Groceries and convenience · Small-town market · Maine
Grocery stores in the Augusta-Waterville, ME area
The grocery stores in the Augusta-Waterville, ME area, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other small-town markets.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 75 out of 100: High
Ranked #46 of 506 scored small-town markets
The only scored small-town market based in Maine
- Listings
- 34
- 14 chain locations (41%)
- Official establishments
- 22
- −4.3% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $348.1M
- On groceries · $6,410 a household
- Spending per listing
- $10.2M
- 10% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 6.3
- 7% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 129,067
- +3.5% since 2020
See the grocery stores around any address in the Augusta-Waterville 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 Augusta-Waterville 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
The Groundwork market score for grocery stores in the Augusta-Waterville area is 75 (high), #46 of 506 scored small-town markets and the only scored small-town market based in Maine. That puts it in the top 10% of small-town markets for grocery stores.
Household spending on groceries in the Augusta-Waterville area comes to about $348.1M a year: $6,410 per household, in line with the U.S. average. That works out to $10.2M per store, 10% above the U.S. figure of $9.3M. The spending figure covers all groceries, not only grocery stores.
The Augusta-Waterville area has 34 grocery stores on map listings as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 41% of them, against 37% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 6.3, 7% below the U.S. rate of 6.8.
In 2023, official counts showed 22 businesses with payroll in the Augusta-Waterville area classed as supermarkets and grocery stores, down 4.3% from 2019. That is one for every 2,469 households, against one for every 2,053 across the U.S. Population estimates show the Augusta-Waterville area grew 3.5% from 2020 to 2025, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%).
How the Augusta-Waterville area compares
The same measures for Maine 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 | Augusta-Waterville area | Maine | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 6.3 | 8.9 | 6.8 |
| Spending per listing | $10.2M | $7.4M | $9.3M |
| Households per official establishment | 2,469 | 1,673 | 2,053 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −4.3% | −3.0% | 0.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +3.5% | +3.7% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on groceries | $6,410 | $6,619 | $6,319 |
| Median household income | $69,077 | $74,733 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 75 | 35 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 22−4.3% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,718
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $46M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 3414 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 38The 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 Augusta-Waterville 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 Augusta-Waterville area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 129,067+3.5% since 2020
- Households
- 54,312
- Median age
- 43.8
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 74%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.7
- Land area
- 868 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 146
- Median household income
- $69,077+24.8% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $88,742
- Median home value
- $238,200
- Jobs located here
- 65,677
- Daytime population
- 134,017Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Augusta-Waterville 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 Augusta-Waterville area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardOther business types in the Augusta-Waterville area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
- Grocery and convenience stores56
- Grocery stores75
- Convenience stores54
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 Augusta-Waterville, ME area?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 34 grocery stores in the Augusta-Waterville area. 14 of them (41%) are chain locations. The listings count grocery stores and supermarkets. Official counts show 22 businesses with payroll classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in 2023, down 4.3% from 2019.
How much do households in the Augusta-Waterville, ME area spend on groceries?
About $348.1M a year, or $6,410 per household. That is in line with the U.S. average (an index of 101, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 34 grocery stores on map listings, it comes to $10.2M 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 54,312 households in the Augusta-Waterville area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Augusta-Waterville, ME area compare with the U.S. for grocery stores?
The Augusta-Waterville area has 6.3 grocery stores per 10,000 households, 7% 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 U.S. ratio of grocery stores to household spending, the Augusta-Waterville area would have about 38, against 34 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,469 households, against one for every 2,053 across the U.S. The official count fell 4.3% from 2019 to 2023, against 0.0% for the U.S.
How fast is the Augusta-Waterville, ME area growing?
Population estimates put the Augusta-Waterville area at 129,067 people in 2025, up 3.5% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 54,312 households. The median household income in the Augusta-Waterville area is $69,077 a year, 14% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 24.8% 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. 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 Augusta-Waterville area scores 75 for grocery stores (high), #46 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 Augusta-Waterville 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 Augusta-Waterville area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Augusta-Waterville 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 Augusta-Waterville 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.