Groceries and convenience · County · North Carolina
Grocery and convenience stores in McDowell County, NC
The grocery and convenience stores in McDowell County, NC, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 55 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #982 of 2,402 scored counties
#38 of 96 scored counties in North Carolina
- Listings
- 34
- 9 chain locations (26%)
- Official establishments
- 9
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $102.8M
- On groceries · $5,515 a household
- Spending per listing
- $3M
- 11% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 18.2
- 3% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 45,198
- +1.5% since 2020
See the grocery and convenience stores around any address in McDowell 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 McDowell 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
At $5,515 per household (13% below the U.S. average), households in McDowell County spend about $102.8M a year on groceries. That works out to $3M per store, 11% below the U.S. figure of $3.4M.
McDowell County has 34 grocery and convenience stores on map listings as of September 2026. 9 of them (26%) are chain locations, against 42% across the U.S. That comes to 18.2 for every 10,000 households, 3% below the U.S. rate of 18.7.
In 2023, official counts showed 9 businesses with payroll in McDowell County classed as grocery and convenience stores. That is one for every 2,071 households, against one for every 1,293 across the U.S. Another 6 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
Population estimates put the population change in McDowell County from 2020 to 2025 at +1.5%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). For grocery and convenience stores, McDowell County has a Groundwork market score of 55 (upper middle): #982 of 2,402 scored counties and #38 of 96 scored counties in North Carolina.
How McDowell 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 | McDowell County | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 18.2 | 20.2 | 18.7 |
| Spending per listing | $3M | $3M | $3.4M |
| Households per official establishment | 2,071 | 1,469 | 1,293 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +8.2% | +7.2% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +1.5% | +7.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on groceries | $5,515 | $6,016 | $6,319 |
| Median household income | $57,168 | $72,388 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 55 | 49 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 11 → 9
- Employees, 2023
- 433
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $7.9M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 6Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 349 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 30The 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 McDowell 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 McDowell County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 45,198+1.5% since 2020
- Households
- 18,638
- Median age
- 44.7
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 76%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 440 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 102
- Median household income
- $57,168+31.0% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $72,753
- Median home value
- $171,100
- Jobs located here
- 15,917
- Daytime population
- 39,859Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in McDowell 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 McDowell 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 McDowell 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 |
| 38McDowell County, NC | 55 | 34 | 18.2 | $3M | +1.5% | #982 of 2,402 |
Other business types in McDowell County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
- Grocery and convenience stores55
- Grocery stores52
- Convenience stores53
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 McDowell County, NC?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 34 grocery and convenience stores in McDowell County. 9 of them (26%) are chain locations. The listings count grocery, convenience and specialty food stores. Official counts show 9 businesses with payroll classed as grocery and convenience stores in 2023. Official counts list 6 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in McDowell County, NC spend on groceries?
About $102.8M a year, or $5,515 per household. That is 13% below the U.S. average (an index of 87, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 34 grocery and convenience stores on map listings, it comes to $3M per store. It is estimated from the incomes of the 18,638 households in McDowell County and national spending patterns by income.
How does McDowell County, NC compare with the U.S. for grocery and convenience stores?
McDowell County has 18.2 grocery and convenience stores per 10,000 households, 3% below the U.S. rate of 18.7. Spending per store is $3M, 11% below the U.S. figure of $3.4M. At the U.S. ratio of grocery and convenience stores to household spending, McDowell County would have about 30, against 34 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,071 households, against one for every 1,293 across the U.S.
How fast is McDowell County, NC growing?
Population estimates put McDowell County at 45,198 people in 2025, up 1.5% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 18,638 households. The median household income in McDowell County is $57,168 a year, 29% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 31.0% 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. McDowell County scores 55 for grocery and convenience stores (upper middle), #982 of 2,402 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in McDowell 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 McDowell County
Screening a site or an acquisition in McDowell 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 McDowell 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.