Groceries and convenience · Metro area · Connecticut
Grocery stores in the Waterbury-Shelton, CT metro area
How the Waterbury-Shelton, CT metro area compares with other metro areas and the U.S. for grocery stores: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 50 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #205 of 387 scored metro areas
#2 of 5 scored metro areas based in Connecticut
- Listings
- 133
- 53 chain locations (40%)
- Official establishments
- 93
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $1.3B
- On groceries · $6,946 a household
- Spending per listing
- $9.4M
- In line with the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 7.4
- 9% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 463,349
- +3.2% since 2020
See the grocery stores around any address in the Waterbury-Shelton 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 Waterbury-Shelton 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
Map listings as of September 2026 show 133 grocery stores in the Waterbury-Shelton metro area. Chain locations make up 40% of them, against 37% across the U.S. That comes to 7.4 for every 10,000 households, 9% above the U.S. rate of 6.8.
Households in the Waterbury-Shelton metro area spend about $1.3B a year on groceries, or $6,946 per household, 10% above the U.S. average. Spread across 133 grocery stores, that is $9.4M per store, in line with the U.S. figure of $9.3M. That spending covers all groceries, which grocery stores share with other businesses in the trade.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in the Waterbury-Shelton metro area was 93 in 2023. That is one for every 1,937 households, against one for every 2,053 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 3 SBA-backed loans worth $125K have gone to businesses classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in the Waterbury-Shelton metro area.
Population estimates show the Waterbury-Shelton metro area grew 3.2% from 2020 to 2025, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). The Waterbury-Shelton metro area scores 50 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for grocery stores, ranking #205 of 387 scored metro areas and #2 of 5 scored metro areas based in Connecticut.
How the Waterbury-Shelton metro area compares
The same measures for Connecticut 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 | Waterbury-Shelton metro area | Connecticut | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 7.4 | 7.9 | 6.8 |
| Spending per listing | $9.4M | $9.1M | $9.3M |
| Households per official establishment | 1,937 | 1,870 | 2,053 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | −3.9% | 0.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +3.2% | +3.0% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on groceries | $6,946 | $7,222 | $6,319 |
| Median household income | $86,191 | $95,781 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 50 | 51 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 93
- Employees, 2023
- 4,977
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $137.3M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 13353 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 135The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 3
- Amount
- $125K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in the Waterbury-Shelton 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 Waterbury-Shelton metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 463,349+3.2% since 2020
- Households
- 180,116
- Median age
- 42.6
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 69%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.7
- Land area
- 413 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 1,102
- Median household income
- $86,191
- Average household income
- $114,324
- Median home value
- $317,700
- Jobs located here
- 164,434
- Daytime population
- 395,318Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Waterbury-Shelton 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 Waterbury-Shelton 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 Connecticut
Every Connecticut market ranked →The highest-scoring metro areas in Connecticut for grocery stores, numbered among those based in Connecticut, with the Waterbury-Shelton metro area marked.
Top metro areas in Connecticut
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Norwich-New London-Willimantic, CT | 65 | 73 | 6.3 | $11M | +2.0% | #85 of 387 |
| 2Waterbury-Shelton, CT | 50 | 133 | 7.4 | $9.4M | +3.2% | #205 of 387 |
| 3Bridgeport-Stamford-Danbury, CT | 46 | 307 | 8.6 | $8.9M | +3.7% | #228 of 387 |
| 4New Haven, CT | 44 | 180 | 7.8 | $9M | +2.5% | #237 of 387 |
| 5Hartford-West Hartford-East Hartford, CT | 43 | 386 | 8.3 | $8.7M | +3.0% | #244 of 387 |
Other business types in the Waterbury-Shelton 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 stores66
- Grocery stores50
- Convenience stores68
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 Waterbury-Shelton, CT metro area?
There are 133 grocery stores on map listings in the Waterbury-Shelton metro area as of September 2026. 53 of them (40%) are chain locations. The listings count grocery stores and supermarkets. Official counts show 93 businesses with payroll classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in 2023.
How much do households in the Waterbury-Shelton, CT metro area spend on groceries?
About $1.3B a year, or $6,946 per household. That is 10% above the U.S. average (an index of 110, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 133 grocery stores on map listings, it comes to $9.4M per store. The spending figure covers all groceries, not only grocery stores. It is estimated from the incomes of the 180,116 households in the Waterbury-Shelton metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Waterbury-Shelton, CT metro area compare with the U.S. for grocery stores?
The Waterbury-Shelton metro area has 7.4 grocery stores per 10,000 households, 9% above the U.S. rate of 6.8. Spending per store is $9.4M, in line with the U.S. figure of $9.3M. At the national ratio of grocery stores to household spending, the Waterbury-Shelton metro area would have about 135, against 133 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,937 households, against one for every 2,053 across the U.S.
How fast is the Waterbury-Shelton, CT metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Waterbury-Shelton metro area at 463,349 people in 2025, up 3.2% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 180,116 households. Median household income in the Waterbury-Shelton metro area is $86,191, 7% above the U.S. median of $80,734.
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 Waterbury-Shelton metro area scores 50 for grocery stores (upper middle), #205 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 Waterbury-Shelton 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 Waterbury-Shelton metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Waterbury-Shelton 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 Waterbury-Shelton 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.