on groceries?
About $97M a year, or $5,384 per household. That is 15% below the U.S. average (an index of 85, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 45 grocery and convenience stores on map listings, it comes to $2.2M per store. It is estimated from the incomes of the 18,017 households in Barren County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Barren County, KY compare with the U.S. for grocery and convenience stores?
Barren County has 25.0 grocery and convenience stores per 10,000 households, 34% above the U.S. rate of 18.7. Spending per store is $2.2M, 36% below the U.S. figure of $3.4M. At the national ratio of grocery and convenience stores to household spending, Barren County would have about 29, against 45 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,638 households, against one for every 1,293 across the U.S.
How fast is Barren County, KY growing?
Population estimates put Barren County at 45,641 people in 2025, up 2.6% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 18,017 households. Median household income in Barren County is $50,628, 37% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 22.1%, 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. Barren County scores 40 for grocery and convenience stores (lower middle), #1,604 of 2,402 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Barren 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 Barren County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Barren 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 Barren 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.