Groceries and convenience · County · Virginia
Grocery and convenience stores in Charlottesville city, VA
How Charlottesville city, VA 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 23 out of 100: Low
Ranked #2,150 of 2,402 scored counties
#97 of 115 scored counties in Virginia
- Listings
- 64
- 24 chain locations (38%)
- Official establishments
- 37
- +8.8% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $121.7M
- On groceries · $6,143 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.9M
- 44% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 32.3
- 73% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 44,388
- −4.4% since 2020
See the grocery and convenience stores around any address in Charlottesville city
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 Charlottesville city. 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
For grocery and convenience stores, Charlottesville city has a Groundwork market score of 23 (low): #2,150 of 2,402 scored counties and #97 of 115 scored counties in Virginia. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
Households in Charlottesville city spend about $121.7M a year on groceries, or $6,143 per household, 3% below the U.S. average. That is about $1.9M of household spending for each store on map listings, 44% below the U.S. figure of $3.4M.
There are 64 grocery and convenience stores on map listings in Charlottesville city as of September 2026. 24 of them (38%) are chain locations, against 42% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 32.3, 73% above the U.S. rate of 18.7.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as grocery and convenience stores in Charlottesville city was 37 in 2023, up 8.8% from 2019. That is one for every 536 households, against one for every 1,293 across the U.S. Population estimates put the population change in Charlottesville city from 2020 to 2025 at −4.4%, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How Charlottesville city compares
The same measures for Virginia 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 | Charlottesville city | Virginia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 32.3 | 19.1 | 18.7 |
| Spending per listing | $1.9M | $3.4M | $3.4M |
| Households per official establishment | 536 | 1,152 | 1,293 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +8.8% | +7.3% | +7.2% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −4.4% | +2.8% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on groceries | $6,143 | $6,537 | $6,319 |
| Median household income | $74,824 | $93,170 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 23 | 51 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 34 → 37+8.8% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 965
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $30.6M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 0Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 6424 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 36The 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 Charlottesville city, 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 Charlottesville city
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 44,388−4.4% since 2020
- Households
- 19,815
- Median age
- 35.1
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 44%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.5
- Land area
- 10 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 4,435
- Median household income
- $74,824+25.8% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $115,430
- Median home value
- $486,700
- Jobs located here
- 37,763
- Daytime population
- 63,939Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Charlottesville city?
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 Charlottesville city. 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 Virginia
Every Virginia market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Virginia for grocery and convenience stores, numbered among those based in Virginia, with Charlottesville city marked.
Top counties in Virginia
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Powhatan County, VA | 95 | 13 | 11.5 | $6M | +7.0% | #11 of 2,402 |
| 2King George County, VA | 94 | 15 | 14.8 | $4.7M | +10.5% | #20 of 2,402 |
| 3Fluvanna County, VA | 93 | 10 | 9.7 | $6.7M | +6.2% | #21 of 2,402 |
| 4Orange County, VA | 87 | 20 | 13.5 | $4.8M | +10.1% | #76 of 2,402 |
| 5Stafford County, VA | 87 | 89 | 17.0 | $4.4M | +8.3% | #80 of 2,402 |
| 6Loudoun County, VA | 85 | 217 | 15.2 | $5.3M | +6.4% | #98 of 2,402 |
| 7Goochland County, VA | 84 | 15 | 14.5 | $4.9M | +17.4% | #112 of 2,402 |
| 8James City County, VA | 83 | 51 | 15.9 | $4.3M | +6.2% | #129 of 2,402 |
| 9York County, VA | 82 | 35 | 13.0 | $5.3M | +1.6% | #143 of 2,402 |
| 10Louisa County, VA | 81 | 27 | 17.4 | $3.6M | +13.6% | #171 of 2,402 |
| 97Charlottesville city, VA | 23 | 64 | 32.3 | $1.9M | −4.4% | #2,150 of 2,402 |
Other business types in Charlottesville city
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
- Grocery and convenience stores23
- Grocery stores24
- Convenience stores28
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 Charlottesville city, VA?
As of September 2026, map listings count 64 grocery and convenience stores in Charlottesville city. 24 of them (38%) are chain locations. The listings count grocery, convenience and specialty food stores. Official counts show 37 businesses with payroll classed as grocery and convenience stores in 2023, up 8.8% from 2019.
How much do households in Charlottesville city, VA spend on groceries?
About $121.7M a year, or $6,143 per household. That is 3% below the U.S. average (an index of 97, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 64 grocery and convenience stores on map listings, it comes to $1.9M per store. It is estimated from the incomes of the 19,815 households in Charlottesville city and national spending patterns by income.
How does Charlottesville city, VA compare with the U.S. for grocery and convenience stores?
Charlottesville city has 32.3 grocery and convenience stores per 10,000 households, 73% above the U.S. rate of 18.7. Spending per store is $1.9M, 44% below the U.S. figure of $3.4M. At the U.S. ratio of grocery and convenience stores to household spending, Charlottesville city would have about 36, against 64 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 536 households, against one for every 1,293 across the U.S. The official count rose 8.8% from 2019 to 2023, against +7.2% for the U.S.
How fast is Charlottesville city, VA growing?
Population estimates put Charlottesville city at 44,388 people in 2025, down 4.4% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 19,815 households. The median household income in Charlottesville city is $74,824 a year, 7% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 25.8% 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. Charlottesville city scores 23 for grocery and convenience stores (low), #2,150 of 2,402 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Charlottesville city. 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 Charlottesville city
Screening a site or an acquisition in Charlottesville city?
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 Charlottesville city. 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.