Groceries and convenience · County · Massachusetts
Grocery and convenience stores in Essex County, MA
The grocery and convenience stores in Essex County, MA, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 63 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #653 of 2,402 scored counties
#6 of 14 scored counties in Massachusetts
- Listings
- 578
- 176 chain locations (30%)
- Official establishments
- 389
- +4.9% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $2.3B
- On groceries · $7,328 a household
- Spending per listing
- $4M
- 17% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 18.5
- In line with the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 826,653
- +2.3% since 2020
See the grocery and convenience stores around any address in Essex 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 Essex 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 578 grocery and convenience stores in Essex County. 176 of them (30%) are chain locations, against 42% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 18.5, in line with the U.S. rate of 18.7.
Household spending on groceries in Essex County comes to about $2.3B a year: $7,328 per household, 16% above the U.S. average. Spread across 578 grocery and convenience stores, that is $4M per store, 17% above the U.S. figure of $3.4M.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as grocery and convenience stores in Essex County was 389 in 2023, up 4.9% from 2019. That is one for every 805 households, against one for every 1,293 across the U.S. Official counts list 145 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 28 SBA-backed loans worth $5.1M have gone to businesses classed as grocery and convenience stores in Essex County.
Population estimates put the population change in Essex County from 2020 to 2025 at +2.3%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). For grocery and convenience stores, Essex County has a Groundwork market score of 63 (upper middle): #653 of 2,402 scored counties and #6 of 14 scored counties in Massachusetts.
How Essex 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 | Essex County | Massachusetts | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 18.5 | 18.6 | 18.7 |
| Spending per listing | $4M | $4M | $3.4M |
| Households per official establishment | 805 | 899 | 1,293 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +4.9% | +2.5% | +7.2% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.3% | +2.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on groceries | $7,328 | $7,382 | $6,319 |
| Median household income | $101,883 | $103,960 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 63 | 60 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 371 → 389+4.9% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 10,360
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $283.2M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 145Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 578176 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 677The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 28
- Amount
- $5.1M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as grocery and convenience stores in Essex 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 Essex County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 826,653+2.3% since 2020
- Households
- 313,147
- Median age
- 42.2
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 64%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.7
- Land area
- 493 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 1,651
- Median household income
- $101,883+28.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $140,108
- Median home value
- $619,100
- Jobs located here
- 329,644
- Daytime population
- 736,954Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Essex 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 Essex 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 Essex 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 Essex County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
- Grocery and convenience stores63
- Grocery stores62
- Convenience stores64
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 Essex County, MA?
Essex County has 578 grocery and convenience stores on map listings as of September 2026. 176 of them (30%) are chain locations. The listings count grocery, convenience and specialty food stores. Official counts show 389 businesses with payroll classed as grocery and convenience stores in 2023, up 4.9% from 2019. Official counts also show 145 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Essex County, MA spend on groceries?
About $2.3B a year, or $7,328 per household. That is 16% above the U.S. average (an index of 116, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 578 grocery and convenience stores on map listings, it comes to $4M per store. It is estimated from the incomes of the 313,147 households in Essex County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Essex County, MA compare with the U.S. for grocery and convenience stores?
Essex County has 18.5 grocery and convenience stores per 10,000 households, in line with the U.S. rate of 18.7. Spending per store is $4M, 17% above the U.S. figure of $3.4M. At the national ratio of grocery and convenience stores to household spending, Essex County would have about 677, against 578 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 805 households, against one for every 1,293 across the U.S. The official count rose 4.9% from 2019 to 2023, against +7.2% for the U.S.
How fast is Essex County, MA growing?
Population estimates put Essex County at 826,653 people in 2025, up 2.3% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 313,147 households. Median household income in Essex County is $101,883, 26% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 28.5%, 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. Essex County scores 63 for grocery and convenience stores (upper middle), #653 of 2,402 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Essex 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 Essex County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Essex 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 Essex 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.