Groceries and convenience · County · Maine
Grocery stores in Knox County, ME
The grocery stores in Knox County, ME, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 38 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,436 of 2,070 scored counties
#11 of 16 scored counties in Maine
- Listings
- 21
- 4 chain locations (19%)
- Official establishments
- 14
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $122.8M
- On groceries · $6,643 a household
- Spending per listing
- $5.8M
- 37% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 11.4
- 68% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 41,117
- +1.1% 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
At $6,643 per household (5% above the U.S. average), households in Knox County spend about $122.8M a year on groceries. That is about $5.8M of household spending for each store on map listings, 37% below the U.S. figure of $9.3M. The spending figure covers all groceries, not only grocery stores.
There are 21 grocery stores on map listings in Knox County as of September 2026. Of those, 4 are chain locations, or 19%, against 37% across the U.S. That comes to 11.4 for every 10,000 households, 68% above the U.S. rate of 6.8.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in Knox County was 14 in 2023. That is one for every 1,320 households, against one for every 2,053 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $250K has gone to businesses classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in Knox County.
Population estimates show Knox County grew 1.1% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). Knox County scores 38 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for grocery stores, ranking #1,436 of 2,070 scored counties and #11 of 16 scored counties in Maine.
How Knox County 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 | Knox County | Maine | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 11.4 | 8.9 | 6.8 |
| Spending per listing | $5.8M | $7.4M | $9.3M |
| Households per official establishment | 1,320 | 1,673 | 2,053 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | −3.0% | 0.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +1.1% | +3.7% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on groceries | $6,643 | $6,619 | $6,319 |
| Median household income | $74,096 | $74,733 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 38 | 35 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 16 → 14
- Employees, 2023
- 604
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $16.9M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 214 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 13The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $250K
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
- 41,117+1.1% since 2020
- Households
- 18,484
- Median age
- 49.3
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 79%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 365 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 112
- Median household income
- $74,096+28.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $99,101
- Median home value
- $324,900
- Jobs located here
- 16,342
- Daytime population
- 41,779Residents 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 Maine
Every Maine market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Maine for grocery stores, numbered among those based in Maine, with Knox County marked.
Top counties in Maine
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Sagadahoc County, ME | 75 | 10 | 6.1 | $11.2M | +3.4% | #302 of 2,070 |
| 2York County, ME | 73 | 56 | 6.1 | $11.3M | +4.8% | #341 of 2,070 |
| 3Kennebec County, ME | 68 | 34 | 6.3 | $10.2M | +3.5% | #459 of 2,070 |
| 4Androscoggin County, ME | 59 | 32 | 6.8 | $9.3M | +4.8% | #721 of 2,070 |
| 5Penobscot County, ME | 58 | 50 | 7.7 | $8.3M | +3.8% | #760 of 2,070 |
| 6Cumberland County, ME | 57 | 118 | 8.9 | $8M | +4.5% | #789 of 2,070 |
| 7Somerset County, ME | 51 | 17 | 7.3 | $8.2M | +2.3% | #985 of 2,070 |
| 8Lincoln County, ME | 49 | 18 | 10.8 | $6.1M | +3.8% | #1,068 of 2,070 |
| 9Oxford County, ME | 48 | 24 | 9.9 | $6.2M | +4.2% | #1,099 of 2,070 |
| 10Waldo County, ME | 39 | 21 | 12.0 | $5.4M | +2.6% | #1,408 of 2,070 |
| 11Knox County, ME | 38 | 21 | 11.4 | $5.8M | +1.1% | #1,436 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 stores33
- Grocery stores38
- Convenience stores42
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, ME?
As of September 2026, map listings count 21 grocery stores in Knox County. 4 of them (19%) are chain locations. The listings count grocery stores and supermarkets. Official counts show 14 businesses with payroll classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in 2023.
How much do households in Knox County, ME spend on groceries?
About $122.8M a year, or $6,643 per household. That is 5% above the U.S. average (an index of 105, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 21 grocery stores on map listings, it comes to $5.8M 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 18,484 households in Knox County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Knox County, ME compare with the U.S. for grocery stores?
Knox County has 11.4 grocery stores per 10,000 households, 68% above the U.S. rate of 6.8. Spending per store is $5.8M, 37% below the U.S. figure of $9.3M. At the U.S. ratio of grocery stores to household spending, Knox County would have about 13, against 21 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,320 households, against one for every 2,053 across the U.S.
How fast is Knox County, ME growing?
Population estimates put Knox County at 41,117 people in 2025, up 1.1% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 18,484 households. The median household income in Knox County is $74,096 a year, 8% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 28.3% 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 38 for grocery stores (lower middle), #1,436 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.