Groceries and convenience · County · Pennsylvania
Grocery and convenience stores in Centre County, PA
How Centre County, PA 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 72 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #389 of 2,402 scored counties
#14 of 64 scored counties in Pennsylvania
- Listings
- 98
- 44 chain locations (45%)
- Official establishments
- 29
- +3.6% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $391M
- On groceries · $6,625 a household
- Spending per listing
- $4M
- 18% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 16.6
- 11% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 157,393
- −0.4% since 2020
See the grocery and convenience stores around any address in Centre 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 Centre 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
Household spending on groceries in Centre County comes to about $391M a year: $6,625 per household, 5% above the U.S. average. Spread across 98 grocery and convenience stores, that is $4M per store, 18% above the U.S. figure of $3.4M.
There are 98 grocery and convenience stores on map listings in Centre County as of September 2026. 44 of them (45%) are chain locations, against 42% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 16.6, 11% below the U.S. rate of 18.7.
In 2023, official counts showed 29 businesses with payroll in Centre County classed as grocery and convenience stores, up 3.6% from 2019. That is one for every 2,035 households, against one for every 1,293 across the U.S. Another 20 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
Population estimates put the population change in Centre County from 2020 to 2025 at −0.4%, against +3.1% for the U.S. The Groundwork market score for grocery and convenience stores in Centre County is 72 (upper middle), #389 of 2,402 scored counties and #14 of 64 scored counties in Pennsylvania. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How Centre County compares
The same measures for Pennsylvania 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 | Centre County | Pennsylvania | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 16.6 | 19.0 | 18.7 |
| Spending per listing | $4M | $3.6M | $3.4M |
| Households per official establishment | 2,035 | 1,300 | 1,293 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +3.6% | +7.0% | +7.2% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −0.4% | +0.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on groceries | $6,625 | $6,738 | $6,319 |
| Median household income | $74,291 | $77,971 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 72 | 52 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 28 → 29+3.6% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,645
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $39M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 20Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 9844 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 115The 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 Centre 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 Centre County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 157,393−0.4% since 2020
- Households
- 59,013
- Median age
- 38.2
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 62%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.7
- Land area
- 1,107 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 143
- Median household income
- $74,291+23.0% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $100,987
- Median home value
- $323,500
- Jobs located here
- 66,922
- Daytime population
- 170,905Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Centre 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 Centre 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 Pennsylvania
Every Pennsylvania market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Pennsylvania for grocery and convenience stores, numbered among those based in Pennsylvania, with Centre County marked.
Top counties in Pennsylvania
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Chester County, PA | 86 | 327 | 16.0 | $4.9M | +4.2% | #88 of 2,402 |
| 2Cumberland County, PA | 82 | 193 | 18.1 | $3.9M | +6.5% | #152 of 2,402 |
| 3Adams County, PA | 82 | 74 | 18.1 | $3.8M | +3.6% | #153 of 2,402 |
| 4York County, PA | 81 | 324 | 17.8 | $3.8M | +3.6% | #169 of 2,402 |
| 5Butler County, PA | 80 | 157 | 19.4 | $3.6M | +3.2% | #189 of 2,402 |
| 6Pike County, PA | 79 | 48 | 19.8 | $3.4M | +7.2% | #212 of 2,402 |
| 7Washington County, PA | 77 | 148 | 16.7 | $4M | +0.7% | #245 of 2,402 |
| 8Franklin County, PA | 77 | 110 | 17.3 | $3.8M | +3.0% | #248 of 2,402 |
| 9Westmoreland County, PA | 76 | 228 | 14.7 | $4.5M | −1.4% | #263 of 2,402 |
| 10Fulton County, PA | 75 | 7 | 11.0 | $5.7M | −0.6% | #283 of 2,402 |
| 14Centre County, PA | 72 | 98 | 16.6 | $4M | −0.4% | #389 of 2,402 |
Other business types in Centre County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
- Grocery and convenience stores72
- Grocery stores70
- Convenience stores75
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 Centre County, PA?
As of September 2026, map listings count 98 grocery and convenience stores in Centre County. 44 of them (45%) are chain locations. The listings count grocery, convenience and specialty food stores. Official counts show 29 businesses with payroll classed as grocery and convenience stores in 2023, up 3.6% from 2019. Official counts list 20 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Centre County, PA spend on groceries?
About $391M a year, or $6,625 per household. That is 5% above the U.S. average (an index of 105, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 98 grocery and convenience stores on map listings, it comes to $4M per store. It is estimated from the incomes of the 59,013 households in Centre County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Centre County, PA compare with the U.S. for grocery and convenience stores?
Centre County has 16.6 grocery and convenience stores per 10,000 households, 11% below the U.S. rate of 18.7. Spending per store is $4M, 18% above the U.S. figure of $3.4M. At the U.S. ratio of grocery and convenience stores to household spending, Centre County would have about 115, against 98 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,035 households, against one for every 1,293 across the U.S. The official count rose 3.6% from 2019 to 2023, against +7.2% for the U.S.
How fast is Centre County, PA growing?
Population estimates put Centre County at 157,393 people in 2025, down 0.4% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 59,013 households. The median household income in Centre County is $74,291 a year, 8% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 23.0% 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. Centre County scores 72 for grocery and convenience stores (upper middle), #389 of 2,402 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Centre 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 Centre County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Centre 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 Centre 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.