Groundwork

Groceries and convenience · County · Pennsylvania

Grocery and convenience stores in Philadelphia County, PA

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

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 39 out of 100: Lower middle

Ranked #1,628 of 2,402 scored counties
#62 of 64 scored counties in Pennsylvania

Listings
1,524
378 chain locations (25%)
Official establishments
1,040
+1.5% since 2019
Household spending a year
$4.3B
On groceries · $6,283 a household
Spending per listing
$2.8M
17% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
22.4
20% above the U.S.
Population, 2025
1,574,281
−1.6% since 2020

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

Map listings as of September 2026 show 1,524 grocery and convenience stores in Philadelphia County. 378 of them (25%) are chain locations, against 42% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 22.4, 20% above the U.S. rate of 18.7.

At $6,283 per household (in line with the U.S. average), households in Philadelphia County spend about $4.3B a year on groceries. That works out to $2.8M per store, 17% below the U.S. figure of $3.4M.

In 2023, official counts showed 1,040 businesses with payroll in Philadelphia County classed as grocery and convenience stores, up 1.5% from 2019. That is one for every 653 households, against one for every 1,293 across the U.S. Official counts list 973 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 47 SBA-backed loans worth $19.2M have gone to businesses classed as grocery and convenience stores in Philadelphia County.

Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Philadelphia County declined 1.6%, against +3.1% for the U.S. Philadelphia County scores 39 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for grocery and convenience stores, ranking #1,628 of 2,402 scored counties and #62 of 64 scored counties in Pennsylvania.

How Philadelphia 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 Philadelphia County, PA compared with Pennsylvania and the U.S.
MeasurePhiladelphia CountyPennsylvaniaU.S.
Listings per 10k households22.419.018.7
Spending per listing$2.8M$3.6M$3.4M
Households per official establishment6531,3001,293
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+1.5%+7.0%+7.2%
Population growth, 2020–2025−1.6%+0.5%+3.1%
Spending per household on groceries$6,283$6,738$6,319
Median household income$61,953$77,971$80,734
Groundwork market score3952

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
1,025 → 1,040+1.5% over the period
Employees, 2023
12,260
Annual payroll, 2023
$351.7M
One-person businesses, 2023
973Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
1,524378 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
1,260The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
47
Amount
$19.2M

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

Population, 2025 estimate
1,574,281−1.6% since 2020
Households
679,428
Median age
36.9
Homes lived in by their owners
52%
Vehicles per household
1.1
Land area
134 sq. mi.
People per square mile
11,759
Median household income
$61,953+34.9% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$90,219
Median home value
$243,100
Jobs located here
745,931
Daytime population
1,658,281Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Philadelphia 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 Philadelphia 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 Philadelphia 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
62Philadelphia County, PA391,52422.4$2.8M−1.6%#1,628 of 2,402

Other business types in Philadelphia County

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

Questions

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

There are 1,524 grocery and convenience stores on map listings in Philadelphia County as of September 2026. 378 of them (25%) are chain locations. The listings count grocery, convenience and specialty food stores. Official counts show 1,040 businesses with payroll classed as grocery and convenience stores in 2023, up 1.5% from 2019. Official counts also show 973 one-person businesses without payroll.

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

About $4.3B a year, or $6,283 per household. That is in line with the U.S. average (an index of 99, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 1,524 grocery and convenience stores on map listings, it comes to $2.8M per store. It is estimated from the incomes of the 679,428 households in Philadelphia County and national spending patterns by income.

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

Philadelphia County has 22.4 grocery and convenience stores per 10,000 households, 20% above the U.S. rate of 18.7. Spending per store is $2.8M, 17% below the U.S. figure of $3.4M. At the national ratio of grocery and convenience stores to household spending, Philadelphia County would have about 1,260, against 1,524 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 653 households, against one for every 1,293 across the U.S. The official count rose 1.5% from 2019 to 2023, against +7.2% for the U.S.

How fast is Philadelphia County, PA growing?

Population estimates put Philadelphia County at 1,574,281 people in 2025, down 1.6% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 679,428 households. Median household income in Philadelphia County is $61,953, 23% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 34.9%, 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. Philadelphia County scores 39 for grocery and convenience stores (lower middle), #1,628 of 2,402 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

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

Screening a site or an acquisition in Philadelphia 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 Philadelphia 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.