Groceries and convenience · County · North Carolina
Grocery and convenience stores in Columbus County, NC
How Columbus County, NC 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 19 out of 100: Low
Ranked #2,231 of 2,402 scored counties
#90 of 96 scored counties in North Carolina
- Listings
- 58
- 22 chain locations (38%)
- Official establishments
- 20
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $106.1M
- On groceries · $5,294 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.8M
- 46% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 28.9
- 55% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 50,487
- 0.0% since 2020
See the grocery and convenience stores around any address in Columbus 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 Columbus 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
The Groundwork market score for grocery and convenience stores in Columbus County is 19 (low), #2,231 of 2,402 scored counties and #90 of 96 scored counties in North Carolina. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
Households in Columbus County spend about $106.1M a year on groceries, or $5,294 per household, 16% below the U.S. average. That works out to $1.8M per store, 46% below the U.S. figure of $3.4M.
Columbus County has 58 grocery and convenience stores on map listings as of September 2026. 22 of them (38%) are chain locations, against 42% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 28.9, 55% above the U.S. rate of 18.7.
Official counts show 20 businesses with payroll classed as grocery and convenience stores in Columbus County in 2023. That is one for every 1,002 households, against one for every 1,293 across the U.S. Population estimates put the population change in Columbus County from 2020 to 2025 at 0.0%, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How Columbus County 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 | Columbus County | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 28.9 | 20.2 | 18.7 |
| Spending per listing | $1.8M | $3M | $3.4M |
| Households per official establishment | 1,002 | 1,469 | 1,293 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +8.2% | +7.2% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | 0.0% | +7.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on groceries | $5,294 | $6,016 | $6,319 |
| Median household income | $49,442 | $72,388 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 19 | 49 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 16 → 20
- Employees, 2023
- 441
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $8.9M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 7Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 5822 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 31The 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 Columbus 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 Columbus County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 50,4870.0% since 2020
- Households
- 20,048
- Median age
- 43.2
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 71%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.1
- Land area
- 938 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 53
- Median household income
- $49,442+31.4% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $67,260
- Median home value
- $146,000
- Jobs located here
- 15,101
- Daytime population
- 42,846Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Columbus 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 Columbus 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 North Carolina
Every North Carolina market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in North Carolina for grocery and convenience stores, numbered among those based in North Carolina, with Columbus County marked.
Top counties in North Carolina
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Camden County, NC | 87 | 6 | 15.0 | $4.2M | +8.8% | #81 of 2,402 |
| 2Orange County, NC | 83 | 90 | 15.7 | $4.2M | +6.1% | #132 of 2,402 |
| 3Wake County, NC | 82 | 703 | 15.3 | $4.4M | +11.2% | #145 of 2,402 |
| 4Cabarrus County, NC | 82 | 135 | 16.0 | $4M | +9.9% | #149 of 2,402 |
| 5Union County, NC | 82 | 145 | 17.2 | $3.9M | +11.7% | #151 of 2,402 |
| 6Johnston County, NC | 81 | 147 | 17.2 | $3.6M | +17.9% | #172 of 2,402 |
| 7Lincoln County, NC | 80 | 67 | 18.2 | $3.4M | +13.2% | #191 of 2,402 |
| 8Durham County, NC | 79 | 226 | 15.9 | $4M | +7.7% | #205 of 2,402 |
| 9Davie County, NC | 78 | 30 | 17.4 | $3.5M | +6.9% | #230 of 2,402 |
| 10Hoke County, NC | 77 | 27 | 14.0 | $4.1M | +9.0% | #243 of 2,402 |
| 90Columbus County, NC | 19 | 58 | 28.9 | $1.8M | 0.0% | #2,231 of 2,402 |
Other business types in Columbus County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
- Grocery and convenience stores19
- Grocery stores14
- Convenience stores28
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 Columbus County, NC?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 58 grocery and convenience stores in Columbus County. 22 of them (38%) are chain locations. The listings count grocery, convenience and specialty food stores. Official counts show 20 businesses with payroll classed as grocery and convenience stores in 2023. Another 7 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Columbus County, NC spend on groceries?
About $106.1M a year, or $5,294 per household. That is 16% below the U.S. average (an index of 84, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 58 grocery and convenience stores on map listings, it comes to $1.8M per store. It is estimated from the incomes of the 20,048 households in Columbus County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Columbus County, NC compare with the U.S. for grocery and convenience stores?
Columbus County has 28.9 grocery and convenience stores per 10,000 households, 55% above the U.S. rate of 18.7. Spending per store is $1.8M, 46% below the U.S. figure of $3.4M. At the U.S. ratio of grocery and convenience stores to household spending, Columbus County would have about 31, against 58 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,002 households, against one for every 1,293 across the U.S.
How fast is Columbus County, NC growing?
Population estimates put Columbus County at 50,487 people in 2025, unchanged since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 20,048 households. The median household income in Columbus County is $49,442 a year, 39% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 31.4% 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. Columbus County scores 19 for grocery and convenience stores (low), #2,231 of 2,402 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Columbus 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 Columbus County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Columbus 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 Columbus 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.