Groceries and convenience · County · Kentucky
Grocery stores in Harlan County, KY
How Harlan County, KY compares with other counties and the U.S. for grocery stores: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 7 out of 100: Very low
Ranked #2,041 of 2,070 scored counties
#71 of 78 scored counties in Kentucky
- Listings
- 12
- 5 chain locations (42%)
- Official establishments
- 8
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $54.1M
- On groceries · $5,039 a household
- Spending per listing
- $4.5M
- 52% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 11.2
- 65% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 24,725
- −7.6% since 2020
See the grocery stores around any address in Harlan County
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 Harlan County. 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
For grocery stores, Harlan County has a Groundwork market score of 7 (very low): #2,041 of 2,070 scored counties and #71 of 78 scored counties in Kentucky. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
At $5,039 per household (20% below the U.S. average), households in Harlan County spend about $54.1M a year on groceries. Spread across 12 grocery stores, that is $4.5M per store, 52% below the U.S. figure of $9.3M. The spending figure covers all groceries, not only grocery stores.
There are 12 grocery stores on map listings in Harlan County as of September 2026. 5 of them (42%) are chain locations, against 37% across the U.S. That comes to 11.2 for every 10,000 households, 65% above the U.S. rate of 6.8.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in Harlan County was 8 in 2023. That is one for every 1,341 households, against one for every 2,053 across the U.S. Population estimates show Harlan County declined 7.6% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How Harlan County compares
The same measures for Kentucky 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 | Harlan County | Kentucky | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 11.2 | 7.6 | 6.8 |
| Spending per listing | $4.5M | $7.5M | $9.3M |
| Households per official establishment | 1,341 | 2,517 | 2,053 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +0.7% | 0.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −7.6% | +2.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on groceries | $5,039 | $5,746 | $6,319 |
| Median household income | $41,693 | $63,726 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 7 | 31 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 9 → 8
- Employees, 2023
- 297
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $6.3M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 125 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 6The 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 Harlan County, 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 Harlan County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 24,725−7.6% since 2020
- Households
- 10,731
- Median age
- 40.9
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 72%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 466 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 55
- Median household income
- $41,693+57.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $55,003
- Median home value
- $73,700
- Jobs located here
- 5,743
- Daytime population
- 24,360Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Harlan County?
These figures cover the whole county. 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 Harlan County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardGrocery stores across Kentucky
Every Kentucky market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Kentucky for grocery stores, numbered among those based in Kentucky, with Harlan County marked.
Top counties in Kentucky
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Oldham County, KY | 94 | 7 | 3.0 | $23.3M | +4.9% | #20 of 2,070 |
| 2Scott County, KY | 92 | 6 | 2.6 | $23.8M | +8.2% | #32 of 2,070 |
| 3Madison County, KY | 86 | 5 | 1.3 | $42.6M | +9.4% | #89 of 2,070 |
| 4Jessamine County, KY | 80 | 11 | 5.5 | $10.9M | +7.8% | #202 of 2,070 |
| 5Campbell County, KY | 79 | 11 | 2.8 | $22M | +2.5% | #206 of 2,070 |
| 6Shelby County, KY | 78 | 10 | 5.4 | $11.4M | +6.2% | #235 of 2,070 |
| 7Bullitt County, KY | 77 | 20 | 6.3 | $9.8M | +5.0% | #260 of 2,070 |
| 8Woodford County, KY | 76 | 5 | 4.6 | $13.5M | +3.7% | #266 of 2,070 |
| 9Kenton County, KY | 74 | 41 | 6.1 | $10.2M | +3.9% | #330 of 2,070 |
| 10Nelson County, KY | 71 | 12 | 6.3 | $9.3M | +4.8% | #394 of 2,070 |
| 71Harlan County, KY | 7 | 12 | 11.2 | $4.5M | −7.6% | #2,041 of 2,070 |
Other business types in Harlan County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
- Grocery and convenience stores11
- Grocery stores7
- Convenience stores10
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 Harlan County, KY?
As of September 2026, map listings count 12 grocery stores in Harlan County. 5 of them (42%) are chain locations. The listings count grocery stores and supermarkets. Official counts show 8 businesses with payroll classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in 2023.
How much do households in Harlan County, KY spend on groceries?
About $54.1M a year, or $5,039 per household. That is 20% below the U.S. average (an index of 80, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 12 grocery stores on map listings, it comes to $4.5M 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 10,731 households in Harlan County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Harlan County, KY compare with the U.S. for grocery stores?
Harlan County has 11.2 grocery stores per 10,000 households, 65% above the U.S. rate of 6.8. Spending per store is $4.5M, 52% below the U.S. figure of $9.3M. At the U.S. ratio of grocery stores to household spending, Harlan County would have about 6, against 12 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,341 households, against one for every 2,053 across the U.S.
How fast is Harlan County, KY growing?
Population estimates put Harlan County at 24,725 people in 2025, down 7.6% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 10,731 households. The median household income in Harlan County is $41,693 a year, 48% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 57.5% 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. 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. Harlan County scores 7 for grocery stores (very low), #2,041 of 2,070 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Harlan County. 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 Harlan County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Harlan County?
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 Harlan County. 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.