Market rankings · West Virginia
Grocery and convenience stores in West Virginia
Every metro area, small-town market and county in West Virginia, ranked by the Groundwork market score for grocery and convenience stores, with competitor counts and household spending for each.
- Listings
- 1,514
- 784 chain locations (52%)
- Official establishments
- 386
- −3.7% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $4.1B
- On groceries
- Listings per 10k households
- 20.8
- 11% above the U.S.
- Spending per listing
- $2.7M
- 20% below the U.S.
- Rank among states
- #48 of 51
- Market score 24 · Low
A site report maps the grocery and convenience stores on map listings around any address in West Virginia by name and distance, and the spending within reach.
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
West Virginia has 1,514 grocery and convenience stores on map listings as of September 2026. 784 of them (52%) are chain locations, against 42% across the U.S. That is 20.8 per 10,000 households, 11% above the U.S. rate of 18.7.
Households in West Virginia spend about $4.1B a year on groceries, or $5,613 per household, 11% below the U.S. average. That works out to $2.7M per store, 20% below the U.S. figure of $3.4M.
Official counts show 386 businesses with payroll classed as grocery and convenience stores in West Virginia in 2023, down 3.7% from 2019. That is one for every 1,888 households, against one for every 1,293 across the U.S. Across the U.S., the count rose 7.2% over the same years. Since fiscal 2022, 6 SBA-backed loans worth $2M have gone to businesses classed as grocery and convenience stores in West Virginia.
Among the 50 states and DC, West Virginia ranks #48 for grocery and convenience stores, with a Groundwork market score of 24 (low). Of the 10 scored metro areas in or partly in West Virginia, the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area scores highest (72). Of the 5 scored small-town markets in or partly in West Virginia, the Fairmont area scores highest (52).
Every market in West Virginia for grocery and convenience stores
Download the ranking (CSV)Numbered by Groundwork market score among the markets based in West Virginia, highest first; the U.S. rank compares each market with every other of its kind. A metro area that crosses a state line is listed in each state it reaches, and numbered only in the state its page is under. How the score works.
Metro areas
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | 72 | 3,408 | 14.4 | $5M | +3.3% | #45 of 387 |
| Hagerstown-Martinsburg, MD-WV | 60 | 208 | 17.6 | $3.5M | +7.1% | #129 of 387 |
| 1Morgantown, WV | 54 | 107 | 18.6 | $3.1M | +1.3% | #177 of 387 |
| Winchester, VA-WV | 50 | 135 | 24.3 | $2.6M | +6.5% | #204 of 387 |
| 2Parkersburg-Vienna, WV | 36 | 73 | 19.3 | $2.9M | −2.3% | #293 of 387 |
| 3Huntington-Ashland, WV-KY-OH | 34 | 272 | 17.9 | $3.1M | −2.6% | #302 of 387 |
| 4Charleston, WV | 34 | 164 | 18.8 | $3M | −4.7% | #303 of 387 |
| 5Weirton-Steubenville, WV-OH | 26 | 94 | 18.9 | $2.9M | −3.6% | #342 of 387 |
| 6Wheeling, WV-OH | 20 | 118 | 20.3 | $2.7M | −3.6% | #361 of 387 |
| 7Beckley, WV | 19 | 90 | 20.0 | $2.7M | −4.3% | #365 of 387 |
Small-town markets
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Fairmont, WV | 52 | 57 | 24.4 | $2.4M | −1.2% | #271 of 538 |
| 2Bluefield, WV-VA | 45 | 76 | 18.8 | $2.9M | −3.8% | #330 of 538 |
| Cumberland, MD-WV | 43 | 74 | 19.2 | $2.9M | −1.3% | #352 of 538 |
| 3Clarksburg, WV | 40 | 97 | 27.3 | $2.1M | −2.4% | #382 of 538 |
