Groundwork

Groceries and convenience · County · Pennsylvania

Grocery and convenience stores in Lehigh County, PA

The grocery and convenience stores in Lehigh County, PA, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 63 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #667 of 2,402 scored counties
#28 of 64 scored counties in Pennsylvania

Listings
291
114 chain locations (39%)
Official establishments
117
+19.4% since 2019
Household spending a year
$985.3M
On groceries · $6,824 a household
Spending per listing
$3.4M
In line with the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
20.2
8% above the U.S.
Population, 2025
384,383
+2.7% since 2020

See the grocery and convenience stores around any address in Lehigh 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 Lehigh 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 291 grocery and convenience stores in Lehigh County. 114 of them (39%) are chain locations, against 42% across the U.S. That is 20.2 per 10,000 households, 8% above the U.S. rate of 18.7.

Household spending on groceries in Lehigh County comes to about $985.3M a year: $6,824 per household, 8% above the U.S. average. That is about $3.4M of household spending for each store on map listings, in line with the U.S. figure of $3.4M.

The official count of businesses with payroll classed as grocery and convenience stores in Lehigh County was 117 in 2023, up 19.4% from 2019. That is one for every 1,234 households, against one for every 1,293 across the U.S. Official counts also show 100 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 5 SBA-backed loans worth $3M have gone to businesses classed as grocery and convenience stores in Lehigh County.

Population estimates put the population change in Lehigh County from 2020 to 2025 at +2.7%, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). Lehigh County scores 63 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for grocery and convenience stores, ranking #667 of 2,402 scored counties and #28 of 64 scored counties in Pennsylvania.

How Lehigh 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.

Grocery and convenience stores in Lehigh County, PA compared with Pennsylvania and the U.S.
MeasureLehigh CountyPennsylvaniaU.S.
Listings per 10k households20.219.018.7
Spending per listing$3.4M$3.6M$3.4M
Households per official establishment1,2341,3001,293
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+19.4%+7.0%+7.2%
Population growth, 2020–2025+2.7%+0.5%+3.1%
Spending per household on groceries$6,824$6,738$6,319
Median household income$80,079$77,971$80,734
Groundwork market score6352

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
98 → 117+19.4% over the period
Employees, 2023
4,442
Annual payroll, 2023
$104.5M
One-person businesses, 2023
100Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
291114 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
291The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
5
Amount
$3M

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

Population, 2025 estimate
384,383+2.7% since 2020
Households
144,386
Median age
40.5
Homes lived in by their owners
66%
Vehicles per household
1.8
Land area
345 sq. mi.
People per square mile
1,097
Median household income
$80,079+25.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$110,753
Median home value
$300,400
Jobs located here
215,511
Daytime population
411,839Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Lehigh 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 Lehigh 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 Pennsylvania

Every Pennsylvania market ranked →

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

Top counties in Pennsylvania

Counties in Pennsylvania ranked for grocery and convenience stores by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Chester County, PA8632716.0$4.9M+4.2%#88 of 2,402
2Cumberland County, PA8219318.1$3.9M+6.5%#152 of 2,402
3Adams County, PA827418.1$3.8M+3.6%#153 of 2,402
4York County, PA8132417.8$3.8M+3.6%#169 of 2,402
5Butler County, PA8015719.4$3.6M+3.2%#189 of 2,402
6Pike County, PA794819.8$3.4M+7.2%#212 of 2,402
7Washington County, PA7714816.7$4M+0.7%#245 of 2,402
8Franklin County, PA7711017.3$3.8M+3.0%#248 of 2,402
9Westmoreland County, PA7622814.7$4.5M−1.4%#263 of 2,402
10Fulton County, PA75711.0$5.7M−0.6%#283 of 2,402
28Lehigh County, PA6329120.2$3.4M+2.7%#667 of 2,402

Other business types in Lehigh County

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

Questions

How many grocery and convenience stores are in Lehigh County, PA?

Lehigh County has 291 grocery and convenience stores on map listings as of September 2026. 114 of them (39%) are chain locations. The listings count grocery, convenience and specialty food stores. Official counts show 117 businesses with payroll classed as grocery and convenience stores in 2023, up 19.4% from 2019. Another 100 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.

How much do households in Lehigh County, PA spend on groceries?

About $985.3M a year, or $6,824 per household. That is 8% above the U.S. average (an index of 108, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 291 grocery and convenience stores on map listings, it comes to $3.4M per store. It is estimated from the incomes of the 144,386 households in Lehigh County and national spending patterns by income.

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

Lehigh County has 20.2 grocery and convenience stores per 10,000 households, 8% above the U.S. rate of 18.7. Spending per store is $3.4M, in line with the U.S. figure of $3.4M. The count on map listings matches the U.S. ratio of grocery and convenience stores to household spending. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,234 households, against one for every 1,293 across the U.S. The official count rose 19.4% from 2019 to 2023, against +7.2% for the U.S.

How fast is Lehigh County, PA growing?

Population estimates put Lehigh County at 384,383 people in 2025, up 2.7% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 144,386 households. Median household income in Lehigh County is $80,079, in line with the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 25.3%, 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. Lehigh County scores 63 for grocery and convenience stores (upper middle), #667 of 2,402 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

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

Screening a site or an acquisition in Lehigh 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 Lehigh 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.