Groceries and convenience · County · Maine
Grocery and convenience stores in Hancock County, ME
How Hancock County, ME 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 32 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,913 of 2,402 scored counties
#13 of 16 scored counties in Maine
- Listings
- 130
- 28 chain locations (22%)
- Official establishments
- 38
- +8.6% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $166.9M
- On groceries · $6,527 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.3M
- 62% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 50.8
- 2.7 times the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 57,171
- +3.0% since 2020
See the grocery and convenience stores around any address in Hancock 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 Hancock 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 Hancock County is 32 (lower middle), #1,913 of 2,402 scored counties and #13 of 16 scored counties in Maine. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
Map listings as of September 2026 show 130 grocery and convenience stores in Hancock County. 28 of them (22%) are chain locations, against 42% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 50.8, 2.7 times the U.S. rate of 18.7.
Households in Hancock County spend about $166.9M a year on groceries, or $6,527 per household, 3% above the U.S. average. That works out to $1.3M per store, 62% below the U.S. figure of $3.4M.
In 2023, official counts showed 38 businesses with payroll in Hancock County classed as grocery and convenience stores, up 8.6% from 2019. That is one for every 673 households, against one for every 1,293 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $360K has gone to businesses classed as grocery and convenience stores in Hancock County. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Hancock County grew 3.0%, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Hancock County compares
The same measures for Maine 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 | Hancock County | Maine | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 50.8 | 31.6 | 18.7 |
| Spending per listing | $1.3M | $2.1M | $3.4M |
| Households per official establishment | 673 | 1,053 | 1,293 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +8.6% | +0.2% | +7.2% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +3.0% | +3.7% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on groceries | $6,527 | $6,619 | $6,319 |
| Median household income | $72,744 | $74,733 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 32 | 33 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 35 → 38+8.6% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 994
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $27M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 7Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 13028 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 49The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $360K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as grocery and convenience stores in Hancock 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 Hancock County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 57,171+3.0% since 2020
- Households
- 25,572
- Median age
- 47.9
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 79%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 1,587 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 36
- Median household income
- $72,744+27.2% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $97,123
- Median home value
- $310,400
- Jobs located here
- 21,140
- Daytime population
- 54,670Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Hancock 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 Hancock 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 Maine
Every Maine market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Maine for grocery and convenience stores, numbered among those based in Maine, with Hancock County marked.
Top counties in Maine
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Sagadahoc County, ME | 70 | 38 | 23.1 | $3M | +3.4% | #453 of 2,402 |
| 2York County, ME | 61 | 237 | 25.9 | $2.7M | +4.8% | #774 of 2,402 |
| 3Cumberland County, ME | 59 | 345 | 26.1 | $2.7M | +4.5% | #841 of 2,402 |
| 4Androscoggin County, ME | 53 | 118 | 25.1 | $2.5M | +4.8% | #1,089 of 2,402 |
| 5Kennebec County, ME | 51 | 154 | 28.4 | $2.3M | +3.5% | #1,183 of 2,402 |
| 6Oxford County, ME | 50 | 76 | 31.5 | $2M | +4.2% | #1,225 of 2,402 |
| 7Penobscot County, ME | 46 | 198 | 30.4 | $2.1M | +3.8% | #1,373 of 2,402 |
| 8Piscataquis County, ME | 41 | 35 | 41.7 | $1.5M | +3.5% | #1,579 of 2,402 |
| 9Waldo County, ME | 37 | 70 | 40.1 | $1.6M | +2.6% | #1,730 of 2,402 |
| 10Somerset County, ME | 36 | 73 | 31.5 | $1.9M | +2.3% | #1,758 of 2,402 |
| 13Hancock County, ME | 32 | 130 | 50.8 | $1.3M | +3.0% | #1,913 of 2,402 |
Other business types in Hancock County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
- Grocery and convenience stores32
- Grocery stores34
- Convenience stores50
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 Hancock County, ME?
There are 130 grocery and convenience stores on map listings in Hancock County as of September 2026. 28 of them (22%) are chain locations. The listings count grocery, convenience and specialty food stores. Official counts show 38 businesses with payroll classed as grocery and convenience stores in 2023, up 8.6% from 2019. Another 7 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Hancock County, ME spend on groceries?
About $166.9M a year, or $6,527 per household. That is 3% above the U.S. average (an index of 103, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 130 grocery and convenience stores on map listings, it comes to $1.3M per store. It is estimated from the incomes of the 25,572 households in Hancock County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Hancock County, ME compare with the U.S. for grocery and convenience stores?
Hancock County has 50.8 grocery and convenience stores per 10,000 households, 2.7 times the U.S. rate of 18.7. Spending per store is $1.3M, 62% below the U.S. figure of $3.4M. At the national ratio of grocery and convenience stores to household spending, Hancock County would have about 49, against 130 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 673 households, against one for every 1,293 across the U.S. The official count rose 8.6% from 2019 to 2023, against +7.2% for the U.S.
How fast is Hancock County, ME growing?
Population estimates put Hancock County at 57,171 people in 2025, up 3.0% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 25,572 households. Median household income in Hancock County is $72,744, 10% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 27.2%, 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. Hancock County scores 32 for grocery and convenience stores (lower middle), #1,913 of 2,402 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Hancock 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 Hancock County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Hancock 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 Hancock 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.