Groceries and convenience · County · Maine
Grocery stores in Penobscot County, ME
How Penobscot County, ME 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 58 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #760 of 2,070 scored counties
#5 of 16 scored counties in Maine
- Listings
- 50
- 16 chain locations (32%)
- Official establishments
- 30
- −11.8% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $415.9M
- On groceries · $6,377 a household
- Spending per listing
- $8.3M
- 10% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 7.7
- 13% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 157,967
- +3.8% since 2020
See the grocery stores around any address in Penobscot 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 Penobscot 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
Households in Penobscot County spend about $415.9M a year on groceries, or $6,377 per household, in line with the U.S. average. That works out to $8.3M per store, 10% below the U.S. figure of $9.3M. The spending figure covers all groceries, not only grocery stores.
Penobscot County has 50 grocery stores on map listings as of September 2026. Of those, 16 are chain locations, or 32%, against 37% across the U.S. That is 7.7 per 10,000 households, 13% above the U.S. rate of 6.8.
In 2023, official counts showed 30 businesses with payroll in Penobscot County classed as supermarkets and grocery stores, down 11.8% from 2019. That is one for every 2,174 households, against one for every 2,053 across the U.S.
Population estimates show Penobscot County grew 3.8% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for grocery stores in Penobscot County is 58 (upper middle), #760 of 2,070 scored counties and #5 of 16 scored counties in Maine.
How Penobscot 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 | Penobscot County | Maine | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 7.7 | 8.9 | 6.8 |
| Spending per listing | $8.3M | $7.4M | $9.3M |
| Households per official establishment | 2,174 | 1,673 | 2,053 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −11.8% | −3.0% | 0.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +3.8% | +3.7% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on groceries | $6,377 | $6,619 | $6,319 |
| Median household income | $66,356 | $74,733 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 58 | 35 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 34 → 30−11.8% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 2,015
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $53.7M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 5016 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 Penobscot 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 Penobscot County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 157,967+3.8% since 2020
- Households
- 65,221
- Median age
- 43.4
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 71%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 3,397 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 46
- Median household income
- $66,356+30.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $88,290
- Median home value
- $214,100
- Jobs located here
- 73,466
- Daytime population
- 158,403Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Penobscot 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 Penobscot 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 Penobscot 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 |
Other business types in Penobscot County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
- Grocery and convenience stores46
- Grocery stores58
- 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 Penobscot County, ME?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 50 grocery stores in Penobscot County. 16 of them (32%) are chain locations. The listings count grocery stores and supermarkets. Official counts show 30 businesses with payroll classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in 2023, down 11.8% from 2019.
How much do households in Penobscot County, ME spend on groceries?
About $415.9M a year, or $6,377 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 50 grocery stores on map listings, it comes to $8.3M 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 65,221 households in Penobscot County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Penobscot County, ME compare with the U.S. for grocery stores?
Penobscot County has 7.7 grocery stores per 10,000 households, 13% above the U.S. rate of 6.8. Spending per store is $8.3M, 10% below the U.S. figure of $9.3M. At the U.S. ratio of grocery stores to household spending, Penobscot County would have about 45, against 50 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,174 households, against one for every 2,053 across the U.S. The official count fell 11.8% from 2019 to 2023, against 0.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Penobscot County, ME growing?
Population estimates put Penobscot County at 157,967 people in 2025, up 3.8% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 65,221 households. The median household income in Penobscot County is $66,356 a year, 18% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 30.6% 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. Penobscot County scores 58 for grocery stores (upper middle), #760 of 2,070 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Penobscot 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 Penobscot County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Penobscot 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 Penobscot 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.