Market rankings · California

Grocery stores in California

Markets across California ranked by the Groundwork market score for grocery stores, with competitor counts and household spending for each.

Listings: 9,786; 3,492 chain locations (36%)
Official establishments: 8,044; +4.0% since 2019
Household spending a year: $88.7B; On groceries
Listings per 10k households: 7.2; 6% above the U.S.
Spending per listing: $9.1M; 2% below the U.S.
Rank among states: #41 of 51; Market score 34 · Lower middle

A site report maps the grocery stores on map listings around any address in California by name and distance, and the spending within reach.

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

Map listings as of September 2026 show 9,786 grocery stores in California. Of those, 3,492 are chain locations, or 36%, against 37% across the U.S. That comes to 7.2 for every 10,000 households, 6% above the U.S. rate of 6.8.

Households in California spend about $88.7B a year on groceries, or $6,548 per household, 4% above the U.S. average. Spread across 9,786 grocery stores, that is $9.1M per store, 2% below the U.S. figure of $9.3M. That spending covers all groceries, which grocery stores share with other businesses in the trade.

Official counts show 8,044 businesses with payroll classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in California in 2023, up 4.0% from 2019. That is one for every 1,684 households, against one for every 2,053 across the U.S. Across the U.S., the count held level over the same years. Since fiscal 2022, 303 SBA-backed loans worth $298.3M have gone to businesses classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in California.

Among the 50 states and DC, California ranks #41 for grocery stores, with a Groundwork market score of 34 (lower middle). Of the 25 scored metro areas in or partly in California, the Vallejo metro area scores highest (60). Of the 10 scored small-town markets in or partly in California, the Gardnerville Ranchos area scores highest (88).

Every market in California for grocery stores

Download the ranking (CSV)

Numbered by Groundwork market score among the markets based in California, 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

Metro areas reaching California, ranked for grocery stores by Groundwork market score
Market	Score	Listings	Per 10k households	Spending per listing	Population growth	U.S. rank
1Vallejo, CA	60	77	4.9	$13.4M	+0.6%	#122 of 387
2San Jose-Sunnyvale-Santa Clara, CA	56	423	6.2	$12.1M	−0.6%	#150 of 387
3San Diego-Chula Vista-Carlsbad, CA	54	657	5.6	$11.9M	−0.6%	#174 of 387
4Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA	52	557	6.3	$10.2M	+3.2%	#189 of 387
5Riverside-San Bernardino-Ontario, CA	51	906	6.2	$10.1M	+3.5%	#198 of 387
6Los Angeles-Long Beach-Anaheim, CA	36	3,089	6.9	$9.4M	−2.6%	#284 of 387
7Oxnard-Thousand Oaks-Ventura, CA	36	203	7.2	$9.3M	−1.5%	#285 of 387
8San Francisco-Oakland-Fremont, CA	36	1,341	7.7	$9.3M	−2.4%	#286 of 387
9Stockton-Lodi, CA	34	238	9.7	$6.5M	+5.5%	#304 of 387
10Santa Rosa-Petaluma, CA	31	148	7.7	$8.6M	−0.4%	#318 of 387
11San Luis Obispo-Paso Robles, CA	30	89	8.1	$8M	0.0%	#325 of 387
12Redding, CA	28	46	6.5	$9.1M	−0.3%	#331 of 387
13Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA	28	77	7.9	$8.5M	−4.7%	#332 of 387
14Chico, CA	27	52	6.2	$9.3M	−0.5%	#336 of 387
15Santa Maria-Santa Barbara, CA	26	120	8.0	$8.1M	−1.4%	#339 of 387
16Napa, CA	25	43	8.6	$7.9M	−3.3%	#343 of 387
17Yuba City, CA	25	68	11.0	$5.5M	+3.3%	#348 of 387
18Modesto, CA	22	159	8.9	$6.8M	+0.7%	#359 of 387
19Fresno, CA	22	386	10.4	$5.7M	+3.2%	#360 of 387
20Merced, CA	21	80	9.3	$6.1M	+5.1%	#363 of 387
21Bakersfield-Delano, CA	20	257	9.0	$6.5M	+2.3%	#369 of 387
22Salinas, CA	19	161	12.2	$5.3M	−1.5%	#373 of 387
23Visalia, CA	17	171	11.9	$4.9M	+2.4%	#377 of 387
24Hanford-Corcoran, CA	12	59	13.4	$4.3M	+1.0%	#385 of 387
25El Centro, CA	10	59	11.9	$4.6M	+1.1%	#387 of 387

