Groceries and convenience · County · New Jersey
Grocery and convenience stores in Mercer County, NJ
How Mercer County, NJ compares with other counties and the U.S. for grocery and convenience stores: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 65 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #583 of 2,402 scored counties
#10 of 21 scored counties in New Jersey
- Listings
- 267
- 115 chain locations (43%)
- Official establishments
- 166
- −6.2% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $1.1B
- On groceries · $7,324 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
- 399,289
- +3.3% since 2020
See the grocery and convenience stores around any address in Mercer 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 Mercer 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 267 grocery and convenience stores in Mercer County. 115 of them (43%) are chain locations, against 42% across the U.S. That comes to 18.5 for every 10,000 households, in line with the U.S. rate of 18.7.
At $7,324 per household (16% above the U.S. average), households in Mercer County spend about $1.1B a year on groceries. That is about $4M of household spending for each store on map listings, 17% above the U.S. figure of $3.4M.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as grocery and convenience stores in Mercer County was 166 in 2023, down 6.2% from 2019. That is one for every 868 households, against one for every 1,293 across the U.S. Official counts list 105 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 4 SBA-backed loans worth $1.8M have gone to businesses classed as grocery and convenience stores in Mercer County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Mercer County grew 3.3%, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). For grocery and convenience stores, Mercer County has a Groundwork market score of 65 (upper middle): #583 of 2,402 scored counties and #10 of 21 scored counties in New Jersey. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How Mercer County compares
The same measures for New Jersey 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 | Mercer County | New Jersey | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 18.5 | 19.2 | 18.7 |
| Spending per listing | $4M | $3.9M | $3.4M |
| Households per official establishment | 868 | 906 | 1,293 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −6.2% | +0.2% | +7.2% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +3.3% | +3.0% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on groceries | $7,324 | $7,393 | $6,319 |
| Median household income | $100,645 | $103,556 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 65 | 60 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 177 → 166−6.2% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 4,371
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $134.6M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 105Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 267115 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 312The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 4
- Amount
- $1.8M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as grocery and convenience stores in Mercer 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 Mercer County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 399,289+3.3% since 2020
- Households
- 144,114
- Median age
- 40.4
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 62%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.6
- Land area
- 225 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 1,719
- Median household income
- $100,645+24.2% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $142,372
- Median home value
- $377,700
- Jobs located here
- 262,034
- Daytime population
- 469,892Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Mercer 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 Mercer 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 New Jersey
Every New Jersey market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in New Jersey for grocery and convenience stores, numbered among those based in New Jersey, with Mercer County marked.
Top counties in New Jersey
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Sussex County, NJ | 76 | 92 | 15.9 | $4.8M | +2.9% | #260 of 2,402 |
| 2Somerset County, NJ | 75 | 201 | 15.4 | $5.3M | +3.5% | #284 of 2,402 |
| 3Morris County, NJ | 73 | 329 | 17.0 | $4.8M | +3.2% | #344 of 2,402 |
| 4Burlington County, NJ | 73 | 300 | 16.9 | $4.4M | +4.3% | #347 of 2,402 |
| 5Ocean County, NJ | 73 | 426 | 17.5 | $4M | +5.6% | #353 of 2,402 |
| 6Hunterdon County, NJ | 71 | 103 | 20.3 | $4M | +2.3% | #410 of 2,402 |
| 7Warren County, NJ | 71 | 85 | 18.7 | $3.8M | +3.2% | #413 of 2,402 |
| 8Gloucester County, NJ | 69 | 205 | 18.2 | $4.1M | +3.3% | #461 of 2,402 |
| 9Bergen County, NJ | 66 | 664 | 18.7 | $4.2M | +2.4% | #552 of 2,402 |
| 10Mercer County, NJ | 65 | 267 | 18.5 | $4M | +3.3% | #583 of 2,402 |
Other business types in Mercer County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
- Grocery and convenience stores65
- Grocery stores53
- Convenience stores74
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 Mercer County, NJ?
Mercer County has 267 grocery and convenience stores on map listings as of September 2026. 115 of them (43%) are chain locations. The listings count grocery, convenience and specialty food stores. Official counts show 166 businesses with payroll classed as grocery and convenience stores in 2023, down 6.2% from 2019. Official counts also show 105 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Mercer County, NJ spend on groceries?
About $1.1B a year, or $7,324 per household. That is 16% above the U.S. average (an index of 116, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 267 grocery and convenience stores on map listings, it comes to $4M per store. It is estimated from the incomes of the 144,114 households in Mercer County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Mercer County, NJ compare with the U.S. for grocery and convenience stores?
Mercer 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, Mercer County would have about 312, against 267 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 868 households, against one for every 1,293 across the U.S. The official count fell 6.2% from 2019 to 2023, against +7.2% for the U.S.
How fast is Mercer County, NJ growing?
Population estimates put Mercer County at 399,289 people in 2025, up 3.3% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 144,114 households. Median household income in Mercer County is $100,645, 25% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 24.2%, 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. Mercer County scores 65 for grocery and convenience stores (upper middle), #583 of 2,402 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Mercer 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 Mercer County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Mercer 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 Mercer 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.