Groceries and convenience · County · New Jersey
Grocery and convenience stores in Union County, NJ
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for grocery and convenience stores in Union County, NJ, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 64 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #625 of 2,402 scored counties
#12 of 21 scored counties in New Jersey
- Listings
- 419
- 149 chain locations (36%)
- Official establishments
- 270
- +7.6% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $1.5B
- On groceries · $7,453 a household
- Spending per listing
- $3.6M
- 7% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 20.6
- 10% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 601,863
- +5.0% since 2020
See the grocery and convenience stores around any address in Union 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 Union 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
Households in Union County spend about $1.5B a year on groceries, or $7,453 per household, 18% above the U.S. average. That is about $3.6M of household spending for each store on map listings, 7% above the U.S. figure of $3.4M.
There are 419 grocery and convenience stores on map listings in Union County as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 36% of them, against 42% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 20.6, 10% above the U.S. rate of 18.7.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as grocery and convenience stores in Union County was 270 in 2023, up 7.6% from 2019. That is one for every 753 households, against one for every 1,293 across the U.S. Another 230 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 7 SBA-backed loans worth $290K have gone to businesses classed as grocery and convenience stores in Union County.
Population estimates show Union County grew 5.0% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). Union County scores 64 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for grocery and convenience stores, ranking #625 of 2,402 scored counties and #12 of 21 scored counties in New Jersey.
How Union 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 | Union County | New Jersey | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 20.6 | 19.2 | 18.7 |
| Spending per listing | $3.6M | $3.9M | $3.4M |
| Households per official establishment | 753 | 906 | 1,293 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +7.6% | +0.2% | +7.2% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +5.0% | +3.0% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on groceries | $7,453 | $7,393 | $6,319 |
| Median household income | $103,202 | $103,556 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 64 | 60 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 251 → 270+7.6% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 5,471
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $171.4M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 230Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 419149 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 447The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 7
- Amount
- $290K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as grocery and convenience stores in Union 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 Union County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 601,863+5.0% since 2020
- Households
- 203,277
- Median age
- 39.6
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 57%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.7
- Land area
- 103 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 5,637
- Median household income
- $103,202+28.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $149,596
- Median home value
- $529,200
- Jobs located here
- 247,379
- Daytime population
- 551,422Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Union 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 Union 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 Union 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 |
| 12Union County, NJ | 64 | 419 | 20.6 | $3.6M | +5.0% | #625 of 2,402 |
Other business types in Union County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
- Grocery and convenience stores64
- Grocery stores53
- Convenience stores72
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 Union County, NJ?
As of September 2026, map listings count 419 grocery and convenience stores in Union County. 149 of them (36%) are chain locations. The listings count grocery, convenience and specialty food stores. Official counts show 270 businesses with payroll classed as grocery and convenience stores in 2023, up 7.6% from 2019. Official counts list 230 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Union County, NJ spend on groceries?
About $1.5B a year, or $7,453 per household. That is 18% above the U.S. average (an index of 118, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 419 grocery and convenience stores on map listings, it comes to $3.6M per store. It is estimated from the incomes of the 203,277 households in Union County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Union County, NJ compare with the U.S. for grocery and convenience stores?
Union County has 20.6 grocery and convenience stores per 10,000 households, 10% above the U.S. rate of 18.7. Spending per store is $3.6M, 7% above the U.S. figure of $3.4M. At the U.S. ratio of grocery and convenience stores to household spending, Union County would have about 447, against 419 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 753 households, against one for every 1,293 across the U.S. The official count rose 7.6% from 2019 to 2023, against +7.2% for the U.S.
How fast is Union County, NJ growing?
Population estimates put Union County at 601,863 people in 2025, up 5.0% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 203,277 households. The median household income in Union County is $103,202 a year, 28% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 28.7% from the 2015–2019 survey, 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. Union County scores 64 for grocery and convenience stores (upper middle), #625 of 2,402 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Union 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 Union County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Union 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 Union 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.