Groceries and convenience · County · New York
Grocery and convenience stores in Erie County, NY
How Erie County, NY 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 56 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #922 of 2,402 scored counties
#26 of 61 scored counties in New York
- Listings
- 705
- 298 chain locations (42%)
- Official establishments
- 437
- +4.3% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $2.7B
- On groceries · $6,575 a household
- Spending per listing
- $3.8M
- 13% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 17.2
- 8% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 946,741
- −0.6% since 2020
See the grocery and convenience stores around any address in Erie 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 Erie 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
Map listings as of September 2026 show 705 grocery and convenience stores in Erie County. Of those, 298 are chain locations, or 42%, against 42% across the U.S. That is 17.2 per 10,000 households, 8% below the U.S. rate of 18.7.
Households in Erie County spend about $2.7B a year on groceries, or $6,575 per household, 4% above the U.S. average. Spread across 705 grocery and convenience stores, that is $3.8M per store, 13% above the U.S. figure of $3.4M.
Official counts show 437 businesses with payroll classed as grocery and convenience stores in Erie County in 2023, up 4.3% from 2019. That is one for every 937 households, against one for every 1,293 across the U.S. Official counts also show 171 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 4 SBA-backed loans worth $220K have gone to businesses classed as grocery and convenience stores in Erie County.
Population estimates put the population change in Erie County from 2020 to 2025 at −0.6%, against +3.1% for the U.S. For grocery and convenience stores, Erie County has a Groundwork market score of 56 (upper middle): #922 of 2,402 scored counties and #26 of 61 scored counties in New York.
How Erie 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.
| Measure | Erie County | New York | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 17.2 | 20.4 | 18.7 |
| Spending per listing | $3.8M | $3.4M | $3.4M |
| Households per official establishment | 937 | 612 | 1,293 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +4.3% | +1.8% | +7.2% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −0.6% | −0.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on groceries | $6,575 | $6,985 | $6,319 |
| Median household income | $72,839 | $85,974 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 56 | 39 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 419 → 437+4.3% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 11,807
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $307.4M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 171Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 705298 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 795The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 4
- Amount
- $220K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as grocery and convenience stores in Erie 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 Erie County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 946,741−0.6% since 2020
- Households
- 409,665
- Median age
- 41.8
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 66%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.5
- Land area
- 1,043 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 912
- Median household income
- $72,839+25.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $97,750
- Median home value
- $233,800
- Jobs located here
- 478,475
- Daytime population
- 994,716Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Erie 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 Erie 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 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 Erie County marked.
Top counties in New York
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Ontario County, NY | 81 | 76 | 15.7 | $4.3M | +0.6% | #163 of 2,402 |
| 2Saratoga County, NY | 81 | 184 | 18.1 | $4.1M | +2.3% | #168 of 2,402 |
| 3Wayne County, NY | 70 | 72 | 18.7 | $3.5M | +0.1% | #443 of 2,402 |
| 4Putnam County, NY | 68 | 52 | 14.6 | $5.3M | +1.4% | #486 of 2,402 |
| 5Rockland County, NY | 68 | 181 | 17.4 | $4.3M | +5.9% | #490 of 2,402 |
| 6Orange County, NY | 65 | 259 | 18.7 | $3.8M | +4.2% | #586 of 2,402 |
| 7Tioga County, NY | 65 | 37 | 18.2 | $3.6M | −1.9% | #588 of 2,402 |
| 8Dutchess County, NY | 64 | 182 | 15.7 | $4.7M | +1.5% | #618 of 2,402 |
| 9Genesee County, NY | 64 | 46 | 18.5 | $3.5M | +0.2% | #633 of 2,402 |
| 10Westchester County, NY | 63 | 617 | 16.5 | $4.7M | +1.4% | #649 of 2,402 |
| 26Erie County, NY | 56 | 705 | 17.2 | $3.8M | −0.6% | #922 of 2,402 |
Other business types in Erie County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
- Grocery and convenience stores56
- Grocery stores51
- Convenience stores61
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 Erie County, NY?
There are 705 grocery and convenience stores on map listings in Erie County as of September 2026. 298 of them (42%) are chain locations. The listings count grocery, convenience and specialty food stores. Official counts show 437 businesses with payroll classed as grocery and convenience stores in 2023, up 4.3% from 2019. Another 171 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Erie County, NY spend on groceries?
About $2.7B a year, or $6,575 per household. That is 4% above the U.S. average (an index of 104, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 705 grocery and convenience stores on map listings, it comes to $3.8M per store. It is estimated from the incomes of the 409,665 households in Erie County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Erie County, NY compare with the U.S. for grocery and convenience stores?
Erie County has 17.2 grocery and convenience stores per 10,000 households, 8% below the U.S. rate of 18.7. Spending per store is $3.8M, 13% above the U.S. figure of $3.4M. At the national ratio of grocery and convenience stores to household spending, Erie County would have about 795, against 705 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 937 households, against one for every 1,293 across the U.S. The official count rose 4.3% from 2019 to 2023, against +7.2% for the U.S.
How fast is Erie County, NY growing?
Population estimates put Erie County at 946,741 people in 2025, down 0.6% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 409,665 households. Median household income in Erie County is $72,839, 10% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 25.3%, 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. Erie County scores 56 for grocery and convenience stores (upper middle), #922 of 2,402 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Erie 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 Erie County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Erie 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 Erie 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.