Groundwork

Groceries and convenience · County · California

Grocery stores in Santa Clara County, CA

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

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 62 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #609 of 2,070 scored counties
#6 of 55 scored counties in California

Listings
404
169 chain locations (42%)
Official establishments
338
+3.1% since 2019
Household spending a year
$5B
On groceries · $7,547 a household
Spending per listing
$12.3M
33% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
6.1
10% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
1,914,391
−0.9% since 2020

See the grocery stores around any address in Santa Clara 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 Santa Clara County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Survey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure

What this means

Households in Santa Clara County spend about $5B a year on groceries, or $7,547 per household, 19% above the U.S. average. Spread across 404 grocery stores, that is $12.3M per store, 33% above the U.S. figure of $9.3M. The spending figure covers all groceries, not only grocery stores.

There are 404 grocery stores on map listings in Santa Clara County as of September 2026. 169 of them (42%) are chain locations, against 37% across the U.S. That comes to 6.1 for every 10,000 households, 10% below the U.S. rate of 6.8.

The official count of businesses with payroll classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in Santa Clara County was 338 in 2023, up 3.1% from 2019. That is one for every 1,951 households, against one for every 2,053 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 8 SBA-backed loans worth $8.5M have gone to businesses classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in Santa Clara County.

Population estimates show Santa Clara County declined 0.9% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S. The Groundwork market score for grocery stores in Santa Clara County is 62 (upper middle), #609 of 2,070 scored counties and #6 of 55 scored counties in California.

How Santa Clara 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 Santa Clara County, CA compared with California and the U.S.
MeasureSanta Clara CountyCaliforniaU.S.
Listings per 10k households6.17.26.8
Spending per listing$12.3M$9.1M$9.3M
Households per official establishment1,9511,6842,053
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+3.1%+4.0%0.0%
Population growth, 2020–2025−0.9%−0.4%+3.1%
Spending per household on groceries$7,547$6,548$6,319
Median household income$164,281$99,122$80,734
Groundwork market score6234

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
328 → 338+3.1% over the period
Employees, 2023
14,976
Annual payroll, 2023
$628.8M
One-person businesses, 2023
Not publishedNot published for this business type
Map listings, September 2026
404169 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
535The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
8
Amount
$8.5M

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in Santa Clara 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 Santa Clara County

Population, 2025 estimate
1,914,391−0.9% since 2020
Households
659,353
Median age
39.6
Homes lived in by their owners
55%
Vehicles per household
1.9
Land area
1,291 sq. mi.
People per square mile
1,473
Median household income
$164,281+32.4% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$227,008
Median home value
$1,490,600
Jobs located here
1,140,081
Daytime population
2,082,732Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Santa Clara 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 Santa Clara County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

Grocery stores across California

Every California market ranked →

The highest-scoring counties in California for grocery stores, numbered among those based in California, with Santa Clara 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

Other business types in Santa Clara County

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

Questions

How many grocery stores are in Santa Clara County, CA?

As of September 2026, map listings count 404 grocery stores in Santa Clara County. 169 of them (42%) are chain locations. The listings count grocery stores and supermarkets. Official counts show 338 businesses with payroll classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in 2023, up 3.1% from 2019.

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

About $5B a year, or $7,547 per household. That is 19% above the U.S. average (an index of 119, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 404 grocery stores on map listings, it comes to $12.3M 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 659,353 households in Santa Clara County and national spending patterns by income.

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

Santa Clara County has 6.1 grocery stores per 10,000 households, 10% below the U.S. rate of 6.8. Spending per store is $12.3M, 33% above the U.S. figure of $9.3M. At the U.S. ratio of grocery stores to household spending, Santa Clara County would have about 535, against 404 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,951 households, against one for every 2,053 across the U.S. The official count rose 3.1% from 2019 to 2023, against 0.0% for the U.S.

How fast is Santa Clara County, CA growing?

Population estimates put Santa Clara County at 1,914,391 people in 2025, down 0.9% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 659,353 households. The median household income in Santa Clara County is $164,281 a year, twice the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 32.4% 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. Santa Clara County scores 62 for grocery stores (upper middle), #609 of 2,070 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Santa Clara 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 Santa Clara County

Screening a site or an acquisition in Santa Clara 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 Santa Clara 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.