Groundwork

Groceries and convenience · County · Maryland

Grocery stores in Baltimore city, MD

Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for grocery stores in Baltimore city, MD, set against other counties and the U.S.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 25 out of 100: Lower middle

Ranked #1,766 of 2,070 scored counties
#24 of 24 scored counties in Maryland

Listings
210
42 chain locations (20%)
Official establishments
231
−12.8% since 2019
Household spending a year
$1.5B
On groceries · $5,752 a household
Spending per listing
$7M
25% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
8.2
21% above the U.S.
Population, 2025
569,997
−2.3% since 2020

See the grocery stores around any address in Baltimore city

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 Baltimore city. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Survey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure

What this means

Baltimore city scores 25 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for grocery stores, ranking #1,766 of 2,070 scored counties and #24 of 24 scored counties in Maryland. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.

Map listings as of September 2026 show 210 grocery stores in Baltimore city. Chain locations make up 20% of them, against 37% across the U.S. That comes to 8.2 for every 10,000 households, 21% above the U.S. rate of 6.8.

Households in Baltimore city spend about $1.5B a year on groceries, or $5,752 per household, 9% below the U.S. average. Spread across 210 grocery stores, that is $7M per store, 25% 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 231 businesses with payroll classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in Baltimore city in 2023, down 12.8% from 2019. That is one for every 1,107 households, against one for every 2,053 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 4 SBA-backed loans worth $490K have gone to businesses classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in Baltimore city. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Baltimore city declined 2.3%, against +3.1% for the U.S.

How Baltimore city compares

The same measures for Maryland 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.

Grocery stores in Baltimore city, MD compared with Maryland and the U.S.
MeasureBaltimore cityMarylandU.S.
Listings per 10k households8.26.36.8
Spending per listing$7M$10.6M$9.3M
Households per official establishment1,1071,8812,053
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023−12.8%+2.9%0.0%
Population growth, 2020–2025−2.3%+1.4%+3.1%
Spending per household on groceries$5,752$6,737$6,319
Median household income$62,177$103,678$80,734
Groundwork market score2555

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
265 → 231−12.8% over the period
Employees, 2023
3,897
Annual payroll, 2023
$120.3M
One-person businesses, 2023
Not publishedNot published for this business type
Map listings, September 2026
21042 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
158The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
4
Amount
$490K

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in Baltimore city, 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 Baltimore city

Population, 2025 estimate
569,997−2.3% since 2020
Households
255,668
Median age
37.5
Homes lived in by their owners
48%
Vehicles per household
1.1
Land area
81 sq. mi.
People per square mile
7,082
Median household income
$62,177+23.4% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$89,312
Median home value
$229,600
Jobs located here
344,611
Daytime population
667,322Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Baltimore city?

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 Baltimore city. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Grocery stores across Maryland

Every Maryland market ranked →

The highest-scoring counties in Maryland for grocery stores, numbered among those based in Maryland, with Baltimore city marked.

Top counties in Maryland

Counties in Maryland ranked for grocery stores by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Queen Anne’s County, MD9294.5$15.3M+8.8%#38 of 2,070
2Frederick County, MD80636.0$11.8M+11.0%#200 of 2,070
3St. Mary’s County, MD78266.1$11.5M+2.4%#234 of 2,070
4Howard County, MD76675.5$13.7M+1.9%#265 of 2,070
5Cecil County, MD76204.9$13M+3.2%#269 of 2,070
6Calvert County, MD75133.9$18.8M+1.7%#284 of 2,070
7Harford County, MD75515.0$13.7M+2.0%#292 of 2,070
8Anne Arundel County, MD711195.3$13.5M+1.7%#367 of 2,070
9Carroll County, MD70355.4$12.9M+2.2%#404 of 2,070
10Charles County, MD70426.9$10.3M+5.9%#413 of 2,070
24Baltimore city, MD252108.2$7M−2.3%#1,766 of 2,070

Other business types in Baltimore city

Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.

Questions

How many grocery stores are in Baltimore city, MD?

There are 210 grocery stores on map listings in Baltimore city as of September 2026. 42 of them (20%) are chain locations. The listings count grocery stores and supermarkets. Official counts show 231 businesses with payroll classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in 2023, down 12.8% from 2019.

How much do households in Baltimore city, MD spend on groceries?

About $1.5B a year, or $5,752 per household. That is 9% below the U.S. average (an index of 91, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 210 grocery stores on map listings, it comes to $7M per store. The spending figure covers all groceries, not only grocery stores. It is estimated from the incomes of the 255,668 households in Baltimore city and national spending patterns by income.

How does Baltimore city, MD compare with the U.S. for grocery stores?

Baltimore city has 8.2 grocery stores per 10,000 households, 21% above the U.S. rate of 6.8. Spending per store is $7M, 25% below the U.S. figure of $9.3M. At the national ratio of grocery stores to household spending, Baltimore city would have about 158, against 210 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,107 households, against one for every 2,053 across the U.S. The official count fell 12.8% from 2019 to 2023, against 0.0% for the U.S.

How fast is Baltimore city, MD growing?

Population estimates put Baltimore city at 569,997 people in 2025, down 2.3% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 255,668 households. Median household income in Baltimore city is $62,177, 23% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 23.4%, 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. Baltimore city scores 25 for grocery stores (lower middle), #1,766 of 2,070 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Baltimore city. 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 Baltimore city

Screening a site or an acquisition in Baltimore city?

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 Baltimore city. 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.