Groceries and convenience · Small-town market · Georgia
Grocery stores in the Waycross, GA area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for grocery stores in the Waycross, GA area, set against other small-town markets and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 50 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #270 of 506 scored small-town markets
#9 of 21 scored small-town markets based in Georgia
- Listings
- 15
- 11 chain locations (73%)
- Official establishments
- 7
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $109.8M
- On groceries · $5,341 a household
- Spending per listing
- $7.3M
- 21% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 7.3
- 7% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 57,670
- +3.0% since 2020
See the grocery stores around any address in the Waycross 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 Waycross 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 15 grocery stores in the Waycross area. Of those, 11 are chain locations, or 73%, against 37% across the U.S. That is 7.3 per 10,000 households, 7% above the U.S. rate of 6.8.
Household spending on groceries in the Waycross area comes to about $109.8M a year: $5,341 per household, 15% below the U.S. average. Spread across 15 grocery stores, that is $7.3M per store, 21% below 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 7 businesses with payroll in the Waycross area classed as supermarkets and grocery stores. That is one for every 2,937 households, against one for every 2,053 across the U.S.
Population estimates put the population change in the Waycross area from 2020 to 2025 at +3.0%, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). For grocery stores, the Waycross area has a Groundwork market score of 50 (upper middle): #270 of 506 scored small-town markets and #9 of 21 scored small-town markets based in Georgia.
How the Waycross 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 | Waycross area | Georgia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 7.3 | 6.4 | 6.8 |
| Spending per listing | $7.3M | $9.5M | $9.3M |
| Households per official establishment | 2,937 | 2,303 | 2,053 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +6.3% | 0.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +3.0% | +5.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on groceries | $5,341 | $6,137 | $6,319 |
| Median household income | $51,821 | $77,353 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 50 | 59 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 7
- Employees, 2023
- 369
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $11.4M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 1511 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 12The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 0
- Amount
- $0
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in the Waycross 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 Waycross area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 57,670+3.0% since 2020
- Households
- 20,562
- Median age
- 38.6
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 68%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.7
- Land area
- 1,240 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 45
- Median household income
- $51,821+34.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $70,222
- Median home value
- $126,600
- Jobs located here
- 19,660
- Daytime population
- 54,001Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Waycross area?
These figures cover the whole small-town market. 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 Waycross 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 small-town markets in Georgia for grocery stores, numbered among those based in Georgia, with the Waycross area marked.
Top small-town markets in Georgia
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Jefferson, GA | 85 | 19 | 6.7 | $9.6M | +29.3% | #15 of 506 |
| 2Kingsland, GA | 74 | 15 | 6.9 | $8.6M | +9.5% | #53 of 506 |
| 3Cornelia, GA | 73 | 10 | 6.0 | $9.8M | +9.3% | #56 of 506 |
| 4Statesboro, GA | 62 | 23 | 6.6 | $8.4M | +8.0% | #134 of 506 |
| 5Thomaston, GA | 59 | 5 | 4.7 | $11.6M | +2.7% | #163 of 506 |
| 6Toccoa, GA | 54 | 8 | 7.6 | $7.1M | +3.8% | #236 of 506 |
| 7Calhoun, GA | 52 | 16 | 7.5 | $7.7M | +6.9% | #250 of 506 |
| 8LaGrange, GA-AL | 51 | 24 | 5.9 | $9.3M | +3.0% | #257 of 506 |
| 9Waycross, GA | 50 | 15 | 7.3 | $7.3M | +3.0% | #270 of 506 |
| 10Vidalia, GA | 46 | 13 | 9.6 | $5.7M | +1.5% | #311 of 506 |
Other business types in the Waycross area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
- Grocery and convenience stores21
- Grocery stores50
- Convenience stores19
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 Waycross, GA area?
There are 15 grocery stores on map listings in the Waycross area as of September 2026. 11 of them (73%) are chain locations. The listings count grocery stores and supermarkets. Official counts show 7 businesses with payroll classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in 2023.
How much do households in the Waycross, GA area spend on groceries?
About $109.8M a year, or $5,341 per household. That is 15% below the U.S. average (an index of 85, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 15 grocery stores on map listings, it comes to $7.3M per store. The spending figure covers all groceries, not only grocery stores. It is estimated from the incomes of the 20,562 households in the Waycross area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Waycross, GA area compare with the U.S. for grocery stores?
The Waycross area has 7.3 grocery stores per 10,000 households, 7% above the U.S. rate of 6.8. Spending per store is $7.3M, 21% below the U.S. figure of $9.3M. At the national ratio of grocery stores to household spending, the Waycross area would have about 12, against 15 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,937 households, against one for every 2,053 across the U.S.
How fast is the Waycross, GA area growing?
Population estimates put the Waycross area at 57,670 people in 2025, up 3.0% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 20,562 households. Median household income in the Waycross area is $51,821, 36% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 34.7%, 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. A small-town market is a town of 10,000 to 50,000 people and the county or counties tied to it by commuting. 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 Waycross area scores 50 for grocery stores (upper middle), #270 of 506 scored small-town markets.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Waycross 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 Waycross area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Waycross 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 Waycross 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.