Groundwork

Groceries and convenience · County · Ohio

Grocery and convenience stores in Portage County, OH

How Portage County, OH 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 68 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #500 of 2,402 scored counties
#14 of 88 scored counties in Ohio

Listings
109
53 chain locations (49%)
Official establishments
33
−2.9% since 2019
Household spending a year
$392.5M
On groceries · $6,015 a household
Spending per listing
$3.6M
6% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
16.7
11% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
163,404
+1.0% since 2020

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

Households in Portage County spend about $392.5M a year on groceries, or $6,015 per household, 5% below the U.S. average. Spread across 109 grocery and convenience stores, that is $3.6M per store, 6% above the U.S. figure of $3.4M.

There are 109 grocery and convenience stores on map listings in Portage County as of September 2026. Of those, 53 are chain locations, or 49%, against 42% across the U.S. That comes to 16.7 for every 10,000 households, 11% below the U.S. rate of 18.7.

In 2023, official counts showed 33 businesses with payroll in Portage County classed as grocery and convenience stores, down 2.9% from 2019. That is one for every 1,977 households, against one for every 1,293 across the U.S. Official counts also show 30 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 4 SBA-backed loans worth $2.4M have gone to businesses classed as grocery and convenience stores in Portage County.

Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Portage County grew 1.0%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). Portage County scores 68 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for grocery and convenience stores, ranking #500 of 2,402 scored counties and #14 of 88 scored counties in Ohio. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.

How Portage 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 Portage County, OH compared with Ohio and the U.S.
MeasurePortage CountyOhioU.S.
Listings per 10k households16.717.118.7
Spending per listing$3.6M$3.5M$3.4M
Households per official establishment1,9771,4221,293
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023−2.9%+4.2%+7.2%
Population growth, 2020–2025+1.0%+0.9%+3.1%
Spending per household on groceries$6,015$5,967$6,319
Median household income$75,766$71,389$80,734
Groundwork market score6843

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
34 → 33−2.9% over the period
Employees, 2023
1,039
Annual payroll, 2023
$25.3M
One-person businesses, 2023
30Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
10953 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
116The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
4
Amount
$2.4M

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

Population, 2025 estimate
163,404+1.0% since 2020
Households
65,249
Median age
41.1
Homes lived in by their owners
70%
Vehicles per household
1.9
Land area
487 sq. mi.
People per square mile
332
Median household income
$75,766+31.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$97,106
Median home value
$227,000
Jobs located here
55,772
Daytime population
143,575Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Portage 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 Portage 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 Portage 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
14Portage County, OH6810916.7$3.6M+1.0%#500 of 2,402

Other business types in Portage County

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

Questions

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

As of September 2026, map listings count 109 grocery and convenience stores in Portage County. 53 of them (49%) are chain locations. The listings count grocery, convenience and specialty food stores. Official counts show 33 businesses with payroll classed as grocery and convenience stores in 2023, down 2.9% from 2019. Another 30 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.

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

About $392.5M a year, or $6,015 per household. That is 5% below the U.S. average (an index of 95, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 109 grocery and convenience stores on map listings, it comes to $3.6M per store. It is estimated from the incomes of the 65,249 households in Portage County and national spending patterns by income.

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

Portage County has 16.7 grocery and convenience stores per 10,000 households, 11% below the U.S. rate of 18.7. Spending per store is $3.6M, 6% above the U.S. figure of $3.4M. At the U.S. ratio of grocery and convenience stores to household spending, Portage County would have about 116, against 109 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,977 households, against one for every 1,293 across the U.S. The official count fell 2.9% from 2019 to 2023, against +7.2% for the U.S.

How fast is Portage County, OH growing?

Population estimates put Portage County at 163,404 people in 2025, up 1.0% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 65,249 households. The median household income in Portage County is $75,766 a year, 6% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 31.5% 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. 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. Portage County scores 68 for grocery and convenience stores (upper middle), #500 of 2,402 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

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

Screening a site or an acquisition in Portage 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 Portage 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.