Groceries and convenience · County · Maryland
Grocery stores in Caroline County, MD
The grocery stores in Caroline County, MD, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 36 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,491 of 2,070 scored counties
#20 of 24 scored counties in Maryland
- Listings
- 15
- 4 chain locations (27%)
- Official establishments
- 6
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $73M
- On groceries · $5,842 a household
- Spending per listing
- $4.9M
- 48% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 12.0
- 76% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 34,116
- +2.5% since 2020
See the grocery stores around any address in Caroline 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 Caroline 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
Map listings as of September 2026 show 15 grocery stores in Caroline County. Of those, 4 are chain locations, or 27%, 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.
At $5,842 per household (8% below the U.S. average), households in Caroline County spend about $73M a year on groceries. Spread across 15 grocery stores, that is $4.9M per store, 48% below the U.S. figure of $9.3M. That spending covers all groceries, which grocery stores share with other businesses in the trade.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in Caroline County was 6 in 2023. That is one for every 2,083 households, against one for every 2,053 across the U.S.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Caroline County grew 2.5%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). Caroline County scores 36 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for grocery stores, ranking #1,491 of 2,070 scored counties and #20 of 24 scored counties in Maryland.
How Caroline County 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.
| Measure | Caroline County | Maryland | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 12.0 | 6.3 | 6.8 |
| Spending per listing | $4.9M | $10.6M | $9.3M |
| Households per official establishment | 2,083 | 1,881 | 2,053 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +2.9% | 0.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.5% | +1.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on groceries | $5,842 | $6,737 | $6,319 |
| Median household income | $68,457 | $103,678 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 36 | 55 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 5 → 6
- Employees, 2023
- 168
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $4.6M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 154 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 8The 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 Caroline 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 Caroline County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 34,116+2.5% since 2020
- Households
- 12,495
- Median age
- 40.4
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 72%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 319 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 105
- Median household income
- $68,457+16.8% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $87,383
- Median home value
- $290,100
- Jobs located here
- 8,855
- Daytime population
- 25,447Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Caroline 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 Caroline 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 Maryland
Every Maryland market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Maryland for grocery stores, numbered among those based in Maryland, with Caroline County marked.
Top counties in Maryland
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Queen Anne’s County, MD | 92 | 9 | 4.5 | $15.3M | +8.8% | #38 of 2,070 |
| 2Frederick County, MD | 80 | 63 | 6.0 | $11.8M | +11.0% | #200 of 2,070 |
| 3St. Mary’s County, MD | 78 | 26 | 6.1 | $11.5M | +2.4% | #234 of 2,070 |
| 4Howard County, MD | 76 | 67 | 5.5 | $13.7M | +1.9% | #265 of 2,070 |
| 5Cecil County, MD | 76 | 20 | 4.9 | $13M | +3.2% | #269 of 2,070 |
| 6Calvert County, MD | 75 | 13 | 3.9 | $18.8M | +1.7% | #284 of 2,070 |
| 7Harford County, MD | 75 | 51 | 5.0 | $13.7M | +2.0% | #292 of 2,070 |
| 8Anne Arundel County, MD | 71 | 119 | 5.3 | $13.5M | +1.7% | #367 of 2,070 |
| 9Carroll County, MD | 70 | 35 | 5.4 | $12.9M | +2.2% | #404 of 2,070 |
| 10Charles County, MD | 70 | 42 | 6.9 | $10.3M | +5.9% | #413 of 2,070 |
| 20Caroline County, MD | 36 | 15 | 12.0 | $4.9M | +2.5% | #1,491 of 2,070 |
Other business types in Caroline 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 stores36
- Convenience stores51
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 Caroline County, MD?
There are 15 grocery stores on map listings in Caroline County as of September 2026. 4 of them (27%) are chain locations. The listings count grocery stores and supermarkets. Official counts show 6 businesses with payroll classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in 2023.
How much do households in Caroline County, MD spend on groceries?
About $73M a year, or $5,842 per household. That is 8% below the U.S. average (an index of 92, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 15 grocery stores on map listings, it comes to $4.9M per store. The spending figure covers all groceries, not only grocery stores. It is estimated from the incomes of the 12,495 households in Caroline County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Caroline County, MD compare with the U.S. for grocery stores?
Caroline County has 12.0 grocery stores per 10,000 households, 76% above the U.S. rate of 6.8. Spending per store is $4.9M, 48% below the U.S. figure of $9.3M. At the national ratio of grocery stores to household spending, Caroline County would have about 8, against 15 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,083 households, against one for every 2,053 across the U.S.
How fast is Caroline County, MD growing?
Population estimates put Caroline County at 34,116 people in 2025, up 2.5% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 12,495 households. Median household income in Caroline County is $68,457, 15% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 16.8%, 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. Caroline County scores 36 for grocery stores (lower middle), #1,491 of 2,070 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Caroline 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 Caroline County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Caroline 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 Caroline 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.