Small-town markets

Small-town markets reaching California, ranked for grocery stores by Groundwork market score
Market	Score	Listings	Per 10k households	Spending per listing	Population growth	U.S. rank
Gardnerville Ranchos, NV-CA	88	7	3.2	$19.8M	+0.9%	#6 of 506
1Crescent City, CA	53	5	5.3	$10.9M	−4.4%	#238 of 506
2Truckee-Grass Valley, CA	53	27	6.3	$10.1M	−0.4%	#239 of 506
3Red Bluff, CA	46	14	5.6	$10M	−1.7%	#301 of 506
4Sonora, CA	37	18	7.9	$7.6M	−4.0%	#376 of 506
5Susanville, CA	25	7	7.6	$7.5M	−13.1%	#447 of 506
6Bishop, CA	25	11	13.7	$4.3M	−4.4%	#451 of 506
7Clearlake, CA	22	28	10.4	$5.4M	−0.6%	#460 of 506
8Eureka-Arcata, CA	17	55	10.0	$5.6M	−3.4%	#483 of 506
9Ukiah, CA	16	44	12.6	$4.6M	−3.5%	#487 of 506

Counties

Counties in California, ranked for grocery stores by Groundwork market score
Market	Score	Listings	Per 10k households	Spending per listing	Population growth	U.S. rank
1Placer County, CA	80	74	4.7	$14.6M	+8.9%	#184 of 2,070
2El Dorado County, CA	69	38	5.0	$13.5M	+0.6%	#427 of 2,070
3Solano County, CA	66	77	4.9	$13.4M	+0.6%	#498 of 2,070
4Riverside County, CA	66	464	6.0	$10.6M	+5.0%	#513 of 2,070
5Contra Costa County, CA	63	242	5.8	$12.1M	+0.3%	#588 of 2,070
6Santa Clara County, CA	62	404	6.1	$12.3M	−0.9%	#609 of 2,070
7Orange County, CA	62	619	5.7	$12M	−1.1%	#610 of 2,070
8San Diego County, CA	61	657	5.6	$11.9M	−0.6%	#643 of 2,070
9San Benito County, CA	60	19	9.2	$7.4M	+8.6%	#693 of 2,070
10Calaveras County, CA	56	11	6.0	$10.3M	+2.8%	#802 of 2,070
11Sacramento County, CA	56	369	6.5	$9.8M	+2.0%	#805 of 2,070
12San Bernardino County, CA	56	442	6.5	$9.4M	+1.9%	#807 of 2,070
13San Mateo County, CA	51	185	7.0	$10.7M	−2.5%	#963 of 2,070
14Marin County, CA	50	69	6.7	$11M	−2.9%	#1,005 of 2,070
15Del Norte County, CA	48	5	5.3	$10.9M	−4.4%	#1,071 of 2,070
16Nevada County, CA	48	27	6.3	$10.1M	−0.4%	#1,072 of 2,070
17Ventura County, CA	48	203	7.2	$9.3M	−1.5%	#1,079 of 2,070
18Amador County, CA	48	13	8.1	$7.6M	+3.2%	#1,092 of 2,070
19Yolo County, CA	47	76	9.9	$6.4M	+3.1%	#1,124 of 2,070
20San Luis Obispo County, CA	46	89	8.1	$8M	0.0%	#1,147 of 2,070
21Shasta County, CA	45	46	6.5	$9.1M	−0.3%	#1,168 of 2,070
22San Joaquin County, CA	45	238	9.7	$6.5M	+5.5%	#1,195 of 2,070
23Yuba County, CA	45	27	9.4	$6.3M	+8.2%	#1,199 of 2,070
24Butte County, CA	44	52	6.2	$9.3M	−0.5%	#1,208 of 2,070
25Los Angeles County, CA	44	2,470	7.2	$8.8M	−3.0%	#1,213 of 2,070

