Groundwork

Market rankings · District of Columbia

Grocery stores in the District of Columbia

Markets across the District of Columbia ranked by the Groundwork market score for grocery stores, with competitor counts and household spending for each.

Listings
198
58 chain locations (29%)
Official establishments
169
+0.6% since 2019
Household spending a year
$2.2B
On groceries
Listings per 10k households
6.1
10% below the U.S.
Spending per listing
$11.2M
21% above the U.S.
Rank among states
#9 of 51
Market score 68 · Upper middle

A site report maps the grocery stores on map listings around any address in the District of Columbia by name and distance, and the spending within reach.

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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

Map listings as of September 2026 show 198 grocery stores in the District of Columbia. Chain locations make up 29% of them, against 37% across the U.S. That is 6.1 per 10,000 households, 10% below the U.S. rate of 6.8.

At $6,863 per household (9% above the U.S. average), households in the District of Columbia spend about $2.2B a year on groceries. That works out to $11.2M per store, 21% above 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 District of Columbia was 169 in 2023, up 0.6% from 2019. That is one for every 1,920 households, against one for every 2,053 across the U.S. Across the U.S., the count held level over the same years. Since fiscal 2022, 5 SBA-backed loans worth $1.2M have gone to businesses classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in the District of Columbia.

Among the 50 states and DC, the District of Columbia ranks #9 for grocery stores, with a Groundwork market score of 68 (upper middle). The one scored metro area in or partly in the District of Columbia, the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area, scores 62.

Every market in the District of Columbia for grocery stores

Download the ranking (CSV)

Numbered by Groundwork market score among the markets based in the District of Columbia, highest first; the U.S. rank compares each market with every other of its kind. A metro area that crosses a state line is listed in each state it reaches, and numbered only in the state its page is under. How the score works.

Metro areas

Metro areas reaching the District of Columbia, ranked for grocery stores by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV621,5066.3$11.3M+3.3%#105 of 387

Counties

Counties in the District of Columbia, ranked for grocery stores by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
District of ColumbiaNot scored1986.1$11.2M+3.4%

Markets with fewer than 5 grocery stores on map listings, and counties under 10,000 people, aren’t scored; they’re listed last in each table.

Questions

How many grocery stores are in the District of Columbia?

There are 198 grocery stores on map listings in the District of Columbia as of September 2026. 58 of them (29%) are chain locations. The listings count grocery stores and supermarkets. Official counts show 169 businesses with payroll classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in 2023, up 0.6% from 2019.

How much do households in the District of Columbia spend on groceries?

About $2.2B a year, or $6,863 per household. That is 9% above the U.S. average (an index of 109, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 198 grocery stores on map listings, it comes to $11.2M per store. The spending figure covers all groceries, not only grocery stores. It is estimated from the incomes of the 324,491 households in the District of Columbia and national spending patterns by income.

How does the District of Columbia compare with the U.S. for grocery stores?

The District of Columbia has 6.1 grocery stores per 10,000 households, 10% below the U.S. rate of 6.8. Spending per store is $11.2M, 21% above the U.S. figure of $9.3M. At the national ratio of grocery stores to household spending, the District of Columbia would have about 240, against 198 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,920 households, against one for every 2,053 across the U.S. The official count rose 0.6% from 2019 to 2023, against 0.0% for the U.S.

Which market in the District of Columbia has the highest market score for grocery stores?

The one scored metro area in or partly in the District of Columbia is the Washington-Arlington-Alexandria metro area, at 62 (upper middle). Scores compare each market with others of its kind across the U.S.

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 District of Columbia scores 68 for grocery stores (upper middle), #9 of the 50 states and DC.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the District of Columbia. 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.

Grocery stores in other states

All 51 states

Top markets for grocery stores across the U.S. · All business types in the District of Columbia

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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.