Groundwork

Groceries and convenience · County · Ohio

Grocery and convenience stores in Lorain County, OH

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

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 66 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #556 of 2,402 scored counties
#17 of 88 scored counties in Ohio

Listings
200
104 chain locations (52%)
Official establishments
92
+4.6% since 2019
Household spending a year
$768.3M
On groceries · $6,024 a household
Spending per listing
$3.8M
13% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
15.7
16% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
323,219
+3.1% since 2020

See the grocery and convenience stores around any address in Lorain 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 Lorain 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

As of September 2026, map listings count 200 grocery and convenience stores in Lorain County. Of those, 104 are chain locations, or 52%, against 42% across the U.S. That comes to 15.7 for every 10,000 households, 16% below the U.S. rate of 18.7.

Household spending on groceries in Lorain County comes to about $768.3M a year: $6,024 per household, 5% below the U.S. average. That works out to $3.8M per store, 13% above the U.S. figure of $3.4M.

In 2023, official counts showed 92 businesses with payroll in Lorain County classed as grocery and convenience stores, up 4.6% from 2019. That is one for every 1,386 households, against one for every 1,293 across the U.S. Another 40 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 9 SBA-backed loans worth $4.8M have gone to businesses classed as grocery and convenience stores in Lorain County.

Population estimates show Lorain County grew 3.1% from 2020 to 2025, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). Lorain County scores 66 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for grocery and convenience stores, ranking #556 of 2,402 scored counties and #17 of 88 scored counties in Ohio. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.

How Lorain County compares

The same measures for Ohio 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 Lorain County, OH compared with Ohio and the U.S.
MeasureLorain CountyOhioU.S.
Listings per 10k households15.717.118.7
Spending per listing$3.8M$3.5M$3.4M
Households per official establishment1,3861,4221,293
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+4.6%+4.2%+7.2%
Population growth, 2020–2025+3.1%+0.9%+3.1%
Spending per household on groceries$6,024$5,967$6,319
Median household income$73,347$71,389$80,734
Groundwork market score6643

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
88 → 92+4.6% over the period
Employees, 2023
2,049
Annual payroll, 2023
$49.2M
One-person businesses, 2023
40Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
200104 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
227The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
9
Amount
$4.8M

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as grocery and convenience stores in Lorain 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 Lorain County

Population, 2025 estimate
323,219+3.1% since 2020
Households
127,544
Median age
42.4
Homes lived in by their owners
74%
Vehicles per household
1.8
Land area
491 sq. mi.
People per square mile
646
Median household income
$73,347+25.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$98,714
Median home value
$223,200
Jobs located here
99,992
Daytime population
270,084Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Lorain 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 Lorain 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 Ohio

Every Ohio market ranked →

The highest-scoring counties in Ohio for grocery and convenience stores, numbered among those based in Ohio, with Lorain County marked.

Top counties in Ohio

Counties in Ohio ranked for grocery and convenience stores by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Delaware County, OH959611.7$6.3M+12.5%#10 of 2,402
2Union County, OH933514.4$4.7M+16.5%#25 of 2,402
3Fairfield County, OH918013.3$4.8M+6.5%#39 of 2,402
4Warren County, OH8611011.9$5.8M+5.7%#86 of 2,402
5Clermont County, OH848810.4$6.1M+3.9%#107 of 2,402
6Madison County, OH842616.6$3.8M+7.1%#118 of 2,402
7Miami County, OH836013.4$4.5M+3.4%#127 of 2,402
8Medina County, OH8110614.5$4.5M+1.3%#161 of 2,402
9Greene County, OH807911.6$5.5M+3.7%#177 of 2,402
10Pickaway County, OH803214.6$4.1M+7.4%#182 of 2,402
17Lorain County, OH6620015.7$3.8M+3.1%#556 of 2,402

Other business types in Lorain County

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

Questions

How many grocery and convenience stores are in Lorain County, OH?

Lorain County has 200 grocery and convenience stores on map listings as of September 2026. 104 of them (52%) are chain locations. The listings count grocery, convenience and specialty food stores. Official counts show 92 businesses with payroll classed as grocery and convenience stores in 2023, up 4.6% from 2019. Official counts list 40 one-person businesses without payroll.

How much do households in Lorain County, OH spend on groceries?

About $768.3M a year, or $6,024 per household. That is 5% below the U.S. average (an index of 95, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 200 grocery and convenience stores on map listings, it comes to $3.8M per store. It is estimated from the incomes of the 127,544 households in Lorain County and national spending patterns by income.

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

Lorain County has 15.7 grocery and convenience stores per 10,000 households, 16% below the U.S. rate of 18.7. Spending per store is $3.8M, 13% above the U.S. figure of $3.4M. At the national ratio of grocery and convenience stores to household spending, Lorain County would have about 227, against 200 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,386 households, against one for every 1,293 across the U.S. The official count rose 4.6% from 2019 to 2023, against +7.2% for the U.S.

How fast is Lorain County, OH growing?

Population estimates put Lorain County at 323,219 people in 2025, up 3.1% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 127,544 households. Median household income in Lorain County is $73,347, 9% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 25.5%, 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. Lorain County scores 66 for grocery and convenience stores (upper middle), #556 of 2,402 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

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

Screening a site or an acquisition in Lorain 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 Lorain 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.