Show all 58 counties

Counties in California, ranked for grocery stores by Groundwork market score, continued
Market	Score	Listings	Per 10k households	Spending per listing	Population growth	U.S. rank
26Sonoma County, CA	44	148	7.7	$8.6M	−0.4%	#1,216 of 2,070
27Alameda County, CA	43	497	8.3	$8.5M	−2.6%	#1,250 of 2,070
28Tehama County, CA	42	14	5.6	$10M	−1.7%	#1,282 of 2,070
29Santa Cruz County, CA	41	77	7.9	$8.5M	−4.7%	#1,317 of 2,070
30Santa Barbara County, CA	40	120	8.0	$8.1M	−1.4%	#1,346 of 2,070
31Madera County, CA	40	51	11.2	$5.3M	+7.4%	#1,376 of 2,070
32Napa County, CA	39	43	8.6	$7.9M	−3.3%	#1,391 of 2,070
33Merced County, CA	37	80	9.3	$6.1M	+5.1%	#1,459 of 2,070
34Stanislaus County, CA	36	159	8.9	$6.8M	+0.7%	#1,480 of 2,070
35Kern County, CA	36	257	9.0	$6.5M	+2.3%	#1,482 of 2,070
36San Francisco County, CA	35	348	9.6	$7.5M	−5.6%	#1,500 of 2,070
37Tuolumne County, CA	34	18	7.9	$7.6M	−4.0%	#1,531 of 2,070
38Fresno County, CA	34	335	10.3	$5.7M	+2.6%	#1,542 of 2,070
39Mono County, CA	33	5	8.7	$7.5M	−5.4%	#1,563 of 2,070
40Monterey County, CA	29	161	12.2	$5.3M	−1.5%	#1,679 of 2,070
41Tulare County, CA	28	171	11.9	$4.9M	+2.4%	#1,706 of 2,070
42Sutter County, CA	26	41	12.3	$4.9M	−0.7%	#1,757 of 2,070
43Inyo County, CA	24	11	13.7	$4.3M	−4.4%	#1,802 of 2,070
44Lassen County, CA	22	7	7.6	$7.5M	−13.1%	#1,833 of 2,070
45Glenn County, CA	22	9	9.2	$6.2M	−2.6%	#1,835 of 2,070
46Mariposa County, CA	22	8	10.7	$5.5M	−1.2%	#1,837 of 2,070
47Imperial County, CA	22	59	11.9	$4.6M	+1.1%	#1,848 of 2,070
48Kings County, CA	22	59	13.4	$4.3M	+1.0%	#1,849 of 2,070
49Lake County, CA	21	28	10.4	$5.4M	−0.6%	#1,864 of 2,070
50Colusa County, CA	20	10	13.3	$4.4M	−0.1%	#1,885 of 2,070
51Humboldt County, CA	17	55	10.0	$5.6M	−3.4%	#1,920 of 2,070
52Mendocino County, CA	15	44	12.6	$4.6M	−3.5%	#1,959 of 2,070
53Plumas County, CA	12	12	14.9	$3.9M	−5.9%	#1,993 of 2,070
54Trinity County, CA	11	6	10.7	$5M	−2.3%	#1,999 of 2,070
55Siskiyou County, CA	9	25	13.1	$4.2M	−4.5%	#2,026 of 2,070
Modoc County, CA	Not scored	8	24.5	$2.2M	−2.9%
Sierra County, CA	Not scored	3	24.6	$2.3M	−4.0%
Alpine County, CA	Not scored	1	23.0	$2.9M	−11.6%

Markets with fewer than 5 grocery stores on map listings, and counties under 10,000 people, aren’t scored; they’re listed last in each table.

Questions

How many grocery stores are in California?

There are 9,786 grocery stores on map listings in California as of September 2026. 3,492 of them (36%) are chain locations. The listings count grocery stores and supermarkets. Official counts show 8,044 businesses with payroll classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in 2023, up 4.0% from 2019.

How much do households in California spend on groceries?

About $88.7B a year, or $6,548 per household. That is 4% above the U.S. average (an index of 104, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 9,786 grocery stores on map listings, it comes to $9.1M per store. The spending figure covers all groceries, not only grocery stores. It is estimated from the incomes of the 13,548,091 households in California and national spending patterns by income.

How does California compare with the U.S. for grocery stores?

California has 7.2 grocery stores per 10,000 households, 6% above the U.S. rate of 6.8. Spending per store is $9.1M, 2% below the U.S. figure of $9.3M. At the national ratio of grocery stores to household spending, California would have about 9,545, against 9,786 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,684 households, against one for every 2,053 across the U.S. The official count rose 4.0% from 2019 to 2023, against 0.0% for the U.S.

Which market in California has the highest market score for grocery stores?

Among 25 scored metro areas in or partly in California, the Vallejo metro area scores highest, at 60 (upper middle). Among 10 scored small-town markets in or partly in California, the Gardnerville Ranchos area scores highest, at 88 (high). Among 55 scored counties in California, Placer 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. California scores 34 for grocery stores (lower middle), #41 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 California. It maps the grocery 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 stores24,469 listings
Convenience stores9,019 listings

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