Groceries and convenience · Small-town market · North Carolina
Grocery and convenience stores in the Henderson, NC area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for grocery and convenience stores in the Henderson, NC area, set against other small-town markets and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 14 out of 100: Low
Ranked #520 of 538 scored small-town markets
#22 of 23 scored small-town markets based in North Carolina
- Listings
- 60
- 17 chain locations (28%)
- Official establishments
- 23
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $86.7M
- On groceries · $5,367 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.4M
- 57% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 37.2
- 99% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 42,638
- +0.2% since 2020
See the grocery and convenience stores around any address in the Henderson 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 Henderson 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
The Henderson area scores 14 (low) on the Groundwork market score for grocery and convenience stores, ranking #520 of 538 scored small-town markets and #22 of 23 scored small-town markets based in North Carolina. That puts it in the bottom quarter of small-town markets.
Households in the Henderson area spend about $86.7M a year on groceries, or $5,367 per household, 15% below the U.S. average. That is about $1.4M of household spending for each store on map listings, 57% below the U.S. figure of $3.4M.
There are 60 grocery and convenience stores on map listings in the Henderson area as of September 2026. 17 of them (28%) are chain locations, against 42% across the U.S. That comes to 37.2 for every 10,000 households, 99% above the U.S. rate of 18.7.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as grocery and convenience stores in the Henderson area was 23 in 2023. That is one for every 702 households, against one for every 1,293 across the U.S. Population estimates put the population change in the Henderson area from 2020 to 2025 at +0.2%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How the Henderson 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 | Henderson area | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 37.2 | 20.2 | 18.7 |
| Spending per listing | $1.4M | $3M | $3.4M |
| Households per official establishment | 702 | 1,469 | 1,293 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +8.2% | +7.2% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +0.2% | +7.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on groceries | $5,367 | $6,016 | $6,319 |
| Median household income | $50,465 | $72,388 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 14 | 49 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 23
- Employees, 2023
- 396
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $9.3M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 8Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 6017 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 26The 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 Henderson 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 Henderson area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 42,638+0.2% since 2020
- Households
- 16,147
- Median age
- 40.2
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 60%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 252 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 168
- Median household income
- $50,465+24.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $68,426
- Median home value
- $161,500
- Jobs located here
- 14,655
- Daytime population
- 37,464Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Henderson 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 Henderson 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 small-town markets in North Carolina for grocery and convenience stores, numbered among those based in North Carolina, with the Henderson area marked.
Top small-town markets in North Carolina
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Anderson Creek, NC | 76 | 94 | 18.9 | $3.1M | +12.3% | #36 of 538 |
| 2Brevard, NC | 70 | 25 | 17.1 | $3.4M | +2.9% | #78 of 538 |
| 3Elizabeth City, NC | 68 | 33 | 20.9 | $2.7M | +4.5% | #103 of 538 |
| 4Marion, NC | 63 | 34 | 18.2 | $3M | +1.5% | #148 of 538 |
| 5New Bern, NC | 59 | 99 | 18.9 | $3M | +3.6% | #186 of 538 |
| 6Waynesville, NC | 58 | 61 | 22.5 | $2.5M | +1.9% | #203 of 538 |
| 7Albemarle, NC | 57 | 62 | 24.6 | $2.3M | +9.8% | #220 of 538 |
| 8Morehead City, NC | 54 | 89 | 27.8 | $2.2M | +4.1% | #253 of 538 |
| 9Mount Airy, NC | 46 | 76 | 25.4 | $2.1M | +1.3% | #323 of 538 |
| 10Forest City, NC | 43 | 62 | 23.3 | $2.3M | +2.1% | #355 of 538 |
| 22Henderson, NC | 14 | 60 | 37.2 | $1.4M | +0.2% | #520 of 538 |
Other business types in the Henderson area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
- Grocery and convenience stores14
- Grocery stores16
- Convenience stores15
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 Henderson, NC area?
As of September 2026, map listings count 60 grocery and convenience stores in the Henderson area. 17 of them (28%) are chain locations. The listings count grocery, convenience and specialty food stores. Official counts show 23 businesses with payroll classed as grocery and convenience stores in 2023. Official counts list 8 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Henderson, NC area spend on groceries?
About $86.7M a year, or $5,367 per household. That is 15% below the U.S. average (an index of 85, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 60 grocery and convenience stores on map listings, it comes to $1.4M per store. It is estimated from the incomes of the 16,147 households in the Henderson area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Henderson, NC area compare with the U.S. for grocery and convenience stores?
The Henderson area has 37.2 grocery and convenience stores per 10,000 households, 99% above the U.S. rate of 18.7. Spending per store is $1.4M, 57% below the U.S. figure of $3.4M. At the U.S. ratio of grocery and convenience stores to household spending, the Henderson area would have about 26, against 60 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 702 households, against one for every 1,293 across the U.S.
How fast is the Henderson, NC area growing?
Population estimates put the Henderson area at 42,638 people in 2025, up 0.2% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 16,147 households. The median household income in the Henderson area is $50,465 a year, 37% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 24.5% 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. 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 Henderson area scores 14 for grocery and convenience stores (low), #520 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 Henderson 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 Henderson area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Henderson 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 Henderson 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.