Groceries and convenience · Metro area · Washington
Grocery and convenience stores in the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA metro area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for grocery and convenience stores in the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA metro area, set against other metro areas and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 72 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #47 of 387 scored metro areas
#3 of 11 scored metro areas based in Washington
- Listings
- 2,462
- 950 chain locations (39%)
- Official establishments
- 1,154
- +7.1% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $11.1B
- On groceries · $6,872 a household
- Spending per listing
- $4.5M
- 33% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 15.3
- 18% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 4,161,883
- +3.3% since 2020
See the grocery and convenience stores around any address in the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue metro area
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 the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue metro area. 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
Households in the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue metro area spend about $11.1B a year on groceries, or $6,872 per household, 9% above the U.S. average. Spread across 2,462 grocery and convenience stores, that is $4.5M per store, 33% above the U.S. figure of $3.4M.
There are 2,462 grocery and convenience stores on map listings in the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue metro area as of September 2026. 950 of them (39%) are chain locations, against 42% across the U.S. That comes to 15.3 for every 10,000 households, 18% below the U.S. rate of 18.7.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as grocery and convenience stores in the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue metro area was 1,154 in 2023, up 7.1% from 2019. That is one for every 1,394 households, against one for every 1,293 across the U.S. Official counts also show 546 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 103 SBA-backed loans worth $88.2M have gone to businesses classed as grocery and convenience stores in the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue metro area.
Population estimates put the population change in the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue metro area from 2020 to 2025 at +3.3%, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for grocery and convenience stores in the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue metro area is 72 (upper middle), #47 of 387 scored metro areas and #3 of 11 scored metro areas based in Washington. That puts it in the top quarter of metro areas.
How the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue metro area compares
The same measures for Washington 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 | Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue metro area | Washington | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 15.3 | 16.9 | 18.7 |
| Spending per listing | $4.5M | $3.9M | $3.4M |
| Households per official establishment | 1,394 | 1,353 | 1,293 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +7.1% | +10.2% | +7.2% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +3.3% | +3.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on groceries | $6,872 | $6,520 | $6,319 |
| Median household income | $115,177 | $98,141 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 72 | 67 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 1,154+7.1% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 34,770
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $1.4B
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 546Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 2,462950 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 3,263The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 103
- Amount
- $88.2M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as grocery and convenience stores in the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue metro area, 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 the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 4,161,883+3.3% since 2020
- Households
- 1,608,596
- Median age
- 38.9
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 60%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 5,870 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 692
- Median household income
- $115,177+32.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $158,706
- Median home value
- $717,500
- Jobs located here
- 2,129,194
- Daytime population
- 4,229,343Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue metro area?
These figures cover the whole metro area. 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 the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue metro area. 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 Washington
Every Washington market ranked →The highest-scoring metro areas in Washington for grocery and convenience stores, numbered among those based in Washington (a market based in another state is listed without a number), with the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue metro area marked.
Top metro areas in Washington
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Bremerton-Silverdale-Port Orchard, WA | 77 | 138 | 12.7 | $5.2M | +2.7% | #22 of 387 |
| 2Olympia-Lacey-Tumwater, WA | 74 | 163 | 13.7 | $4.6M | +2.8% | #35 of 387 |
| 3Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA | 72 | 2,462 | 15.3 | $4.5M | +3.3% | #47 of 387 |
| 4Spokane-Spokane Valley, WA | 66 | 341 | 14.3 | $4.2M | +3.5% | #84 of 387 |
| Portland-Vancouver-Hillsboro, OR-WA | 57 | 1,653 | 16.4 | $4M | +1.0% | #147 of 387 |
| 5Kennewick-Richland, WA | 56 | 209 | 19.4 | $3.2M | +6.5% | #163 of 387 |
| Lewiston, ID-WA | 47 | 47 | 17.6 | $3.3M | +1.5% | #220 of 387 |
| 6Longview-Kelso, WA | 45 | 79 | 18.0 | $3.3M | +3.5% | #233 of 387 |
| 7Bellingham, WA | 45 | 193 | 20.5 | $3M | +3.9% | #234 of 387 |
| 8Mount Vernon-Anacortes, WA | 37 | 121 | 23.1 | $2.7M | +2.4% | #289 of 387 |
Other business types in the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue metro area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
- Grocery and convenience stores72
- Grocery stores51
- Convenience stores79
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 the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA metro area?
As of September 2026, map listings count 2,462 grocery and convenience stores in the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue metro area. 950 of them (39%) are chain locations. The listings count grocery, convenience and specialty food stores. Official counts show 1,154 businesses with payroll classed as grocery and convenience stores in 2023, up 7.1% from 2019. Another 546 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA metro area spend on groceries?
About $11.1B a year, or $6,872 per household. That is 9% above the U.S. average (an index of 109, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 2,462 grocery and convenience stores on map listings, it comes to $4.5M per store. It is estimated from the incomes of the 1,608,596 households in the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA metro area compare with the U.S. for grocery and convenience stores?
The Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue metro area has 15.3 grocery and convenience stores per 10,000 households, 18% below the U.S. rate of 18.7. Spending per store is $4.5M, 33% above the U.S. figure of $3.4M. At the U.S. ratio of grocery and convenience stores to household spending, the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue metro area would have about 3,263, against 2,462 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,394 households, against one for every 1,293 across the U.S. The official count rose 7.1% from 2019 to 2023, against +7.2% for the U.S.
How fast is the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue, WA metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue metro area at 4,161,883 people in 2025, up 3.3% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 1,608,596 households. The median household income in the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue metro area is $115,177 a year, 43% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 32.6% 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. The Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue metro area scores 72 for grocery and convenience stores (upper middle), #47 of 387 scored metro areas.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue metro area. 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 the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue metro area?
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 the Seattle-Tacoma-Bellevue metro area. 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.