Groceries and convenience · Small-town market · New York
Grocery and convenience stores in the Cortland, NY area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for grocery and convenience stores in the Cortland, NY area, set against other small-town markets and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 53 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #254 of 538 scored small-town markets
#7 of 14 scored small-town markets based in New York
- Listings
- 40
- 13 chain locations (33%)
- Official establishments
- 19
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $121.7M
- On groceries · $6,405 a household
- Spending per listing
- $3M
- 10% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 21.1
- 13% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 45,850
- −1.9% since 2020
See the grocery and convenience stores around any address in the Cortland area
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 the Cortland area. 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 40 grocery and convenience stores in the Cortland area. Of those, 13 are chain locations, or 33%, against 42% across the U.S. That is 21.1 per 10,000 households, 13% above the U.S. rate of 18.7.
Household spending on groceries in the Cortland area comes to about $121.7M a year: $6,405 per household, in line with the U.S. average. That works out to $3M per store, 10% below the U.S. figure of $3.4M.
Official counts show 19 businesses with payroll classed as grocery and convenience stores in the Cortland area in 2023. That is one for every 1,000 households, against one for every 1,293 across the U.S. Official counts also show 5 one-person businesses without payroll.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of the Cortland area declined 1.9%, against +3.1% for the U.S. The Cortland area scores 53 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for grocery and convenience stores, ranking #254 of 538 scored small-town markets and #7 of 14 scored small-town markets based in New York.
How the Cortland area compares
The same measures for New York 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 | Cortland area | New York | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 21.1 | 20.4 | 18.7 |
| Spending per listing | $3M | $3.4M | $3.4M |
| Households per official establishment | 1,000 | 612 | 1,293 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +1.8% | +7.2% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −1.9% | −0.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on groceries | $6,405 | $6,985 | $6,319 |
| Median household income | $70,418 | $85,974 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 53 | 39 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 19
- Employees, 2023
- 515
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $12M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 5Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 4013 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 36The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 0
- Amount
- $0
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as grocery and convenience stores in the Cortland area, 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 the Cortland area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 45,850−1.9% since 2020
- Households
- 18,999
- Median age
- 39.1
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 66%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.7
- Land area
- 499 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 93
- Median household income
- $70,418+25.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $85,337
- Median home value
- $162,100
- Jobs located here
- 17,001
- Daytime population
- 43,892Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Cortland area?
These figures cover the whole small-town market. 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 the Cortland area. 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 York
Every New York market ranked →The highest-scoring small-town markets in New York for grocery and convenience stores, numbered among those based in New York, with the Cortland area marked.
Top small-town markets in New York
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Batavia, NY | 71 | 46 | 18.5 | $3.5M | +0.2% | #65 of 538 |
| 2Auburn, NY | 70 | 65 | 20.6 | $3.1M | −2.3% | #79 of 538 |
| 3Gloversville, NY | 63 | 46 | 20.1 | $3.1M | −1.6% | #145 of 538 |
| 4Plattsburgh, NY | 59 | 72 | 21.5 | $3M | −2.0% | #187 of 538 |
| 5Olean, NY | 54 | 62 | 19.4 | $3.1M | −2.1% | #244 of 538 |
| 6Seneca Falls, NY | 54 | 35 | 25.7 | $2.5M | −1.7% | #250 of 538 |
| 7Cortland, NY | 53 | 40 | 21.1 | $3M | −1.9% | #254 of 538 |
| 8Oneonta, NY | 52 | 70 | 30.2 | $2.1M | +3.8% | #274 of 538 |
| 9Corning, NY | 49 | 95 | 24.2 | $2.6M | −1.6% | #288 of 538 |
| 10Amsterdam, NY | 47 | 59 | 30.1 | $2.1M | +1.1% | #317 of 538 |
Other business types in the Cortland area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
- Grocery and convenience stores53
- Grocery stores46
- 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 the Cortland, NY area?
The Cortland area has 40 grocery and convenience stores on map listings as of September 2026. 13 of them (33%) are chain locations. The listings count grocery, convenience and specialty food stores. Official counts show 19 businesses with payroll classed as grocery and convenience stores in 2023. Another 5 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in the Cortland, NY area spend on groceries?
About $121.7M a year, or $6,405 per household. That is in line with the U.S. average (an index of 101, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 40 grocery and convenience stores on map listings, it comes to $3M per store. It is estimated from the incomes of the 18,999 households in the Cortland area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Cortland, NY area compare with the U.S. for grocery and convenience stores?
The Cortland area has 21.1 grocery and convenience stores per 10,000 households, 13% above the U.S. rate of 18.7. Spending per store is $3M, 10% below the U.S. figure of $3.4M. At the national ratio of grocery and convenience stores to household spending, the Cortland area would have about 36, against 40 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,000 households, against one for every 1,293 across the U.S.
How fast is the Cortland, NY area growing?
Population estimates put the Cortland area at 45,850 people in 2025, down 1.9% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 18,999 households. Median household income in the Cortland area is $70,418, 13% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 25.7%, 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. A small-town market is a town of 10,000 to 50,000 people and the county or counties tied to it by commuting. 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. The Cortland area scores 53 for grocery and convenience stores (upper middle), #254 of 538 scored small-town markets.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Cortland area. 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 the Cortland area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Cortland area?
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 the Cortland area. 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.