Groceries and convenience · County · Pennsylvania
Grocery and convenience stores in Lancaster County, PA
The grocery and convenience stores in Lancaster County, PA, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 67 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #532 of 2,402 scored counties
#19 of 64 scored counties in Pennsylvania
- Listings
- 428
- 178 chain locations (42%)
- Official establishments
- 143
- −4.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $1.5B
- On groceries · $6,941 a household
- Spending per listing
- $3.5M
- 2% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 20.1
- 7% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 563,159
- +1.9% since 2020
See the grocery and convenience stores around any address in Lancaster 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 Lancaster 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 428 grocery and convenience stores in Lancaster County. Of those, 178 are chain locations, or 42%, against 42% across the U.S. That is 20.1 per 10,000 households, 7% above the U.S. rate of 18.7.
Households in Lancaster County spend about $1.5B a year on groceries, or $6,941 per household, 10% above the U.S. average. Spread across 428 grocery and convenience stores, that is $3.5M per store, 2% above the U.S. figure of $3.4M.
In 2023, official counts showed 143 businesses with payroll in Lancaster County classed as grocery and convenience stores, down 4.0% from 2019. That is one for every 1,488 households, against one for every 1,293 across the U.S. Another 142 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $540K has gone to businesses classed as grocery and convenience stores in Lancaster County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Lancaster County grew 1.9%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). For grocery and convenience stores, Lancaster County has a Groundwork market score of 67 (upper middle): #532 of 2,402 scored counties and #19 of 64 scored counties in Pennsylvania. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How Lancaster 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 | Lancaster County | Pennsylvania | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 20.1 | 19.0 | 18.7 |
| Spending per listing | $3.5M | $3.6M | $3.4M |
| Households per official establishment | 1,488 | 1,300 | 1,293 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −4.0% | +7.0% | +7.2% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +1.9% | +0.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on groceries | $6,941 | $6,738 | $6,319 |
| Median household income | $86,959 | $77,971 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 67 | 52 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 149 → 143−4.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 7,900
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $183.5M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 142Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 428178 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 436The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $540K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as grocery and convenience stores in Lancaster 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 Lancaster County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 563,159+1.9% since 2020
- Households
- 212,748
- Median age
- 40.5
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 70%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 944 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 591
- Median household income
- $86,959+31.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $112,346
- Median home value
- $301,100
- Jobs located here
- 258,003
- Daytime population
- 553,680Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Lancaster 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 Lancaster 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 Lancaster 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 |
| 19Lancaster County, PA | 67 | 428 | 20.1 | $3.5M | +1.9% | #532 of 2,402 |
Other business types in Lancaster County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
- Grocery and convenience stores67
- Grocery stores59
- Convenience stores83
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 Lancaster County, PA?
There are 428 grocery and convenience stores on map listings in Lancaster County as of September 2026. 178 of them (42%) are chain locations. The listings count grocery, convenience and specialty food stores. Official counts show 143 businesses with payroll classed as grocery and convenience stores in 2023, down 4.0% from 2019. Official counts list 142 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Lancaster County, PA spend on groceries?
About $1.5B a year, or $6,941 per household. That is 10% above the U.S. average (an index of 110, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 428 grocery and convenience stores on map listings, it comes to $3.5M per store. It is estimated from the incomes of the 212,748 households in Lancaster County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Lancaster County, PA compare with the U.S. for grocery and convenience stores?
Lancaster County has 20.1 grocery and convenience stores per 10,000 households, 7% above the U.S. rate of 18.7. Spending per store is $3.5M, 2% above the U.S. figure of $3.4M. At the national ratio of grocery and convenience stores to household spending, Lancaster County would have about 436, against 428 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,488 households, against one for every 1,293 across the U.S. The official count fell 4.0% from 2019 to 2023, against +7.2% for the U.S.
How fast is Lancaster County, PA growing?
Population estimates put Lancaster County at 563,159 people in 2025, up 1.9% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 212,748 households. Median household income in Lancaster County is $86,959, 8% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 31.6%, 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. Lancaster County scores 67 for grocery and convenience stores (upper middle), #532 of 2,402 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Lancaster 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 Lancaster County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Lancaster 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 Lancaster 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.