Market rankings · Maryland
Grocery and convenience stores in Maryland
Markets across Maryland ranked by the Groundwork market score for grocery and convenience stores, with competitor counts and household spending for each.
- Listings
- 3,817
- 1,807 chain locations (47%)
- Official establishments
- 2,093
- +6.6% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $15.9B
- On groceries
- Listings per 10k households
- 16.2
- 13% below the U.S.
- Spending per listing
- $4.2M
- 23% above the U.S.
- Rank among states
- #11 of 51
- Market score 61 · Upper middle
A site report maps the grocery and convenience stores on map listings around any address in Maryland by name and distance, and the spending within reach.
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 3,817 grocery and convenience stores in Maryland. 1,807 of them (47%) are chain locations, against 42% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 16.2, 13% below the U.S. rate of 18.7.
Households in Maryland spend about $15.9B a year on groceries, or $6,737 per household, 7% above the U.S. average. Spread across 3,817 grocery and convenience stores, that is $4.2M per store, 23% above the U.S. figure of $3.4M.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as grocery and convenience stores in Maryland was 2,093 in 2023, up 6.6% from 2019. That is one for every 1,129 households, against one for every 1,293 across the U.S. Across the U.S., the count rose 7.2% over the same years. Since fiscal 2022, 56 SBA-backed loans worth $20.3M have gone to businesses classed as grocery and convenience stores in Maryland.
Among the 50 states and DC, Maryland ranks #11 for grocery and convenience stores, with a Groundwork market score of 61 (upper middle). Of the 6 scored metro areas in or partly in Maryland, the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area scores highest (72). Of the 4 scored small-town markets in or partly in Maryland, the Ocean Pines area scores highest (44).
Every market in Maryland for grocery and convenience stores
Download the ranking (CSV)Numbered by Groundwork market score among the markets based in Maryland, highest first; the U.S. rank compares each market with every other of its kind. A metro area that crosses a state line is listed in each state it reaches, and numbered only in the state its page is under. How the score works.
Metro areas
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | 72 | 3,408 | 14.4 | $5M | +3.3% | #45 of 387 |
| 1Lexington Park, MD | 71 | 134 | 17.7 | $4.1M | +2.1% | #53 of 387 |
| 2Hagerstown-Martinsburg, MD-WV | 60 | 208 | 17.6 | $3.5M | +7.1% | #129 of 387 |
| 3Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD | 57 | 1,769 | 15.8 | $4.2M | +0.4% | #146 of 387 |
| Philadelphia-Camden-Wilmington, PA-NJ-DE-MD | 55 | 4,559 | 18.5 | $3.8M | +1.4% | #167 of 387 |
| 4Salisbury, MD | 32 | 120 | 24.6 | $2.4M | +2.9% | #314 of 387 |
Small-town markets
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Ocean Pines, MD | 44 | 76 | 31.5 | $2M | +3.7% | #346 of 538 |
| 2Cumberland, MD-WV | 43 | 74 | 19.2 | $2.9M | −1.3% | #352 of 538 |
| 3Easton, MD | 42 | 53 | 32.3 | $2M | +2.0% | #365 of 538 |
| 4Cambridge, MD | 34 | 46 | 34.0 | $1.7M | +3.4% | #427 of 538 |
Counties
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Frederick County, MD | 86 | 168 | 16.1 | $4.4M | +11.0% | #92 of 2,402 |
| 2Queen Anne’s County, MD | 83 | 42 | 21.1 | $3.3M | +8.8% | #141 of 2,402 |
| 3Howard County, MD | 77 | 159 | 13.1 | $5.8M | +1.9% | #235 of 2,402 |
| 4St. Mary’s County, MD | 77 | 78 | 18.4 | $3.8M | +2.4% | #249 of 2,402 |
| 5Carroll County, MD | 74 | 96 | 14.9 | $4.7M | +2.2% | #313 of 2,402 |
| 6Charles County, MD | 74 | 111 | 18.2 | $3.9M | +5.9% | #321 of 2,402 |
| 7Harford County, MD | 73 | 166 | 16.3 | $4.2M | +2.0% | #350 of 2,402 |
| 8Montgomery County, MD | 72 | 449 | 11.5 | $6.3M | +1.3% | #375 of 2,402 |
| 9Calvert County, MD | 72 | 56 | 16.7 | $4.4M | +1.7% | #382 of 2,402 |
| 10Anne Arundel County, MD | 71 | 313 | 13.9 | $5.1M | +1.7% | #403 of 2,402 |
| 11Cecil County, MD | 67 | 87 | 21.4 | $3M | +3.2% | #540 of 2,402 |
