Groceries and convenience · County · Kentucky
Grocery stores in Knox County, KY
The grocery stores in Knox County, KY, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 12 out of 100: Low
Ranked #1,995 of 2,070 scored counties
#66 of 78 scored counties in Kentucky
- Listings
- 16
- 8 chain locations (50%)
- Official establishments
- 6
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $56.3M
- On groceries · $4,811 a household
- Spending per listing
- $3.5M
- 62% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 13.7
- Twice the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 29,532
- −2.2% since 2020
See the grocery stores around any address in Knox 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 Knox 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
Knox County scores 12 (low) on the Groundwork market score for grocery stores, ranking #1,995 of 2,070 scored counties and #66 of 78 scored counties in Kentucky. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
At $4,811 per household (24% below the U.S. average), households in Knox County spend about $56.3M a year on groceries. Spread across 16 grocery stores, that is $3.5M per store, 62% below the U.S. figure of $9.3M. The spending figure covers all groceries, not only grocery stores.
There are 16 grocery stores on map listings in Knox County as of September 2026. Of those, 8 are chain locations, or 50%, against 37% across the U.S. That comes to 13.7 for every 10,000 households, twice the U.S. rate of 6.8.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in Knox County was 6 in 2023. That is one for every 1,952 households, against one for every 2,053 across the U.S. Population estimates put the population change in Knox County from 2020 to 2025 at −2.2%, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How Knox 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 | Knox County | Kentucky | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 13.7 | 7.6 | 6.8 |
| Spending per listing | $3.5M | $7.5M | $9.3M |
| Households per official establishment | 1,952 | 2,517 | 2,053 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +0.7% | 0.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −2.2% | +2.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on groceries | $4,811 | $5,746 | $6,319 |
| Median household income | $32,527 | $63,726 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 12 | 31 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 7 → 6
- Employees, 2023
- 199
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $5.1M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 168 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 Knox 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 Knox County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 29,532−2.2% since 2020
- Households
- 11,711
- Median age
- 40.6
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 65%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.7
- Land area
- 386 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 77
- Median household income
- $32,527+7.8% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $50,707
- Median home value
- $118,700
- Jobs located here
- 8,810
- Daytime population
- 28,691Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Knox 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 Knox 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 Knox 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 |
| 66Knox County, KY | 12 | 16 | 13.7 | $3.5M | −2.2% | #1,995 of 2,070 |
Other business types in Knox 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 stores12
- Convenience stores12
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 Knox County, KY?
As of September 2026, map listings count 16 grocery stores in Knox County. 8 of them (50%) are chain locations. The listings count grocery stores and supermarkets. Official counts show 6 businesses with payroll classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in 2023.
How much do households in Knox County, KY spend on groceries?
About $56.3M a year, or $4,811 per household. That is 24% below the U.S. average (an index of 76, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 16 grocery stores on map listings, it comes to $3.5M 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 11,711 households in Knox County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Knox County, KY compare with the U.S. for grocery stores?
Knox County has 13.7 grocery stores per 10,000 households, twice the U.S. rate of 6.8. Spending per store is $3.5M, 62% below the U.S. figure of $9.3M. At the U.S. ratio of grocery stores to household spending, Knox County would have about 6, against 16 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,952 households, against one for every 2,053 across the U.S.
How fast is Knox County, KY growing?
Population estimates put Knox County at 29,532 people in 2025, down 2.2% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 11,711 households. The median household income in Knox County is $32,527 a year, 60% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 7.8% 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. Knox County scores 12 for grocery stores (low), #1,995 of 2,070 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Knox 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 Knox County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Knox 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 Knox 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.