Groceries and convenience · Metro area · Maryland
Grocery and convenience stores in the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD metro area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for grocery and convenience stores in the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD metro area, set against other metro areas and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 57 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #146 of 387 scored metro areas
#3 of 4 scored metro areas based in Maryland
- Listings
- 1,769
- 864 chain locations (49%)
- Official establishments
- 1,050
- −0.4% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $7.4B
- On groceries · $6,643 a household
- Spending per listing
- $4.2M
- 24% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 15.8
- 16% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 2,857,781
- +0.4% since 2020
See the grocery and convenience stores around any address in the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson metro area
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 the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson metro area. 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
Household spending on groceries in the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson metro area comes to about $7.4B a year: $6,643 per household, 5% above the U.S. average. That works out to $4.2M per store, 24% above the U.S. figure of $3.4M.
There are 1,769 grocery and convenience stores on map listings in the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson metro area as of September 2026. Of those, 864 are chain locations, or 49%, against 42% across the U.S. That is 15.8 per 10,000 households, 16% below the U.S. rate of 18.7.
In 2023, official counts showed 1,050 businesses with payroll in the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson metro area classed as grocery and convenience stores, down 0.4% from 2019. That is one for every 1,067 households, against one for every 1,293 across the U.S. Official counts also show 698 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 23 SBA-backed loans worth $4.7M have gone to businesses classed as grocery and convenience stores in the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson metro area.
Population estimates show the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson metro area grew 0.4% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). For grocery and convenience stores, the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson metro area has a Groundwork market score of 57 (upper middle): #146 of 387 scored metro areas and #3 of 4 scored metro areas based in Maryland.
How the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson metro area compares
The same measures for Maryland 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 | Baltimore-Columbia-Towson metro area | Maryland | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 15.8 | 16.2 | 18.7 |
| Spending per listing | $4.2M | $4.2M | $3.4M |
| Households per official establishment | 1,067 | 1,129 | 1,293 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −0.4% | +6.6% | +7.2% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +0.4% | +1.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on groceries | $6,643 | $6,737 | $6,319 |
| Median household income | $99,470 | $103,678 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 57 | 61 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 1,050−0.4% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 28,032
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $849.1M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 698Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 1,769864 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 2,196The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 23
- Amount
- $4.7M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as grocery and convenience stores in the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson metro area, 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 the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 2,857,781+0.4% since 2020
- Households
- 1,120,269
- Median age
- 40.3
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 67%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.7
- Land area
- 2,602 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 1,095
- Median household income
- $99,470+21.9% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $131,059
- Median home value
- $391,300
- Jobs located here
- 1,345,791
- Daytime population
- 2,886,566Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson metro area?
These figures cover the whole metro area. 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 the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson metro area. 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 Maryland
Every Maryland market ranked →The highest-scoring metro areas in Maryland for grocery and convenience stores, numbered among those based in Maryland (a market based in another state is listed without a number), with the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson metro area marked.
Top metro areas in Maryland
| 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 |
Other business types in the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson metro area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
- Grocery and convenience stores57
- Grocery stores51
- Convenience stores56
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 the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD metro area?
As of September 2026, map listings count 1,769 grocery and convenience stores in the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson metro area. 864 of them (49%) are chain locations. The listings count grocery, convenience and specialty food stores. Official counts show 1,050 businesses with payroll classed as grocery and convenience stores in 2023, down 0.4% from 2019. Another 698 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD metro area spend on groceries?
About $7.4B a year, or $6,643 per household. That is 5% above the U.S. average (an index of 105, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 1,769 grocery and convenience stores on map listings, it comes to $4.2M per store. It is estimated from the incomes of the 1,120,269 households in the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD metro area compare with the U.S. for grocery and convenience stores?
The Baltimore-Columbia-Towson metro area has 15.8 grocery and convenience stores per 10,000 households, 16% below the U.S. rate of 18.7. Spending per store is $4.2M, 24% above the U.S. figure of $3.4M. At the U.S. ratio of grocery and convenience stores to household spending, the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson metro area would have about 2,196, against 1,769 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,067 households, against one for every 1,293 across the U.S. The official count fell 0.4% from 2019 to 2023, against +7.2% for the U.S.
How fast is the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson, MD metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson metro area at 2,857,781 people in 2025, up 0.4% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 1,120,269 households. The median household income in the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson metro area is $99,470 a year, 23% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 21.9% 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. The Baltimore-Columbia-Towson metro area scores 57 for grocery and convenience stores (upper middle), #146 of 387 scored metro areas.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson metro area. 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 the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson metro area?
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 the Baltimore-Columbia-Towson metro area. 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.