Groceries and convenience · County · Massachusetts
Grocery and convenience stores in Barnstable County, MA
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for grocery and convenience stores in Barnstable County, MA, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 53 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #1,067 of 2,402 scored counties
#9 of 14 scored counties in Massachusetts
- Listings
- 258
- 97 chain locations (38%)
- Official establishments
- 143
- +3.6% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $764.3M
- On groceries · $7,226 a household
- Spending per listing
- $3M
- 13% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 24.4
- 30% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 233,539
- +2.4% since 2020
See the grocery and convenience stores around any address in Barnstable 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 Barnstable 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
As of September 2026, map listings count 258 grocery and convenience stores in Barnstable County. Of those, 97 are chain locations, or 38%, against 42% across the U.S. That comes to 24.4 for every 10,000 households, 30% above the U.S. rate of 18.7.
Household spending on groceries in Barnstable County comes to about $764.3M a year: $7,226 per household, 14% above the U.S. average. That works out to $3M per store, 13% below the U.S. figure of $3.4M.
In 2023, official counts showed 143 businesses with payroll in Barnstable County classed as grocery and convenience stores, up 3.6% from 2019. That is one for every 740 households, against one for every 1,293 across the U.S. Official counts list 24 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 11 SBA-backed loans worth $9.5M have gone to businesses classed as grocery and convenience stores in Barnstable County.
Population estimates show Barnstable County grew 2.4% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). Barnstable County scores 53 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for grocery and convenience stores, ranking #1,067 of 2,402 scored counties and #9 of 14 scored counties in Massachusetts.
How Barnstable County compares
The same measures for Massachusetts 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 | Barnstable County | Massachusetts | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 24.4 | 18.6 | 18.7 |
| Spending per listing | $3M | $4M | $3.4M |
| Households per official establishment | 740 | 899 | 1,293 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +3.6% | +2.5% | +7.2% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.4% | +2.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on groceries | $7,226 | $7,382 | $6,319 |
| Median household income | $95,241 | $103,960 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 53 | 60 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 138 → 143+3.6% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 4,272
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $150.9M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 24Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 25897 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 226The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 11
- Amount
- $9.5M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as grocery and convenience stores in Barnstable 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 Barnstable County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 233,539+2.4% since 2020
- Households
- 105,777
- Median age
- 53.8
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 81%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 394 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 588
- Median household income
- $95,241+28.1% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $134,349
- Median home value
- $629,000
- Jobs located here
- 87,424
- Daytime population
- 221,377Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Barnstable 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 Barnstable 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 Massachusetts
Every Massachusetts market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Massachusetts for grocery and convenience stores, numbered among those based in Massachusetts, with Barnstable County marked.
Top counties in Massachusetts
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Hampshire County, MA | 71 | 118 | 19.0 | $3.7M | +10.4% | #415 of 2,402 |
| 2Norfolk County, MA | 70 | 439 | 15.5 | $5.1M | +2.2% | #428 of 2,402 |
| 3Middlesex County, MA | 70 | 1,025 | 16.2 | $4.9M | +2.8% | #429 of 2,402 |
| 4Plymouth County, MA | 70 | 358 | 17.6 | $4.3M | +3.5% | #432 of 2,402 |
| 5Worcester County, MA | 70 | 574 | 17.1 | $4.2M | +3.7% | #435 of 2,402 |
| 6Essex County, MA | 63 | 578 | 18.5 | $4M | +2.3% | #653 of 2,402 |
| 7Bristol County, MA | 62 | 455 | 19.5 | $3.5M | +2.9% | #707 of 2,402 |
| 8Suffolk County, MA | 54 | 653 | 20.0 | $3.6M | +0.1% | #1,012 of 2,402 |
| 9Barnstable County, MA | 53 | 258 | 24.4 | $3M | +2.4% | #1,067 of 2,402 |
| 10Hampden County, MA | 51 | 367 | 19.9 | $3.3M | +0.2% | #1,156 of 2,402 |
Other business types in Barnstable County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
- Grocery and convenience stores53
- Grocery stores53
- Convenience stores60
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 Barnstable County, MA?
Barnstable County has 258 grocery and convenience stores on map listings as of September 2026. 97 of them (38%) are chain locations. The listings count grocery, convenience and specialty food stores. Official counts show 143 businesses with payroll classed as grocery and convenience stores in 2023, up 3.6% from 2019. Official counts also show 24 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Barnstable County, MA spend on groceries?
About $764.3M a year, or $7,226 per household. That is 14% above the U.S. average (an index of 114, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 258 grocery and convenience stores on map listings, it comes to $3M per store. It is estimated from the incomes of the 105,777 households in Barnstable County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Barnstable County, MA compare with the U.S. for grocery and convenience stores?
Barnstable County has 24.4 grocery and convenience stores per 10,000 households, 30% above the U.S. rate of 18.7. Spending per store is $3M, 13% below the U.S. figure of $3.4M. At the national ratio of grocery and convenience stores to household spending, Barnstable County would have about 226, against 258 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 740 households, against one for every 1,293 across the U.S. The official count rose 3.6% from 2019 to 2023, against +7.2% for the U.S.
How fast is Barnstable County, MA growing?
Population estimates put Barnstable County at 233,539 people in 2025, up 2.4% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 105,777 households. Median household income in Barnstable County is $95,241, 18% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 28.1%, 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. Barnstable County scores 53 for grocery and convenience stores (upper middle), #1,067 of 2,402 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Barnstable 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 Barnstable County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Barnstable 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 Barnstable 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.