Groceries and convenience · Metro area · North Carolina
Grocery and convenience stores in the Burlington, NC metro area
The grocery and convenience stores in the Burlington, NC metro area, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other metro areas.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 45 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #235 of 387 scored metro areas
#8 of 15 scored metro areas based in North Carolina
- Listings
- 138
- 49 chain locations (36%)
- Official establishments
- 45
- +12.5% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $404.7M
- On groceries · $5,776 a household
- Spending per listing
- $2.9M
- 13% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 19.7
- 5% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 186,177
- +8.5% since 2020
See the grocery and convenience stores around any address in the Burlington metro 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 Burlington metro 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
Map listings as of September 2026 show 138 grocery and convenience stores in the Burlington metro area. 49 of them (36%) are chain locations, against 42% across the U.S. That comes to 19.7 for every 10,000 households, 5% above the U.S. rate of 18.7.
Households in the Burlington metro area spend about $404.7M a year on groceries, or $5,776 per household, 9% below the U.S. average. That is about $2.9M of household spending for each store on map listings, 13% below the U.S. figure of $3.4M.
Official counts show 45 businesses with payroll classed as grocery and convenience stores in the Burlington metro area in 2023, up 12.5% from 2019. That is one for every 1,557 households, against one for every 1,293 across the U.S. Official counts also show 28 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $615K has gone to businesses classed as grocery and convenience stores in the Burlington metro area.
Population estimates show the Burlington metro area grew 8.5% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Burlington metro area scores 45 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for grocery and convenience stores, ranking #235 of 387 scored metro areas and #8 of 15 scored metro areas based in North Carolina.
How the Burlington metro area compares
The same measures for North Carolina 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 | Burlington metro area | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 19.7 | 20.2 | 18.7 |
| Spending per listing | $2.9M | $3M | $3.4M |
| Households per official establishment | 1,557 | 1,469 | 1,293 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +12.5% | +8.2% | +7.2% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +8.5% | +7.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on groceries | $5,776 | $6,016 | $6,319 |
| Median household income | $65,651 | $72,388 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 45 | 49 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 45+12.5% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,625
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $37.6M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 28Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 13849 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 119The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $615K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as grocery and convenience stores in the Burlington metro 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 Burlington metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 186,177+8.5% since 2020
- Households
- 70,062
- Median age
- 39.7
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 65%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 424 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 418
- Median household income
- $65,651+32.1% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $85,032
- Median home value
- $241,500
- Jobs located here
- 69,257
- Daytime population
- 166,616Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Burlington metro area?
These figures cover the whole metro area. 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 Burlington metro 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 North Carolina
Every North Carolina market ranked →The highest-scoring metro areas in North Carolina for grocery and convenience stores, numbered among those based in North Carolina (a market based in another state is listed without a number), with the Burlington metro area marked.
Top metro areas in North Carolina
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Raleigh-Cary, NC | 80 | 907 | 15.8 | $4.2M | +12.6% | #20 of 387 |
| 2Durham-Chapel Hill, NC | 71 | 420 | 16.9 | $3.8M | +7.5% | #55 of 387 |
| 3Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC | 67 | 1,903 | 17.7 | $3.6M | +10.1% | #78 of 387 |
| 4Pinehurst-Southern Pines, NC | 64 | 82 | 18.6 | $3.3M | +10.3% | #104 of 387 |
| 5Wilmington, NC | 55 | 438 | 22.0 | $2.8M | +15.9% | #172 of 387 |
| 6Jacksonville, NC | 52 | 143 | 19.0 | $3M | +6.0% | #189 of 387 |
| 7Winston-Salem, NC | 48 | 492 | 17.5 | $3.3M | +5.3% | #211 of 387 |
| 8Burlington, NC | 45 | 138 | 19.7 | $2.9M | +8.5% | #235 of 387 |
| Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC | 43 | 1,317 | 18.6 | $3.4M | +0.9% | #244 of 387 |
| 9Asheville, NC | 40 | 347 | 21.5 | $2.8M | +3.6% | #264 of 387 |
Other business types in the Burlington metro area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
- Grocery and convenience stores45
- Grocery stores39
- Convenience stores51
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 Burlington, NC metro area?
There are 138 grocery and convenience stores on map listings in the Burlington metro area as of September 2026. 49 of them (36%) are chain locations. The listings count grocery, convenience and specialty food stores. Official counts show 45 businesses with payroll classed as grocery and convenience stores in 2023, up 12.5% from 2019. Another 28 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in the Burlington, NC metro area spend on groceries?
About $404.7M a year, or $5,776 per household. That is 9% below the U.S. average (an index of 91, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 138 grocery and convenience stores on map listings, it comes to $2.9M per store. It is estimated from the incomes of the 70,062 households in the Burlington metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Burlington, NC metro area compare with the U.S. for grocery and convenience stores?
The Burlington metro area has 19.7 grocery and convenience stores per 10,000 households, 5% above the U.S. rate of 18.7. Spending per store is $2.9M, 13% below the U.S. figure of $3.4M. At the national ratio of grocery and convenience stores to household spending, the Burlington metro area would have about 119, against 138 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,557 households, against one for every 1,293 across the U.S. The official count rose 12.5% from 2019 to 2023, against +7.2% for the U.S.
How fast is the Burlington, NC metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Burlington metro area at 186,177 people in 2025, up 8.5% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 70,062 households. Median household income in the Burlington metro area is $65,651, 19% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 32.1%, 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. The Burlington metro area scores 45 for grocery and convenience stores (lower middle), #235 of 387 scored metro areas.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Burlington metro 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 Burlington metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Burlington metro 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 Burlington metro 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.