Groceries and convenience · County · California
Grocery stores in Humboldt County, CA
How Humboldt County, CA compares with other counties and the U.S. for grocery stores: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 17 out of 100: Low
Ranked #1,920 of 2,070 scored counties
#51 of 55 scored counties in California
- Listings
- 55
- 16 chain locations (29%)
- Official establishments
- 47
- +4.4% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $309.2M
- On groceries · $5,630 a household
- Spending per listing
- $5.6M
- 40% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 10.0
- 47% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 131,647
- −3.4% since 2020
See the grocery stores around any address in Humboldt 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 Humboldt County. 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
For grocery stores, Humboldt County has a Groundwork market score of 17 (low): #1,920 of 2,070 scored counties and #51 of 55 scored counties in California. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
At $5,630 per household (11% below the U.S. average), households in Humboldt County spend about $309.2M a year on groceries. That is about $5.6M of household spending for each store on map listings, 40% below the U.S. figure of $9.3M. The spending figure covers all groceries, not only grocery stores.
There are 55 grocery stores on map listings in Humboldt County as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 29% of them, against 37% across the U.S. That is 10.0 per 10,000 households, 47% above the U.S. rate of 6.8.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in Humboldt County was 47 in 2023, up 4.4% from 2019. That is one for every 1,169 households, against one for every 2,053 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $793K have gone to businesses classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in Humboldt County. Population estimates put the population change in Humboldt County from 2020 to 2025 at −3.4%, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How Humboldt 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.
| Measure | Humboldt County | California | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 10.0 | 7.2 | 6.8 |
| Spending per listing | $5.6M | $9.1M | $9.3M |
| Households per official establishment | 1,169 | 1,684 | 2,053 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +4.4% | +4.0% | 0.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −3.4% | −0.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on groceries | $5,630 | $6,548 | $6,319 |
| Median household income | $61,160 | $99,122 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 17 | 34 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 45 → 47+4.4% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,623
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $58.6M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 5516 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 33The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 2
- Amount
- $793K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in Humboldt 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 Humboldt County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 131,647−3.4% since 2020
- Households
- 54,922
- Median age
- 40.4
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 57%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 3,568 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 38
- Median household income
- $61,160+27.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $86,194
- Median home value
- $446,900
- Jobs located here
- 48,178
- Daytime population
- 133,286Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Humboldt 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 Humboldt County. 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 counties in California for grocery stores, numbered among those based in California, with Humboldt County marked.
Top counties in California
| 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 |
| 51Humboldt County, CA | 17 | 55 | 10.0 | $5.6M | −3.4% | #1,920 of 2,070 |
Other business types in Humboldt County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
- Grocery and convenience stores31
- Grocery stores17
- Convenience stores62
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 Humboldt County, CA?
As of September 2026, map listings count 55 grocery stores in Humboldt County. 16 of them (29%) are chain locations. The listings count grocery stores and supermarkets. Official counts show 47 businesses with payroll classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in 2023, up 4.4% from 2019.
How much do households in Humboldt County, CA spend on groceries?
About $309.2M a year, or $5,630 per household. That is 11% below the U.S. average (an index of 89, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 55 grocery stores on map listings, it comes to $5.6M 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 54,922 households in Humboldt County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Humboldt County, CA compare with the U.S. for grocery stores?
Humboldt County has 10.0 grocery stores per 10,000 households, 47% above the U.S. rate of 6.8. Spending per store is $5.6M, 40% below the U.S. figure of $9.3M. At the U.S. ratio of grocery stores to household spending, Humboldt County would have about 33, against 55 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,169 households, against one for every 2,053 across the U.S. The official count rose 4.4% from 2019 to 2023, against 0.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Humboldt County, CA growing?
Population estimates put Humboldt County at 131,647 people in 2025, down 3.4% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 54,922 households. The median household income in Humboldt County is $61,160 a year, 24% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 27.3% 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. Humboldt County scores 17 for grocery stores (low), #1,920 of 2,070 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Humboldt 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 Humboldt County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Humboldt 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 Humboldt 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.