Groceries and convenience · County · Maine
Grocery stores in Waldo County, ME
How Waldo 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 39 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,408 of 2,070 scored counties
#10 of 16 scored counties in Maine
- Listings
- 21
- 2 chain locations (10%)
- Official establishments
- 12
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $112.4M
- On groceries · $6,437 a household
- Spending per listing
- $5.4M
- 42% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 12.0
- 76% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 40,693
- +2.6% since 2020
See the grocery stores around any address in Waldo 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 Waldo 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
As of September 2026, map listings count 21 grocery stores in Waldo County. 2 of them (10%) are chain locations, against 37% across the U.S. That comes to 12.0 for every 10,000 households, 76% above the U.S. rate of 6.8.
Household spending on groceries in Waldo County comes to about $112.4M a year: $6,437 per household, 2% above the U.S. average. Spread across 21 grocery stores, that is $5.4M per store, 42% below the U.S. figure of $9.3M. That spending covers all groceries, which grocery stores share with other businesses in the trade.
Official counts show 12 businesses with payroll classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in Waldo County in 2023. That is one for every 1,456 households, against one for every 2,053 across the U.S.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Waldo County grew 2.6%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). For grocery stores, Waldo County has a Groundwork market score of 39 (lower middle): #1,408 of 2,070 scored counties and #10 of 16 scored counties in Maine.
How Waldo 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 | Waldo County | Maine | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 12.0 | 8.9 | 6.8 |
| Spending per listing | $5.4M | $7.4M | $9.3M |
| Households per official establishment | 1,456 | 1,673 | 2,053 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | −3.0% | 0.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.6% | +3.7% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on groceries | $6,437 | $6,619 | $6,319 |
| Median household income | $72,782 | $74,733 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 39 | 35 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 13 → 12
- Employees, 2023
- 455
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $12.8M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 212 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 12The 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 Waldo 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 Waldo County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 40,693+2.6% since 2020
- Households
- 17,470
- Median age
- 46.6
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 82%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 730 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 55
- Median household income
- $72,782+40.2% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $91,541
- Median home value
- $257,700
- Jobs located here
- 11,338
- Daytime population
- 35,620Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Waldo 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 Waldo 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 Waldo 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 Waldo County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
- Grocery and convenience stores37
- Grocery stores39
- Convenience stores48
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 Waldo County, ME?
Waldo County has 21 grocery stores on map listings as of September 2026. 2 of them (10%) are chain locations. The listings count grocery stores and supermarkets. Official counts show 12 businesses with payroll classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in 2023.
How much do households in Waldo County, ME spend on groceries?
About $112.4M a year, or $6,437 per household. That is 2% above the U.S. average (an index of 102, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 21 grocery stores on map listings, it comes to $5.4M per store. The spending figure covers all groceries, not only grocery stores. It is estimated from the incomes of the 17,470 households in Waldo County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Waldo County, ME compare with the U.S. for grocery stores?
Waldo County has 12.0 grocery stores per 10,000 households, 76% above the U.S. rate of 6.8. Spending per store is $5.4M, 42% below the U.S. figure of $9.3M. At the national ratio of grocery stores to household spending, Waldo County would have about 12, against 21 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,456 households, against one for every 2,053 across the U.S.
How fast is Waldo County, ME growing?
Population estimates put Waldo County at 40,693 people in 2025, up 2.6% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 17,470 households. Median household income in Waldo County is $72,782, 10% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 40.2%, 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. Waldo County scores 39 for grocery stores (lower middle), #1,408 of 2,070 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Waldo 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 Waldo County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Waldo 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 Waldo 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.