| 4Elkins, WV | 38 | 28 | 26.2 | $2.1M | −3.6% | #400 of 538 |
Counties
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Berkeley County, WV | 80 | 82 | 16.1 | $3.8M | +13.7% | #185 of 2,402 |
| 2Monongalia County, WV | 72 | 76 | 17.0 | $3.5M | +2.0% | #393 of 2,402 |
| 3Jefferson County, WV | 71 | 47 | 20.6 | $3.2M | +9.2% | #422 of 2,402 |
| 4Morgan County, WV | 70 | 12 | 16.3 | $3.6M | +5.5% | #441 of 2,402 |
| 5Putnam County, WV | 68 | 42 | 18.1 | $3.4M | −1.0% | #503 of 2,402 |
| 6Mason County, WV | 58 | 14 | 13.7 | $3.9M | −2.7% | #856 of 2,402 |
| 7Barbour County, WV | 54 | 9 | 14.6 | $3.6M | −0.3% | #1,011 of 2,402 |
| 8Hampshire County, WV | 54 | 19 | 22.0 | $2.6M | +4.4% | #1,042 of 2,402 |
| 9Wood County, WV | 53 | 69 | 19.3 | $2.9M | −2.1% | #1,074 of 2,402 |
| 10Cabell County, WV | 52 | 64 | 16.3 | $3.4M | −3.2% | #1,107 of 2,402 |
| 11Wayne County, WV | 51 | 23 | 14.6 | $3.8M | −4.0% | #1,150 of 2,402 |
| 12Kanawha County, WV | 51 | 141 | 18.4 | $3.1M | −4.3% | #1,161 of 2,402 |
| 13Fayette County, WV | 50 | 24 | 15.0 | $3.6M | −5.6% | #1,191 of 2,402 |
| 14Preston County, WV | 50 | 31 | 24.2 | $2.3M | −0.6% | #1,217 of 2,402 |
| 15Jackson County, WV | 48 | 27 | 23.4 | $2.4M | −1.0% | #1,297 of 2,402 |
| 16Marion County, WV | 47 | 57 | 24.4 | $2.4M | −1.2% | #1,333 of 2,402 |
| 17Marshall County, WV | 43 | 21 | 16.8 | $3.3M | −4.4% | #1,465 of 2,402 |
| 18Mercer County, WV | 43 | 46 | 19.0 | $2.9M | −3.4% | #1,472 of 2,402 |
| 19Upshur County, WV | 42 | 22 | 23.0 | $2.4M | −0.3% | #1,522 of 2,402 |
| 20Greenbrier County, WV | 41 | 31 | 21.0 | $2.5M | −4.0% | #1,549 of 2,402 |
| 21Randolph County, WV | 38 | 28 | 26.2 | $2.1M | −3.6% | #1,675 of 2,402 |
| 22Hancock County, WV | 37 | 24 | 18.7 | $3M | −4.5% | #1,697 of 2,402 |
| 23Mingo County, WV | 37 | 18 | 19.3 | $2.6M | −8.7% | #1,705 of 2,402 |
| 24Roane County, WV | 36 | 9 | 15.8 | $3.3M | −4.8% | #1,733 of 2,402 |
| 25Monroe County, WV | 36 | 10 | 21.6 | $2.5M | +0.8% | #1,739 of 2,402 |
Show all 55 counties
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26Taylor County, WV | 35 | 14 | 21.2 | $2.6M | −2.4% | #1,778 of 2,402 |
| 27Hardy County, WV | 35 | 14 | 23.5 | $2.3M | +0.7% | #1,787 of 2,402 |
| 28Logan County, WV | 33 | 22 | 17.2 | $3.1M | −6.6% | #1,844 of 2,402 |
| 29Ohio County, WV | 32 | 40 | 21.8 | $2.6M | −4.4% | #1,886 of 2,402 |
| 30Harrison County, WV | 31 | 79 | 30.0 | $1.9M | −2.5% | #1,930 of 2,402 |
| 31Lincoln County, WV | 29 | 19 | 24.8 | $2.1M | −5.8% | #1,976 of 2,402 |
| 32Nicholas County, WV | 28 | 25 | 26.4 | $2M | −2.9% | #2,008 of 2,402 |
| 33Brooke County, WV | 27 | 24 | 24.8 | $2.2M | −6.0% | #2,037 of 2,402 |
| 34Mineral County, WV | 27 | 29 | 26.1 | $2.2M | −0.4% | #2,038 of 2,402 |
| 35Raleigh County, WV | 26 | 66 | 22.8 | $2.4M | −3.5% | #2,060 of 2,402 |
| 36Grant County, WV | 26 | 11 | 25.0 | $2.2M | +0.4% | #2,064 of 2,402 |
| 37Summers County, WV | 26 | 11 | 23.5 | $2.2M | −3.3% | #2,065 of 2,402 |
| 38Boone County, WV | 23 | 19 | 24.0 | $2.3M | −6.9% | #2,142 of 2,402 |
| 39Wetzel County, WV | 23 | 16 | 26.2 | $2.1M | −4.6% | #2,145 of 2,402 |
| 40Lewis County, WV | 20 | 20 | 28.7 | $1.9M | −3.7% | #2,213 of 2,402 |
| 41Wyoming County, WV | 20 | 24 | 29.7 | $1.7M | −7.1% | #2,216 of 2,402 |
| 42Braxton County, WV | 17 | 20 | 41.8 | $1.3M | −4.1% | #2,279 of 2,402 |
| 43McDowell County, WV | 16 | 13 | 20.1 | $2.3M | −10.9% | #2,281 of 2,402 |
| Ritchie County, WV | Not scored | 10 | 29.5 | $1.8M | −4.6% | |
| Webster County, WV | Not scored | 10 | 34.5 | $1.5M | −7.1% | |
