Groundwork

Groceries and convenience · County · California

Grocery stores in Butte County, CA

The grocery stores in Butte County, CA, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 44 out of 100: Lower middle

Ranked #1,208 of 2,070 scored counties
#24 of 55 scored counties in California

Listings
52
26 chain locations (50%)
Official establishments
44
+7.3% since 2019
Household spending a year
$484.7M
On groceries · $5,818 a household
Spending per listing
$9.3M
In line with the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
6.2
9% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
209,211
−0.5% since 2020

See the grocery stores around any address in Butte County

The site report maps the grocery 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 Butte 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

At $5,818 per household (8% below the U.S. average), households in Butte County spend about $484.7M a year on groceries. That works out to $9.3M per store, in line with the U.S. figure of $9.3M. The spending figure covers all groceries, not only grocery stores.

Butte County has 52 grocery stores on map listings as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 50% of them, against 37% across the U.S. That comes to 6.2 for every 10,000 households, 9% below the U.S. rate of 6.8.

The official count of businesses with payroll classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in Butte County was 44 in 2023, up 7.3% from 2019. That is one for every 1,893 households, against one for every 2,053 across the U.S.

Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Butte County declined 0.5%, against +3.1% for the U.S. Butte County scores 44 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for grocery stores, ranking #1,208 of 2,070 scored counties and #24 of 55 scored counties in California.

How Butte County compares

The same measures for California and the whole U.S. Spending per listing divides a year of household spending on all groceries by the grocery 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 stores in Butte County, CA compared with California and the U.S.
MeasureButte CountyCaliforniaU.S.
Listings per 10k households6.27.26.8
Spending per listing$9.3M$9.1M$9.3M
Households per official establishment1,8931,6842,053
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+7.3%+4.0%0.0%
Population growth, 2020–2025−0.5%−0.4%+3.1%
Spending per household on groceries$5,818$6,548$6,319
Median household income$67,928$99,122$80,734
Groundwork market score4434

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
41 → 44+7.3% over the period
Employees, 2023
1,838
Annual payroll, 2023
$64.4M
One-person businesses, 2023
Not publishedNot published for this business type
Map listings, September 2026
5226 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
52The 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 supermarkets and grocery stores in Butte 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 Butte County

Population, 2025 estimate
209,211−0.5% since 2020
Households
83,312
Median age
38.7
Homes lived in by their owners
57%
Vehicles per household
1.9
Land area
1,637 sq. mi.
People per square mile
127
Median household income
$67,928+29.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$95,439
Median home value
$424,700
Jobs located here
75,172
Daytime population
203,711Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Butte 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 stores on map listings by name and distance.

Or open the report at the center of Butte County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Grocery stores across California

Every California market ranked →

The highest-scoring counties in California for grocery stores, numbered among those based in California, with Butte County marked.

Top counties in California

Counties in California ranked for grocery stores by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Placer County, CA80744.7$14.6M+8.9%#184 of 2,070
2El Dorado County, CA69385.0$13.5M+0.6%#427 of 2,070
3Solano County, CA66774.9$13.4M+0.6%#498 of 2,070
4Riverside County, CA664646.0$10.6M+5.0%#513 of 2,070
5Contra Costa County, CA632425.8$12.1M+0.3%#588 of 2,070
6Santa Clara County, CA624046.1$12.3M−0.9%#609 of 2,070
7Orange County, CA626195.7$12M−1.1%#610 of 2,070
8San Diego County, CA616575.6$11.9M−0.6%#643 of 2,070
9San Benito County, CA60199.2$7.4M+8.6%#693 of 2,070
10Calaveras County, CA56116.0$10.3M+2.8%#802 of 2,070
24Butte County, CA44526.2$9.3M−0.5%#1,208 of 2,070

Other business types in Butte County

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

Questions

How many grocery stores are in Butte County, CA?

Map listings as of September 2026 show 52 grocery stores in Butte County. 26 of them (50%) are chain locations. The listings count grocery stores and supermarkets. Official counts show 44 businesses with payroll classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in 2023, up 7.3% from 2019.

How much do households in Butte County, CA spend on groceries?

About $484.7M a year, or $5,818 per household. That is 8% below the U.S. average (an index of 92, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 52 grocery stores on map listings, it comes to $9.3M per store. That spending covers all groceries, which grocery stores share with other businesses in the trade. It is estimated from the incomes of the 83,312 households in Butte County and national spending patterns by income.

How does Butte County, CA compare with the U.S. for grocery stores?

Butte County has 6.2 grocery stores per 10,000 households, 9% below the U.S. rate of 6.8. Spending per store is $9.3M, in line with the U.S. figure of $9.3M. The count on map listings matches the U.S. ratio of grocery stores to household spending. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,893 households, against one for every 2,053 across the U.S. The official count rose 7.3% from 2019 to 2023, against 0.0% for the U.S.

How fast is Butte County, CA growing?

Population estimates put Butte County at 209,211 people in 2025, down 0.5% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 83,312 households. The median household income in Butte County is $67,928 a year, 16% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 29.3% 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. Butte County scores 44 for grocery stores (lower middle), #1,208 of 2,070 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Butte County. 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.

How the score works · Top markets for grocery stores · All 56 business types in Butte County

Screening a site or an acquisition in Butte 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 Butte 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.