Groceries and convenience · Metro area · California
Grocery stores in the Chico, CA metro area
The grocery stores in the Chico, CA metro area, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other metro areas.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 27 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #336 of 387 scored metro areas
#14 of 25 scored metro areas based 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 the Chico metro area
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 the Chico 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
The Chico metro area scores 27 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for grocery stores, ranking #336 of 387 scored metro areas and #14 of 25 scored metro areas based in California. That puts it in the bottom quarter of metro areas.
Households in the Chico metro area spend about $484.7M a year on groceries, or $5,818 per household, 8% below the U.S. average. 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.
There are 52 grocery stores on map listings in the Chico metro area as of September 2026. 26 of them (50%) are chain locations, against 37% across the U.S. That is 6.2 per 10,000 households, 9% below the U.S. rate of 6.8.
Official counts show 44 businesses with payroll classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in the Chico metro area 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. Population estimates show the Chico metro area declined 0.5% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How the Chico metro area 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.
| Measure | Chico metro area | California | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 6.2 | 7.2 | 6.8 |
| Spending per listing | $9.3M | $9.1M | $9.3M |
| Households per official establishment | 1,893 | 1,684 | 2,053 |
| 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 score | 27 | 34 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 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 the Chico 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 Chico metro area
- 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 the Chico 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 stores on map listings by name and distance.
Or open the report at the center of the Chico metro area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardGrocery stores across California
Every California market ranked →The highest-scoring metro areas in California for grocery stores, numbered among those based in California, with the Chico metro area marked.
Top metro areas in California
| 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 |
| 14Chico, CA | 27 | 52 | 6.2 | $9.3M | −0.5% | #336 of 387 |
Other business types in the Chico 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 stores34
- Grocery stores27
- Convenience stores37
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 stores are in the Chico, CA metro area?
As of September 2026, map listings count 52 grocery stores in the Chico metro area. 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 the Chico, CA metro area 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 the Chico metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Chico, CA metro area compare with the U.S. for grocery stores?
The Chico metro area 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 the Chico, CA metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Chico metro area 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 the Chico metro area 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. The Chico metro area scores 27 for grocery stores (lower middle), #336 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 Chico metro area. 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 the Chico metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Chico 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 Chico 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.