Groceries and convenience · County · Maryland
Grocery and convenience stores in Dorchester County, MD
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for grocery and convenience stores in Dorchester County, MD, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 30 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,962 of 2,402 scored counties
#23 of 24 scored counties in Maryland
- Listings
- 46
- 12 chain locations (26%)
- Official establishments
- 14
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $77.5M
- On groceries · $5,723 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.7M
- 50% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 34.0
- 82% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 33,628
- +3.4% since 2020
See the grocery and convenience stores around any address in Dorchester 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 Dorchester 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
Dorchester County scores 30 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for grocery and convenience stores, ranking #1,962 of 2,402 scored counties and #23 of 24 scored counties in Maryland. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
As of September 2026, map listings count 46 grocery and convenience stores in Dorchester County. Chain locations make up 26% of them, against 42% across the U.S. That is 34.0 per 10,000 households, 82% above the U.S. rate of 18.7.
At $5,723 per household (9% below the U.S. average), households in Dorchester County spend about $77.5M a year on groceries. That works out to $1.7M per store, 50% below the U.S. figure of $3.4M.
In 2023, official counts showed 14 businesses with payroll in Dorchester County classed as grocery and convenience stores. That is one for every 968 households, against one for every 1,293 across the U.S. Population estimates show Dorchester County grew 3.4% from 2020 to 2025, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Dorchester County 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 | Dorchester County | Maryland | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 34.0 | 16.2 | 18.7 |
| Spending per listing | $1.7M | $4.2M | $3.4M |
| Households per official establishment | 968 | 1,129 | 1,293 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +6.6% | +7.2% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +3.4% | +1.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on groceries | $5,723 | $6,737 | $6,319 |
| Median household income | $61,839 | $103,678 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 30 | 61 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 9 → 14
- Employees, 2023
- 146
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $3.7M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 7Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 4612 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 23The 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 Dorchester 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 Dorchester County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 33,628+3.4% since 2020
- Households
- 13,546
- Median age
- 43.3
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 66%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.7
- Land area
- 541 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 61
- Median household income
- $61,839+16.9% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $84,771
- Median home value
- $262,400
- Jobs located here
- 12,352
- Daytime population
- 29,247Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Dorchester 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 Dorchester 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 Maryland
Every Maryland market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Maryland for grocery and convenience stores, numbered among those based in Maryland, with Dorchester County marked.
Top counties in Maryland
| 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 |
| 23Dorchester County, MD | 30 | 46 | 34.0 | $1.7M | +3.4% | #1,962 of 2,402 |
Other business types in Dorchester County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
- Grocery and convenience stores30
- Grocery stores36
- Convenience stores37
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 Dorchester County, MD?
Dorchester County has 46 grocery and convenience stores on map listings as of September 2026. 12 of them (26%) are chain locations. The listings count grocery, convenience and specialty food stores. Official counts show 14 businesses with payroll classed as grocery and convenience stores in 2023. Official counts also show 7 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Dorchester County, MD spend on groceries?
About $77.5M a year, or $5,723 per household. That is 9% below the U.S. average (an index of 91, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 46 grocery and convenience stores on map listings, it comes to $1.7M per store. It is estimated from the incomes of the 13,546 households in Dorchester County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Dorchester County, MD compare with the U.S. for grocery and convenience stores?
Dorchester County has 34.0 grocery and convenience stores per 10,000 households, 82% above the U.S. rate of 18.7. Spending per store is $1.7M, 50% below the U.S. figure of $3.4M. At the national ratio of grocery and convenience stores to household spending, Dorchester County would have about 23, against 46 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 968 households, against one for every 1,293 across the U.S.
How fast is Dorchester County, MD growing?
Population estimates put Dorchester County at 33,628 people in 2025, up 3.4% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 13,546 households. Median household income in Dorchester County is $61,839, 23% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 16.9%, 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. Dorchester County scores 30 for grocery and convenience stores (lower middle), #1,962 of 2,402 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Dorchester 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 Dorchester County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Dorchester 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 Dorchester 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.