Groceries and convenience · County · Massachusetts
Grocery and convenience stores in Suffolk County, MA
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for grocery and convenience stores in Suffolk County, MA, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 54 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #1,012 of 2,402 scored counties
#8 of 14 scored counties in Massachusetts
- Listings
- 653
- 181 chain locations (28%)
- Official establishments
- 529
- +3.3% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $2.3B
- On groceries · $7,159 a household
- Spending per listing
- $3.6M
- 6% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 20.0
- 7% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 791,891
- +0.1% since 2020
See the grocery and convenience stores around any address in Suffolk 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 Suffolk 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 653 grocery and convenience stores in Suffolk County. 181 of them (28%) are chain locations, against 42% across the U.S. That is 20.0 per 10,000 households, 7% above the U.S. rate of 18.7.
At $7,159 per household (13% above the U.S. average), households in Suffolk County spend about $2.3B a year on groceries. Spread across 653 grocery and convenience stores, that is $3.6M per store, 6% above the U.S. figure of $3.4M.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as grocery and convenience stores in Suffolk County was 529 in 2023, up 3.3% from 2019. That is one for every 618 households, against one for every 1,293 across the U.S. Another 155 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 23 SBA-backed loans worth $3.9M have gone to businesses classed as grocery and convenience stores in Suffolk County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Suffolk County grew 0.1%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). For grocery and convenience stores, Suffolk County has a Groundwork market score of 54 (upper middle): #1,012 of 2,402 scored counties and #8 of 14 scored counties in Massachusetts.
How Suffolk 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 | Suffolk County | Massachusetts | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 20.0 | 18.6 | 18.7 |
| Spending per listing | $3.6M | $4M | $3.4M |
| Households per official establishment | 618 | 899 | 1,293 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +3.3% | +2.5% | +7.2% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +0.1% | +2.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on groceries | $7,159 | $7,382 | $6,319 |
| Median household income | $95,631 | $103,960 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 54 | 60 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 512 → 529+3.3% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 9,486
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $282M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 155Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 653181 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 691The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 23
- Amount
- $3.9M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as grocery and convenience stores in Suffolk 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 Suffolk County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 791,891+0.1% since 2020
- Households
- 327,167
- Median age
- 36.0
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 36%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.0
- Land area
- 58 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 13,478
- Median household income
- $95,631+37.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $139,221
- Median home value
- $705,800
- Jobs located here
- 748,596
- Daytime population
- 1,129,553Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Suffolk 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 Suffolk 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 Suffolk 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 Suffolk County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
- Grocery and convenience stores54
- Grocery stores48
- Convenience stores57
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 Suffolk County, MA?
There are 653 grocery and convenience stores on map listings in Suffolk County as of September 2026. 181 of them (28%) are chain locations. The listings count grocery, convenience and specialty food stores. Official counts show 529 businesses with payroll classed as grocery and convenience stores in 2023, up 3.3% from 2019. Official counts list 155 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Suffolk County, MA spend on groceries?
About $2.3B a year, or $7,159 per household. That is 13% above the U.S. average (an index of 113, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 653 grocery and convenience stores on map listings, it comes to $3.6M per store. It is estimated from the incomes of the 327,167 households in Suffolk County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Suffolk County, MA compare with the U.S. for grocery and convenience stores?
Suffolk County has 20.0 grocery and convenience stores per 10,000 households, 7% above the U.S. rate of 18.7. Spending per store is $3.6M, 6% above the U.S. figure of $3.4M. At the national ratio of grocery and convenience stores to household spending, Suffolk County would have about 691, against 653 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 618 households, against one for every 1,293 across the U.S. The official count rose 3.3% from 2019 to 2023, against +7.2% for the U.S.
How fast is Suffolk County, MA growing?
Population estimates put Suffolk County at 791,891 people in 2025, up 0.1% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 327,167 households. Median household income in Suffolk County is $95,631, 18% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 37.3%, 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. Suffolk County scores 54 for grocery and convenience stores (upper middle), #1,012 of 2,402 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Suffolk 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 Suffolk County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Suffolk 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 Suffolk 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.