Groceries and convenience · County · Maryland
Grocery and convenience stores in Howard County, MD
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for grocery and convenience stores in Howard County, MD, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 77 out of 100: High
Ranked #235 of 2,402 scored counties
#3 of 24 scored counties in Maryland
- Listings
- 159
- 75 chain locations (47%)
- Official establishments
- 79
- +19.7% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $914.6M
- On groceries · $7,555 a household
- Spending per listing
- $5.8M
- 70% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 13.1
- 30% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 339,183
- +1.9% since 2020
See the grocery and convenience stores around any address in Howard 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 Howard 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
For grocery and convenience stores, Howard County has a Groundwork market score of 77 (high): #235 of 2,402 scored counties and #3 of 24 scored counties in Maryland. That puts it in the top 10% of counties for grocery and convenience stores.
At $7,555 per household (20% above the U.S. average), households in Howard County spend about $914.6M a year on groceries. That works out to $5.8M per store, 70% above the U.S. figure of $3.4M.
There are 159 grocery and convenience stores on map listings in Howard County as of September 2026. 75 of them (47%) are chain locations, against 42% across the U.S. That comes to 13.1 for every 10,000 households, 30% below the U.S. rate of 18.7.
In 2023, official counts showed 79 businesses with payroll in Howard County classed as grocery and convenience stores, up 19.7% from 2019. That is one for every 1,532 households, against one for every 1,293 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $10K has gone to businesses classed as grocery and convenience stores in Howard County. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Howard County grew 1.9%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Howard 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 | Howard County | Maryland | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 13.1 | 16.2 | 18.7 |
| Spending per listing | $5.8M | $4.2M | $3.4M |
| Households per official establishment | 1,532 | 1,129 | 1,293 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +19.7% | +6.6% | +7.2% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +1.9% | +1.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on groceries | $7,555 | $6,737 | $6,319 |
| Median household income | $149,763 | $103,678 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 77 | 61 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 66 → 79+19.7% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 3,432
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $112M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 74Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 15975 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 270The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $10K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as grocery and convenience stores in Howard 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 Howard County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 339,183+1.9% since 2020
- Households
- 121,065
- Median age
- 40.7
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 71%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 251 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 1,340
- Median household income
- $149,763+23.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $184,243
- Median home value
- $597,900
- Jobs located here
- 185,575
- Daytime population
- 363,145Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Howard 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 Howard 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 Howard 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 |
Other business types in Howard County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
- Grocery and convenience stores77
- Grocery stores76
- Convenience stores80
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 Howard County, MD?
As of September 2026, map listings count 159 grocery and convenience stores in Howard County. 75 of them (47%) are chain locations. The listings count grocery, convenience and specialty food stores. Official counts show 79 businesses with payroll classed as grocery and convenience stores in 2023, up 19.7% from 2019. Official counts list 74 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Howard County, MD spend on groceries?
About $914.6M a year, or $7,555 per household. That is 20% above the U.S. average (an index of 120, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 159 grocery and convenience stores on map listings, it comes to $5.8M per store. It is estimated from the incomes of the 121,065 households in Howard County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Howard County, MD compare with the U.S. for grocery and convenience stores?
Howard County has 13.1 grocery and convenience stores per 10,000 households, 30% below the U.S. rate of 18.7. Spending per store is $5.8M, 70% above the U.S. figure of $3.4M. At the U.S. ratio of grocery and convenience stores to household spending, Howard County would have about 270, against 159 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,532 households, against one for every 1,293 across the U.S. The official count rose 19.7% from 2019 to 2023, against +7.2% for the U.S.
How fast is Howard County, MD growing?
Population estimates put Howard County at 339,183 people in 2025, up 1.9% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 121,065 households. The median household income in Howard County is $149,763 a year, 86% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 23.6% 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. Howard County scores 77 for grocery and convenience stores (high), #235 of 2,402 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Howard 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 Howard County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Howard 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 Howard 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.