| Tyler County, WV | Not scored | 7 | 21.2 | $2.7M | −5.0% | |
| Clay County, WV | Not scored | 4 | 13.5 | $3.8M | −5.9% | |
| Pocahontas County, WV | Not scored | 14 | 44.0 | $1.2M | −3.3% | |
| Doddridge County, WV | Not scored | 4 | 15.7 | $3.6M | −1.9% | |
| Pleasants County, WV | Not scored | 5 | 18.1 | $3.1M | −4.1% | |
| Gilmer County, WV | Not scored | 12 | 53.2 | $960K | −4.2% | |
| Tucker County, WV | Not scored | 13 | 45.8 | $1.2M | −3.1% | |
| Calhoun County, WV | Not scored | 9 | 35.6 | $1.4M | −3.6% | |
| Pendleton County, WV | Not scored | 10 | 42.7 | $1.3M | −4.9% | |
| Wirt County, WV | Not scored | 4 | 19.6 | $2.7M | −5.9% |
Markets with fewer than 5 grocery and convenience stores on map listings, and counties under 10,000 people, aren’t scored; they’re listed last in each table.
Questions
How many grocery and convenience stores are in West Virginia?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 1,514 grocery and convenience stores in West Virginia. 784 of them (52%) are chain locations. The listings count grocery, convenience and specialty food stores. Official counts show 386 businesses with payroll classed as grocery and convenience stores in 2023, down 3.7% from 2019. Another 214 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in West Virginia spend on groceries?
About $4.1B a year, or $5,613 per household. That is 11% below the U.S. average (an index of 89, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 1,514 grocery and convenience stores on map listings, it comes to $2.7M per store. It is estimated from the incomes of the 728,655 households in West Virginia and national spending patterns by income.
How does West Virginia compare with the U.S. for grocery and convenience stores?
West Virginia has 20.8 grocery and convenience stores per 10,000 households, 11% above the U.S. rate of 18.7. Spending per store is $2.7M, 20% below the U.S. figure of $3.4M. At the U.S. ratio of grocery and convenience stores to household spending, West Virginia would have about 1,207, against 1,514 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,888 households, against one for every 1,293 across the U.S. The official count fell 3.7% from 2019 to 2023, against +7.2% for the U.S.
Which market in West Virginia has the highest market score for grocery and convenience stores?
Among 10 scored metro areas in or partly in West Virginia, the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area scores highest, at 72 (upper middle). Among 5 scored small-town markets in or partly in West Virginia, the Fairmont area scores highest, at 52 (upper middle). Among 43 scored counties in West Virginia, Berkeley County scores highest, at 80 (high). Scores compare each market with others of its kind across the U.S.
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. West Virginia scores 24 for grocery and convenience stores (low), #48 of the 50 states and DC.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in West Virginia. 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.
Grocery and convenience stores in other states
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Top markets for grocery and convenience stores across the U.S. · All business types in West Virginia
Related business types in West Virginia
- Grocery stores470 listings
- Convenience stores866 listings
Screening a site or an acquisition in West Virginia?
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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.