Groceries and convenience · Small-town market · Hawaii
Grocery stores in the Hilo-Kailua, HI area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for grocery stores in the Hilo-Kailua, HI area, set against other small-town markets and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 54 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #235 of 506 scored small-town markets
#1 of 2 scored small-town markets based in Hawaii
- Listings
- 59
- 19 chain locations (32%)
- Official establishments
- 44
- +4.8% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $448.2M
- On groceries · $6,051 a household
- Spending per listing
- $7.6M
- 18% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 8.0
- 18% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 210,043
- +4.6% since 2020
See the grocery stores around any address in the Hilo-Kailua 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 Hilo-Kailua 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
At $6,051 per household (4% below the U.S. average), households in the Hilo-Kailua area spend about $448.2M a year on groceries. That works out to $7.6M per store, 18% below the U.S. figure of $9.3M. The spending figure covers all groceries, not only grocery stores.
The Hilo-Kailua area has 59 grocery stores on map listings as of September 2026. Of those, 19 are chain locations, or 32%, against 37% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 8.0, 18% above the U.S. rate of 6.8.
Official counts show 44 businesses with payroll classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in the Hilo-Kailua area in 2023, up 4.8% from 2019. That is one for every 1,683 households, against one for every 2,053 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $1.4M have gone to businesses classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in the Hilo-Kailua area.
Population estimates show the Hilo-Kailua area grew 4.6% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Hilo-Kailua area scores 54 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for grocery stores, ranking #235 of 506 scored small-town markets and #1 of 2 scored small-town markets based in Hawaii.
How the Hilo-Kailua area compares
The same measures for Hawaii 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 | Hilo-Kailua area | Hawaii | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 8.0 | 8.4 | 6.8 |
| Spending per listing | $7.6M | $7.8M | $9.3M |
| Households per official establishment | 1,683 | 1,810 | 2,053 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +4.8% | −3.5% | 0.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +4.6% | −1.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on groceries | $6,051 | $6,546 | $6,319 |
| Median household income | $78,639 | $100,389 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 54 | 25 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 44+4.8% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 2,253
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $78.2M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 5919 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 48The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 2
- Amount
- $1.4M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in the Hilo-Kailua 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 Hilo-Kailua area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 210,043+4.6% since 2020
- Households
- 74,072
- Median age
- 44.6
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 74%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 4,028 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 51
- Median household income
- $78,639+26.0% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $106,737
- Median home value
- $519,300
- Jobs located here
- 69,607
- Daytime population
- 224,838Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Hilo-Kailua 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 Hilo-Kailua 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 Hawaii
Every Hawaii market ranked →The highest-scoring small-town markets in Hawaii for grocery stores, numbered among those based in Hawaii, with the Hilo-Kailua area marked.
Top small-town markets in Hawaii
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Hilo-Kailua, HI | 54 | 59 | 8.0 | $7.6M | +4.6% | #235 of 506 |
| 2Kapaa, HI | 30 | 42 | 17.8 | $3.6M | +0.3% | #428 of 506 |
Other business types in the Hilo-Kailua area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
- Grocery and convenience stores55
- Grocery stores54
- 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 Hilo-Kailua, HI area?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 59 grocery stores in the Hilo-Kailua area. 19 of them (32%) are chain locations. The listings count grocery stores and supermarkets. Official counts show 44 businesses with payroll classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in 2023, up 4.8% from 2019.
How much do households in the Hilo-Kailua, HI area spend on groceries?
About $448.2M a year, or $6,051 per household. That is 4% below the U.S. average (an index of 96, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 59 grocery stores on map listings, it comes to $7.6M 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 74,072 households in the Hilo-Kailua area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Hilo-Kailua, HI area compare with the U.S. for grocery stores?
The Hilo-Kailua area has 8.0 grocery stores per 10,000 households, 18% above the U.S. rate of 6.8. Spending per store is $7.6M, 18% below the U.S. figure of $9.3M. At the U.S. ratio of grocery stores to household spending, the Hilo-Kailua area would have about 48, against 59 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,683 households, against one for every 2,053 across the U.S. The official count rose 4.8% from 2019 to 2023, against 0.0% for the U.S.
How fast is the Hilo-Kailua, HI area growing?
Population estimates put the Hilo-Kailua area at 210,043 people in 2025, up 4.6% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 74,072 households. The median household income in the Hilo-Kailua area is $78,639 a year, 3% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 26.0% 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. 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 Hilo-Kailua area scores 54 for grocery stores (upper middle), #235 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 Hilo-Kailua 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 Hilo-Kailua area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Hilo-Kailua 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 Hilo-Kailua 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.