Groceries and convenience · County · Maryland
Grocery and convenience stores in Montgomery County, MD
The grocery and convenience stores in Montgomery County, MD, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 72 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #375 of 2,402 scored counties
#8 of 24 scored counties in Maryland
- Listings
- 449
- 224 chain locations (50%)
- Official establishments
- 309
- +10.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $2.8B
- On groceries · $7,284 a household
- Spending per listing
- $6.3M
- 86% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 11.5
- 39% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 1,074,582
- +1.3% since 2020
See the grocery and convenience stores around any address in Montgomery 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 Montgomery 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
Map listings as of September 2026 show 449 grocery and convenience stores in Montgomery County. Of those, 224 are chain locations, or 50%, against 42% across the U.S. That comes to 11.5 for every 10,000 households, 39% below the U.S. rate of 18.7.
Household spending on groceries in Montgomery County comes to about $2.8B a year: $7,284 per household, 15% above the U.S. average. That is about $6.3M of household spending for each store on map listings, 86% above the U.S. figure of $3.4M.
Official counts show 309 businesses with payroll classed as grocery and convenience stores in Montgomery County in 2023, up 10.0% from 2019. That is one for every 1,260 households, against one for every 1,293 across the U.S. Official counts also show 222 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 6 SBA-backed loans worth $2.1M have gone to businesses classed as grocery and convenience stores in Montgomery County.
Population estimates put the population change in Montgomery County from 2020 to 2025 at +1.3%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). Montgomery County scores 72 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for grocery and convenience stores, ranking #375 of 2,402 scored counties and #8 of 24 scored counties in Maryland. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How Montgomery 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 | Montgomery County | Maryland | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 11.5 | 16.2 | 18.7 |
| Spending per listing | $6.3M | $4.2M | $3.4M |
| Households per official establishment | 1,260 | 1,129 | 1,293 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +10.0% | +6.6% | +7.2% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +1.3% | +1.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on groceries | $7,284 | $6,737 | $6,319 |
| Median household income | $132,450 | $103,678 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 72 | 61 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 281 → 309+10.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 11,620
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $409.6M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 222Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 449224 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 837The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 6
- Amount
- $2.1M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as grocery and convenience stores in Montgomery 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 Montgomery County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 1,074,582+1.3% since 2020
- Households
- 389,210
- Median age
- 41.4
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 65%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.7
- Land area
- 493 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 2,162
- Median household income
- $132,450+21.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $181,353
- Median home value
- $640,300
- Jobs located here
- 491,378
- Daytime population
- 1,073,010Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Montgomery 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 Montgomery 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 Montgomery 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 Montgomery County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
- Grocery and convenience stores72
- Grocery stores65
- Convenience stores79
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 Montgomery County, MD?
There are 449 grocery and convenience stores on map listings in Montgomery County as of September 2026. 224 of them (50%) are chain locations. The listings count grocery, convenience and specialty food stores. Official counts show 309 businesses with payroll classed as grocery and convenience stores in 2023, up 10.0% from 2019. Another 222 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Montgomery County, MD spend on groceries?
About $2.8B a year, or $7,284 per household. That is 15% above the U.S. average (an index of 115, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 449 grocery and convenience stores on map listings, it comes to $6.3M per store. It is estimated from the incomes of the 389,210 households in Montgomery County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Montgomery County, MD compare with the U.S. for grocery and convenience stores?
Montgomery County has 11.5 grocery and convenience stores per 10,000 households, 39% below the U.S. rate of 18.7. Spending per store is $6.3M, 86% above the U.S. figure of $3.4M. At the national ratio of grocery and convenience stores to household spending, Montgomery County would have about 837, against 449 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,260 households, against one for every 1,293 across the U.S. The official count rose 10.0% from 2019 to 2023, against +7.2% for the U.S.
How fast is Montgomery County, MD growing?
Population estimates put Montgomery County at 1,074,582 people in 2025, up 1.3% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 389,210 households. Median household income in Montgomery County is $132,450, 64% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 21.7%, 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. Montgomery County scores 72 for grocery and convenience stores (upper middle), #375 of 2,402 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Montgomery 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 Montgomery County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Montgomery 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 Montgomery 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.