Groceries and convenience · County · Kentucky
Grocery stores in Kenton County, KY
How Kenton 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 74 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #330 of 2,070 scored counties
#9 of 78 scored counties in Kentucky
- Listings
- 41
- 10 chain locations (24%)
- Official establishments
- 21
- 0.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $418.6M
- On groceries · $6,214 a household
- Spending per listing
- $10.2M
- 10% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 6.1
- 10% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 175,779
- +3.9% since 2020
See the grocery stores around any address in Kenton 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 Kenton 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
Map listings as of September 2026 show 41 grocery stores in Kenton County. 10 of them (24%) are chain locations, against 37% across the U.S. That comes to 6.1 for every 10,000 households, 10% below the U.S. rate of 6.8.
Household spending on groceries in Kenton County comes to about $418.6M a year: $6,214 per household, 2% below the U.S. average. That works out to $10.2M per store, 10% 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 21 businesses with payroll in Kenton County classed as supermarkets and grocery stores, unchanged from 2019. That is one for every 3,208 households, against one for every 2,053 across the U.S.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Kenton County grew 3.9%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). Kenton County scores 74 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for grocery stores, ranking #330 of 2,070 scored counties and #9 of 78 scored counties in Kentucky. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How Kenton 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 | Kenton County | Kentucky | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 6.1 | 7.6 | 6.8 |
| Spending per listing | $10.2M | $7.5M | $9.3M |
| Households per official establishment | 3,208 | 2,517 | 2,053 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | 0.0% | +0.7% | 0.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +3.9% | +2.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on groceries | $6,214 | $5,746 | $6,319 |
| Median household income | $80,548 | $63,726 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 74 | 31 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 21 → 210.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,194
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $36.4M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 4110 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 45The 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 Kenton 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 Kenton County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 175,779+3.9% since 2020
- Households
- 67,367
- Median age
- 38.3
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 71%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 160 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 1,068
- Median household income
- $80,548+25.2% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $108,303
- Median home value
- $244,400
- Jobs located here
- 69,403
- Daytime population
- 152,560Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Kenton 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 Kenton 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 Kenton 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 |
Other business types in Kenton County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
- Grocery and convenience stores79
- Grocery stores74
- Convenience stores79
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 Kenton County, KY?
There are 41 grocery stores on map listings in Kenton County as of September 2026. 10 of them (24%) are chain locations. The listings count grocery stores and supermarkets. Official counts show 21 businesses with payroll classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in 2023, unchanged from 2019.
How much do households in Kenton County, KY spend on groceries?
About $418.6M a year, or $6,214 per household. That is 2% below the U.S. average (an index of 98, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 41 grocery stores on map listings, it comes to $10.2M per store. The spending figure covers all groceries, not only grocery stores. It is estimated from the incomes of the 67,367 households in Kenton County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Kenton County, KY compare with the U.S. for grocery stores?
Kenton County has 6.1 grocery stores per 10,000 households, 10% below the U.S. rate of 6.8. Spending per store is $10.2M, 10% above the U.S. figure of $9.3M. At the national ratio of grocery stores to household spending, Kenton County would have about 45, against 41 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 3,208 households, against one for every 2,053 across the U.S. The official count held level from 2019 to 2023, against 0.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Kenton County, KY growing?
Population estimates put Kenton County at 175,779 people in 2025, up 3.9% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 67,367 households. Median household income in Kenton County is $80,548, in line with the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 25.2%, 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. Kenton County scores 74 for grocery stores (upper middle), #330 of 2,070 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Kenton 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 Kenton County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Kenton 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 Kenton 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.