Groceries and convenience · Metro area · Georgia
Grocery stores in the Athens-Clarke County, GA metro area
How the Athens-Clarke County, GA 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 48 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #211 of 387 scored metro areas
#7 of 14 scored metro areas based in Georgia
- Listings
- 48
- 14 chain locations (29%)
- Official establishments
- 40
- +5.9% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $503M
- On groceries · $5,841 a household
- Spending per listing
- $10.5M
- 13% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 5.6
- 18% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 224,148
- +3.9% since 2020
See the grocery stores around any address in the Athens-Clarke County 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 Athens-Clarke County 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 48 grocery stores in the Athens-Clarke County metro area. Chain locations make up 29% of them, against 37% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 5.6, 18% below the U.S. rate of 6.8.
Households in the Athens-Clarke County metro area spend about $503M a year on groceries, or $5,841 per household, 8% below the U.S. average. That works out to $10.5M per store, 13% above the U.S. figure of $9.3M. That spending covers all groceries, which grocery stores share with other businesses in the trade.
In 2023, official counts showed 40 businesses with payroll in the Athens-Clarke County metro area classed as supermarkets and grocery stores, up 5.9% from 2019. That is one for every 2,153 households, against one for every 2,053 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $2.9M has gone to businesses classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in the Athens-Clarke County metro area.
Population estimates put the population change in the Athens-Clarke County metro area from 2020 to 2025 at +3.9%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for grocery stores in the Athens-Clarke County metro area is 48 (lower middle), #211 of 387 scored metro areas and #7 of 14 scored metro areas based in Georgia.
How the Athens-Clarke County metro area compares
The same measures for Georgia 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 | Athens-Clarke County metro area | Georgia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 5.6 | 6.4 | 6.8 |
| Spending per listing | $10.5M | $9.5M | $9.3M |
| Households per official establishment | 2,153 | 2,303 | 2,053 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +5.9% | +6.3% | 0.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +3.9% | +5.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on groceries | $5,841 | $6,137 | $6,319 |
| Median household income | $65,608 | $77,353 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 48 | 59 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 40+5.9% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 2,205
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $56.1M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 4814 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 54The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $2.9M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in the Athens-Clarke County 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 Athens-Clarke County metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 224,148+3.9% since 2020
- Households
- 86,101
- Median age
- 36.7
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 56%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 1,025 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 215
- Median household income
- $65,608+39.0% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $94,551
- Median home value
- $310,200
- Jobs located here
- 94,787
- Daytime population
- 224,908Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Athens-Clarke County 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 Athens-Clarke County 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 Georgia
Every Georgia market ranked →The highest-scoring metro areas in Georgia for grocery stores, numbered among those based in Georgia (a market based in another state is listed without a number), with the Athens-Clarke County metro area marked.
Top metro areas in Georgia
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Warner Robins, GA | 73 | 36 | 4.8 | $12.6M | +8.2% | #44 of 387 |
| 2Atlanta-Sandy Springs-Roswell, GA | 66 | 1,339 | 5.8 | $11.1M | +5.9% | #82 of 387 |
| 3Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC | 62 | 133 | 5.7 | $10.3M | +4.7% | #107 of 387 |
| 4Rome, GA | 57 | 19 | 5.2 | $11.2M | +2.8% | #143 of 387 |
| 5Hinesville, GA | 56 | 19 | 6.3 | $8.8M | +12.6% | #158 of 387 |
| 6Savannah, GA | 54 | 102 | 6.3 | $9.6M | +8.1% | #176 of 387 |
| 7Athens-Clarke County, GA | 48 | 48 | 5.6 | $10.5M | +3.9% | #211 of 387 |
| 8Gainesville, GA | 48 | 52 | 7.1 | $8.8M | +11.4% | #214 of 387 |
| Chattanooga, TN-GA | 43 | 174 | 7.5 | $8M | +5.3% | #247 of 387 |
| 9Macon-Bibb County, GA | 36 | 59 | 6.7 | $8.5M | +2.1% | #288 of 387 |
Other business types in the Athens-Clarke County 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 stores40
- Grocery stores48
- Convenience stores40
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 Athens-Clarke County, GA metro area?
There are 48 grocery stores on map listings in the Athens-Clarke County metro area as of September 2026. 14 of them (29%) are chain locations. The listings count grocery stores and supermarkets. Official counts show 40 businesses with payroll classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in 2023, up 5.9% from 2019.
How much do households in the Athens-Clarke County, GA metro area spend on groceries?
About $503M a year, or $5,841 per household. That is 8% below the U.S. average (an index of 92, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 48 grocery stores on map listings, it comes to $10.5M per store. The spending figure covers all groceries, not only grocery stores. It is estimated from the incomes of the 86,101 households in the Athens-Clarke County metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Athens-Clarke County, GA metro area compare with the U.S. for grocery stores?
The Athens-Clarke County metro area has 5.6 grocery stores per 10,000 households, 18% below the U.S. rate of 6.8. Spending per store is $10.5M, 13% above the U.S. figure of $9.3M. At the national ratio of grocery stores to household spending, the Athens-Clarke County metro area would have about 54, against 48 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,153 households, against one for every 2,053 across the U.S. The official count rose 5.9% from 2019 to 2023, against 0.0% for the U.S.
How fast is the Athens-Clarke County, GA metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Athens-Clarke County metro area at 224,148 people in 2025, up 3.9% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 86,101 households. Median household income in the Athens-Clarke County metro area is $65,608, 19% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 39.0%, 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. The Athens-Clarke County metro area scores 48 for grocery stores (lower middle), #211 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 Athens-Clarke County 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 Athens-Clarke County metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Athens-Clarke County 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 Athens-Clarke County 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.