| 12Baltimore County, MD | 62 | 497 | 14.9 | $4.3M | −0.7% | #694 of 2,402 |
| 13Prince George’s County, MD | 61 | 529 | 15.2 | $4.4M | +0.5% | #745 of 2,402 |
| 14Washington County, MD | 57 | 114 | 19.1 | $3.2M | +2.0% | #900 of 2,402 |
| 15Wicomico County, MD | 53 | 94 | 23.2 | $2.6M | +3.2% | #1,086 of 2,402 |
| 16Allegany County, MD | 49 | 45 | 16.4 | $3.4M | −1.6% | #1,233 of 2,402 |
| 17Kent County, MD | 49 | 23 | 27.1 | $2.3M | +2.3% | #1,260 of 2,402 |
| 18Worcester County, MD | 40 | 76 | 31.5 | $2M | +3.7% | #1,610 of 2,402 |
| 19Talbot County, MD | 38 | 53 | 32.3 | $2M | +2.0% | #1,681 of 2,402 |
| 20Garrett County, MD | 38 | 54 | 42.9 | $1.4M | −1.5% | #1,695 of 2,402 |
| 21Baltimore city, MD | 33 | 496 | 19.4 | $3M | −2.3% | #1,846 of 2,402 |
| 22Caroline County, MD | 33 | 39 | 31.2 | $1.9M | +2.5% | #1,869 of 2,402 |
| 23Dorchester County, MD | 30 | 46 | 34.0 | $1.7M | +3.4% | #1,962 of 2,402 |
| 24Somerset County, MD | 29 | 26 | 31.1 | $1.8M | +1.7% | #1,986 of 2,402 |
Questions
How many grocery and convenience stores are in Maryland?
Maryland has 3,817 grocery and convenience stores on map listings as of September 2026. 1,807 of them (47%) are chain locations. The listings count grocery, convenience and specialty food stores. Official counts show 2,093 businesses with payroll classed as grocery and convenience stores in 2023, up 6.6% from 2019. Official counts also show 1,453 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Maryland spend on groceries?
About $15.9B a year, or $6,737 per household. That is 7% above the U.S. average (an index of 107, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 3,817 grocery and convenience stores on map listings, it comes to $4.2M per store. It is estimated from the incomes of the 2,362,928 households in Maryland and national spending patterns by income.
How does Maryland compare with the U.S. for grocery and convenience stores?
Maryland has 16.2 grocery and convenience stores per 10,000 households, 13% below the U.S. rate of 18.7. Spending per store is $4.2M, 23% above the U.S. figure of $3.4M. At the national ratio of grocery and convenience stores to household spending, Maryland would have about 4,699, against 3,817 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,129 households, against one for every 1,293 across the U.S. The official count rose 6.6% from 2019 to 2023, against +7.2% for the U.S.
Which market in Maryland has the highest market score for grocery and convenience stores?
Among 6 scored metro areas in or partly in Maryland, the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area scores highest, at 72 (upper middle). Among 4 scored small-town markets in or partly in Maryland, the Ocean Pines area scores highest, at 44 (lower middle). Among 24 scored counties in Maryland, Frederick County scores highest, at 86 (high). Scores compare each market with others of its kind across the U.S.
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. Maryland scores 61 for grocery and convenience stores (upper middle), #11 of the 50 states and DC.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Maryland. 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.
Grocery and convenience stores in other states
All 51 states
- Alabama
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- Arkansas
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- Delaware
- District of Columbia
- Florida
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- Maryland
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- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Washington
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
Top markets for grocery and convenience stores across the U.S. · All business types in Maryland
Related business types in Maryland
- Grocery stores1,497 listings
- Convenience stores1,578 listings
Screening a site or an acquisition in Maryland?
A site report maps the competitors on map listings near an address and sizes the households and spending around it.
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.