Groundwork

Groceries and convenience · County · New York

Grocery and convenience stores in Cortland County, NY

The grocery and convenience stores in Cortland County, NY, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 46 out of 100: Lower middle

Ranked #1,353 of 2,402 scored counties
#41 of 61 scored counties 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 Cortland 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 Cortland County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

Survey 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 Cortland County. 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.

Households in Cortland County spend about $121.7M a year on groceries, or $6,405 per household, in line with the U.S. average. Spread across 40 grocery and convenience stores, that is $3M per store, 10% below the U.S. figure of $3.4M.

The official count of businesses with payroll classed as grocery and convenience stores in Cortland County was 19 in 2023. That is one for every 1,000 households, against one for every 1,293 across the U.S. Official counts list 5 one-person businesses without payroll.

Population estimates put the population change in Cortland County from 2020 to 2025 at −1.9%, against +3.1% for the U.S. Cortland County scores 46 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for grocery and convenience stores, ranking #1,353 of 2,402 scored counties and #41 of 61 scored counties in New York.

How Cortland County 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.

Grocery and convenience stores in Cortland County, NY compared with New York and the U.S.
MeasureCortland CountyNew YorkU.S.
Listings per 10k households21.120.418.7
Spending per listing$3M$3.4M$3.4M
Households per official establishment1,0006121,293
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023n/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 score4639

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
15 → 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 Cortland 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 Cortland County

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 Cortland 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 Cortland County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

Grocery and convenience stores across New York

Every New York market ranked →

The highest-scoring counties in New York for grocery and convenience stores, numbered among those based in New York, with Cortland County marked.

Top counties in New York

Counties in New York ranked for grocery and convenience stores by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Ontario County, NY817615.7$4.3M+0.6%#163 of 2,402
2Saratoga County, NY8118418.1$4.1M+2.3%#168 of 2,402
3Wayne County, NY707218.7$3.5M+0.1%#443 of 2,402
4Putnam County, NY685214.6$5.3M+1.4%#486 of 2,402
5Rockland County, NY6818117.4$4.3M+5.9%#490 of 2,402
6Orange County, NY6525918.7$3.8M+4.2%#586 of 2,402
7Tioga County, NY653718.2$3.6M−1.9%#588 of 2,402
8Dutchess County, NY6418215.7$4.7M+1.5%#618 of 2,402
9Genesee County, NY644618.5$3.5M+0.2%#633 of 2,402
10Westchester County, NY6361716.5$4.7M+1.4%#649 of 2,402
41Cortland County, NY464021.1$3M−1.9%#1,353 of 2,402

Other business types in Cortland County

Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.

Questions

How many grocery and convenience stores are in Cortland County, NY?

Cortland County 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. Official counts also show 5 one-person businesses without payroll.

How much do households in Cortland County, NY 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 Cortland County and national spending patterns by income.

How does Cortland County, NY compare with the U.S. for grocery and convenience stores?

Cortland County 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, Cortland County 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 Cortland County, NY growing?

Population estimates put Cortland County 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 Cortland County 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. 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. Cortland County scores 46 for grocery and convenience stores (lower middle), #1,353 of 2,402 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Cortland 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 Cortland County

Screening a site or an acquisition in Cortland 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 Cortland 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.