Groceries and convenience · County · North Carolina
Grocery and convenience stores in Watauga County, NC
How Watauga 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 35 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,782 of 2,402 scored counties
#68 of 96 scored counties in North Carolina
- Listings
- 48
- 22 chain locations (46%)
- Official establishments
- 17
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $117.3M
- On groceries · $5,533 a household
- Spending per listing
- $2.4M
- 28% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 22.6
- 21% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 54,786
- +0.6% since 2020
See the grocery and convenience stores around any address in Watauga 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 Watauga 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
Map listings as of September 2026 show 48 grocery and convenience stores in Watauga County. 22 of them (46%) are chain locations, against 42% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 22.6, 21% above the U.S. rate of 18.7.
At $5,533 per household (12% below the U.S. average), households in Watauga County spend about $117.3M a year on groceries. That works out to $2.4M per store, 28% below the U.S. figure of $3.4M.
In 2023, official counts showed 17 businesses with payroll in Watauga County classed as grocery and convenience stores. That is one for every 1,247 households, against one for every 1,293 across the U.S.
Population estimates put the population change in Watauga County from 2020 to 2025 at +0.6%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). Watauga County scores 35 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for grocery and convenience stores, ranking #1,782 of 2,402 scored counties and #68 of 96 scored counties in North Carolina.
How Watauga 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 | Watauga County | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 22.6 | 20.2 | 18.7 |
| Spending per listing | $2.4M | $3M | $3.4M |
| Households per official establishment | 1,247 | 1,469 | 1,293 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +8.2% | +7.2% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +0.6% | +7.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on groceries | $5,533 | $6,016 | $6,319 |
| Median household income | $51,693 | $72,388 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 35 | 49 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 13 → 17
- Employees, 2023
- 856
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $18M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 0Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 4822 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 35The 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 Watauga 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 Watauga County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 54,786+0.6% since 2020
- Households
- 21,198
- Median age
- 35.8
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 62%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 312 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 176
- Median household income
- $51,693+8.8% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $83,665
- Median home value
- $358,900
- Jobs located here
- 24,062
- Daytime population
- 59,737Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Watauga 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 Watauga 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 Watauga 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 |
| 68Watauga County, NC | 35 | 48 | 22.6 | $2.4M | +0.6% | #1,782 of 2,402 |
Other business types in Watauga County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
- Grocery and convenience stores35
- Grocery stores29
- Convenience stores55
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 Watauga County, NC?
There are 48 grocery and convenience stores on map listings in Watauga County as of September 2026. 22 of them (46%) are chain locations. The listings count grocery, convenience and specialty food stores. Official counts show 17 businesses with payroll classed as grocery and convenience stores in 2023.
How much do households in Watauga County, NC spend on groceries?
About $117.3M a year, or $5,533 per household. That is 12% below the U.S. average (an index of 88, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 48 grocery and convenience stores on map listings, it comes to $2.4M per store. It is estimated from the incomes of the 21,198 households in Watauga County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Watauga County, NC compare with the U.S. for grocery and convenience stores?
Watauga County has 22.6 grocery and convenience stores per 10,000 households, 21% above the U.S. rate of 18.7. Spending per store is $2.4M, 28% below the U.S. figure of $3.4M. At the national ratio of grocery and convenience stores to household spending, Watauga County would have about 35, against 48 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,247 households, against one for every 1,293 across the U.S.
How fast is Watauga County, NC growing?
Population estimates put Watauga County at 54,786 people in 2025, up 0.6% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 21,198 households. Median household income in Watauga County is $51,693, 36% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 8.8%, 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. Watauga County scores 35 for grocery and convenience stores (lower middle), #1,782 of 2,402 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Watauga 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 Watauga County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Watauga 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 Watauga 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.