Groundwork

Groceries and convenience · County · Virginia

Grocery and convenience stores in James City County, VA

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

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 83 out of 100: High

Ranked #129 of 2,402 scored counties
#8 of 115 scored counties in Virginia

Listings
51
33 chain locations (65%)
Official establishments
18
Businesses with payroll, 2023
Household spending a year
$218.3M
On groceries · $6,823 a household
Spending per listing
$4.3M
26% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
15.9
15% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
83,326
+6.2% since 2020

See the grocery and convenience stores around any address in James City 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 James City County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

Survey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure

What this means

James City County scores 83 (high) on the Groundwork market score for grocery and convenience stores, ranking #129 of 2,402 scored counties and #8 of 115 scored counties in Virginia. That puts it in the top 10% of counties for grocery and convenience stores.

As of September 2026, map listings count 51 grocery and convenience stores in James City County. 33 of them (65%) are chain locations, against 42% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 15.9, 15% below the U.S. rate of 18.7.

Households in James City County spend about $218.3M a year on groceries, or $6,823 per household, 8% above the U.S. average. That is about $4.3M of household spending for each store on map listings, 26% above the U.S. figure of $3.4M.

The official count of businesses with payroll classed as grocery and convenience stores in James City County was 18 in 2023. That is one for every 1,777 households, against one for every 1,293 across the U.S. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of James City County grew 6.2%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%).

How James City County 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.

Grocery and convenience stores in James City County, VA compared with Virginia and the U.S.
MeasureJames City CountyVirginiaU.S.
Listings per 10k households15.919.118.7
Spending per listing$4.3M$3.4M$3.4M
Households per official establishment1,7771,1521,293
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023n/a+7.3%+7.2%
Population growth, 2020–2025+6.2%+2.8%+3.1%
Spending per household on groceries$6,823$6,537$6,319
Median household income$109,985$93,170$80,734
Groundwork market score8351

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
17 → 18
Employees, 2023
983
Annual payroll, 2023
$28.5M
One-person businesses, 2023
11Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
5133 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
64The 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 James City 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 James City County

Population, 2025 estimate
83,326+6.2% since 2020
Households
31,990
Median age
48.1
Homes lived in by their owners
77%
Vehicles per household
2.0
Land area
142 sq. mi.
People per square mile
569
Median household income
$109,985+25.4% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$135,336
Median home value
$447,200
Jobs located here
27,780
Daytime population
77,881Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in James City 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 James City 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 Virginia

Every Virginia market ranked →

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

Top counties in Virginia

Counties in Virginia ranked for grocery and convenience stores by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Powhatan County, VA951311.5$6M+7.0%#11 of 2,402
2King George County, VA941514.8$4.7M+10.5%#20 of 2,402
3Fluvanna County, VA93109.7$6.7M+6.2%#21 of 2,402
4Orange County, VA872013.5$4.8M+10.1%#76 of 2,402
5Stafford County, VA878917.0$4.4M+8.3%#80 of 2,402
6Loudoun County, VA8521715.2$5.3M+6.4%#98 of 2,402
7Goochland County, VA841514.5$4.9M+17.4%#112 of 2,402
8James City County, VA835115.9$4.3M+6.2%#129 of 2,402
9York County, VA823513.0$5.3M+1.6%#143 of 2,402
10Louisa County, VA812717.4$3.6M+13.6%#171 of 2,402

Other business types in James City County

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

Questions

How many grocery and convenience stores are in James City County, VA?

James City County has 51 grocery and convenience stores on map listings as of September 2026. 33 of them (65%) are chain locations. The listings count grocery, convenience and specialty food stores. Official counts show 18 businesses with payroll classed as grocery and convenience stores in 2023. Official counts also show 11 one-person businesses without payroll.

How much do households in James City County, VA spend on groceries?

About $218.3M a year, or $6,823 per household. That is 8% above the U.S. average (an index of 108, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 51 grocery and convenience stores on map listings, it comes to $4.3M per store. It is estimated from the incomes of the 31,990 households in James City County and national spending patterns by income.

How does James City County, VA compare with the U.S. for grocery and convenience stores?

James City County has 15.9 grocery and convenience stores per 10,000 households, 15% below the U.S. rate of 18.7. Spending per store is $4.3M, 26% above the U.S. figure of $3.4M. At the national ratio of grocery and convenience stores to household spending, James City County would have about 64, against 51 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,777 households, against one for every 1,293 across the U.S.

How fast is James City County, VA growing?

Population estimates put James City County at 83,326 people in 2025, up 6.2% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 31,990 households. Median household income in James City County is $109,985, 36% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 25.4%, 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. James City County scores 83 for grocery and convenience stores (high), #129 of 2,402 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in James City 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 James City County

Screening a site or an acquisition in James City 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 James City 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.