Groceries and convenience · County · New Jersey
Grocery and convenience stores in Ocean County, NJ
The grocery and convenience stores in Ocean County, NJ, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 73 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #353 of 2,402 scored counties
#5 of 21 scored counties in New Jersey
- Listings
- 426
- 231 chain locations (54%)
- Official establishments
- 197
- +1.6% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $1.7B
- On groceries · $7,047 a household
- Spending per listing
- $4M
- 19% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 17.5
- 6% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 673,746
- +5.6% since 2020
See the grocery and convenience stores around any address in Ocean 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 Ocean 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 426 grocery and convenience stores in Ocean County. 231 of them (54%) are chain locations, against 42% across the U.S. That is 17.5 per 10,000 households, 6% below the U.S. rate of 18.7.
Household spending on groceries in Ocean County comes to about $1.7B a year: $7,047 per household, 12% above the U.S. average. Spread across 426 grocery and convenience stores, that is $4M per store, 19% above the U.S. figure of $3.4M.
In 2023, official counts showed 197 businesses with payroll in Ocean County classed as grocery and convenience stores, up 1.6% from 2019. That is one for every 1,238 households, against one for every 1,293 across the U.S. Official counts also show 143 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 8 SBA-backed loans worth $10.4M have gone to businesses classed as grocery and convenience stores in Ocean County.
Population estimates put the population change in Ocean County from 2020 to 2025 at +5.6%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for grocery and convenience stores in Ocean County is 73 (upper middle), #353 of 2,402 scored counties and #5 of 21 scored counties in New Jersey. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How Ocean 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 | Ocean County | New Jersey | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 17.5 | 19.2 | 18.7 |
| Spending per listing | $4M | $3.9M | $3.4M |
| Households per official establishment | 1,238 | 906 | 1,293 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +1.6% | +0.2% | +7.2% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +5.6% | +3.0% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on groceries | $7,047 | $7,393 | $6,319 |
| Median household income | $89,863 | $103,556 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 73 | 60 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 194 → 197+1.6% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 5,773
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $192.4M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 143Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 426231 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 507The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 8
- Amount
- $10.4M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as grocery and convenience stores in Ocean 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 Ocean County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 673,746+5.6% since 2020
- Households
- 243,843
- Median age
- 41.7
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 81%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 628 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 1,042
- Median household income
- $89,863+26.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $118,774
- Median home value
- $398,400
- Jobs located here
- 183,196
- Daytime population
- 568,313Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Ocean 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 Ocean 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 Ocean 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 Ocean County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
- Grocery and convenience stores73
- Grocery stores74
- Convenience stores73
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 Ocean County, NJ?
Ocean County has 426 grocery and convenience stores on map listings as of September 2026. 231 of them (54%) are chain locations. The listings count grocery, convenience and specialty food stores. Official counts show 197 businesses with payroll classed as grocery and convenience stores in 2023, up 1.6% from 2019. Another 143 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Ocean County, NJ spend on groceries?
About $1.7B a year, or $7,047 per household. That is 12% above the U.S. average (an index of 112, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 426 grocery and convenience stores on map listings, it comes to $4M per store. It is estimated from the incomes of the 243,843 households in Ocean County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Ocean County, NJ compare with the U.S. for grocery and convenience stores?
Ocean County has 17.5 grocery and convenience stores per 10,000 households, 6% below the U.S. rate of 18.7. Spending per store is $4M, 19% above the U.S. figure of $3.4M. At the national ratio of grocery and convenience stores to household spending, Ocean County would have about 507, against 426 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,238 households, against one for every 1,293 across the U.S. The official count rose 1.6% from 2019 to 2023, against +7.2% for the U.S.
How fast is Ocean County, NJ growing?
Population estimates put Ocean County at 673,746 people in 2025, up 5.6% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 243,843 households. Median household income in Ocean County is $89,863, 11% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 26.7%, 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. Ocean County scores 73 for grocery and convenience stores (upper middle), #353 of 2,402 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Ocean 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 Ocean County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Ocean 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 Ocean 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.