Groundwork

Groceries and convenience · County · North Carolina

Grocery and convenience stores in Washington County, NC

Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for grocery and convenience stores in Washington County, NC, set against other counties and the U.S.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 21 out of 100: Low

Ranked #2,202 of 2,402 scored counties
#87 of 96 scored counties in North Carolina

Listings
14
6 chain locations (43%)
Official establishments
3
Businesses with payroll, 2023
Household spending a year
$24.5M
On groceries · $5,158 a household
Spending per listing
$1.7M
48% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
29.5
58% above the U.S.
Population, 2025
10,638
−3.1% since 2020

See the grocery and convenience stores around any address in Washington 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 Washington County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Survey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure

What this means

Washington County scores 21 (low) on the Groundwork market score for grocery and convenience stores, ranking #2,202 of 2,402 scored counties and #87 of 96 scored counties in North Carolina. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.

As of September 2026, map listings count 14 grocery and convenience stores in Washington County. Of those, 6 are chain locations, or 43%, against 42% across the U.S. That is 29.5 per 10,000 households, 58% above the U.S. rate of 18.7.

Households in Washington County spend about $24.5M a year on groceries, or $5,158 per household, 18% below the U.S. average. Spread across 14 grocery and convenience stores, that is $1.7M per store, 48% below the U.S. figure of $3.4M.

In 2023, official counts showed 3 businesses with payroll in Washington County classed as grocery and convenience stores. That is one for every 1,581 households, against one for every 1,293 across the U.S. Population estimates show Washington County declined 3.1% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S.

How Washington 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.

Grocery and convenience stores in Washington County, NC compared with North Carolina and the U.S.
MeasureWashington CountyNorth CarolinaU.S.
Listings per 10k households29.520.218.7
Spending per listing$1.7M$3M$3.4M
Households per official establishment1,5811,4691,293
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023n/a+8.2%+7.2%
Population growth, 2020–2025−3.1%+7.2%+3.1%
Spending per household on groceries$5,158$6,016$6,319
Median household income$41,813$72,388$80,734
Groundwork market score2149

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
3 → 3
Employees, 2023
120
Annual payroll, 2023
$2.4M
One-person businesses, 2023
0Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
146 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
7The 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 Washington 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 Washington County

Population, 2025 estimate
10,638−3.1% since 2020
Households
4,744
Median age
49.8
Homes lived in by their owners
68%
Vehicles per household
1.8
Land area
347 sq. mi.
People per square mile
31
Median household income
$41,813+16.2% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$62,368
Median home value
$125,900
Jobs located here
2,683
Daytime population
9,360Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Washington 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 Washington County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Grocery 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 Washington County marked.

Top counties in North Carolina

Counties in North Carolina ranked for grocery and convenience stores by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Camden County, NC87615.0$4.2M+8.8%#81 of 2,402
2Orange County, NC839015.7$4.2M+6.1%#132 of 2,402
3Wake County, NC8270315.3$4.4M+11.2%#145 of 2,402
4Cabarrus County, NC8213516.0$4M+9.9%#149 of 2,402
5Union County, NC8214517.2$3.9M+11.7%#151 of 2,402
6Johnston County, NC8114717.2$3.6M+17.9%#172 of 2,402
7Lincoln County, NC806718.2$3.4M+13.2%#191 of 2,402
8Durham County, NC7922615.9$4M+7.7%#205 of 2,402
9Davie County, NC783017.4$3.5M+6.9%#230 of 2,402
10Hoke County, NC772714.0$4.1M+9.0%#243 of 2,402
87Washington County, NC211429.5$1.7M−3.1%#2,202 of 2,402

Other business types in Washington County

Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.

Groceries and convenience

Funeral services

Questions

How many grocery and convenience stores are in Washington County, NC?

Washington County has 14 grocery and convenience stores on map listings as of September 2026. 6 of them (43%) are chain locations. The listings count grocery, convenience and specialty food stores. Official counts show 3 businesses with payroll classed as grocery and convenience stores in 2023.

How much do households in Washington County, NC spend on groceries?

About $24.5M a year, or $5,158 per household. That is 18% below the U.S. average (an index of 82, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 14 grocery and convenience stores on map listings, it comes to $1.7M per store. It is estimated from the incomes of the 4,744 households in Washington County and national spending patterns by income.

How does Washington County, NC compare with the U.S. for grocery and convenience stores?

Washington County has 29.5 grocery and convenience stores per 10,000 households, 58% above the U.S. rate of 18.7. Spending per store is $1.7M, 48% below the U.S. figure of $3.4M. At the national ratio of grocery and convenience stores to household spending, Washington County would have about 7, against 14 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,581 households, against one for every 1,293 across the U.S.

How fast is Washington County, NC growing?

Population estimates put Washington County at 10,638 people in 2025, down 3.1% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 4,744 households. Median household income in Washington County is $41,813, 48% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 16.2%, 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. Washington County scores 21 for grocery and convenience stores (low), #2,202 of 2,402 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Washington 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 Washington County

Screening a site or an acquisition in Washington 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 Washington County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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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.