Groceries and convenience · County · California
Grocery stores in San Mateo County, CA
How San Mateo 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 51 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #963 of 2,070 scored counties
#13 of 55 scored counties in California
- Listings
- 185
- 67 chain locations (36%)
- Official establishments
- 182
- +3.4% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $2B
- On groceries · $7,490 a household
- Spending per listing
- $10.7M
- 15% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 7.0
- 3% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 743,568
- −2.5% since 2020
See the grocery stores around any address in San Mateo 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 San Mateo 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
Household spending on groceries in San Mateo County comes to about $2B a year: $7,490 per household, 19% above the U.S. average. That works out to $10.7M per store, 15% above the U.S. figure of $9.3M. The spending figure covers all groceries, not only grocery stores.
There are 185 grocery stores on map listings in San Mateo County as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 36% of them, against 37% across the U.S. That comes to 7.0 for every 10,000 households, 3% above the U.S. rate of 6.8.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in San Mateo County was 182 in 2023, up 3.4% from 2019. That is one for every 1,453 households, against one for every 2,053 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 9 SBA-backed loans worth $7.6M have gone to businesses classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in San Mateo County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of San Mateo County declined 2.5%, against +3.1% for the U.S. The Groundwork market score for grocery stores in San Mateo County is 51 (upper middle), #963 of 2,070 scored counties and #13 of 55 scored counties in California.
How San Mateo 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 | San Mateo County | California | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 7.0 | 7.2 | 6.8 |
| Spending per listing | $10.7M | $9.1M | $9.3M |
| Households per official establishment | 1,453 | 1,684 | 2,053 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +3.4% | +4.0% | 0.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −2.5% | −0.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on groceries | $7,490 | $6,548 | $6,319 |
| Median household income | $158,855 | $99,122 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 51 | 34 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 176 → 182+3.4% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 7,865
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $320.1M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 18567 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 213The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 9
- Amount
- $7.6M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in San Mateo 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 San Mateo County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 743,568−2.5% since 2020
- Households
- 264,419
- Median age
- 41.8
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 58%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 449 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 1,655
- Median household income
- $158,855+29.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $231,822
- Median home value
- $1,559,600
- Jobs located here
- 425,111
- Daytime population
- 795,447Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in San Mateo 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 San Mateo 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 San Mateo 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 |
| 13San Mateo County, CA | 51 | 185 | 7.0 | $10.7M | −2.5% | #963 of 2,070 |
Other business types in San Mateo County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
- Grocery and convenience stores62
- Grocery stores51
- Convenience stores78
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 San Mateo County, CA?
As of September 2026, map listings count 185 grocery stores in San Mateo County. 67 of them (36%) are chain locations. The listings count grocery stores and supermarkets. Official counts show 182 businesses with payroll classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in 2023, up 3.4% from 2019.
How much do households in San Mateo County, CA spend on groceries?
About $2B a year, or $7,490 per household. That is 19% above the U.S. average (an index of 119, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 185 grocery stores on map listings, it comes to $10.7M 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 264,419 households in San Mateo County and national spending patterns by income.
How does San Mateo County, CA compare with the U.S. for grocery stores?
San Mateo County has 7.0 grocery stores per 10,000 households, 3% above the U.S. rate of 6.8. Spending per store is $10.7M, 15% above the U.S. figure of $9.3M. At the U.S. ratio of grocery stores to household spending, San Mateo County would have about 213, against 185 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,453 households, against one for every 2,053 across the U.S. The official count rose 3.4% from 2019 to 2023, against 0.0% for the U.S.
How fast is San Mateo County, CA growing?
Population estimates put San Mateo County at 743,568 people in 2025, down 2.5% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 264,419 households. The median household income in San Mateo County is $158,855 a year, 97% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 29.5% 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. San Mateo County scores 51 for grocery stores (upper middle), #963 of 2,070 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in San Mateo 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 San Mateo County
Screening a site or an acquisition in San Mateo 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 San Mateo 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.