Groceries and convenience · County · Maryland
Grocery stores in Carroll County, MD
The grocery stores in Carroll County, MD, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 70 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #404 of 2,070 scored counties
#9 of 24 scored counties in Maryland
- Listings
- 35
- 19 chain locations (54%)
- Official establishments
- 31
- +10.7% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $451.3M
- On groceries · $7,020 a household
- Spending per listing
- $12.9M
- 39% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 5.4
- 21% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 176,677
- +2.2% since 2020
See the grocery stores around any address in Carroll 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 Carroll 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 35 grocery stores in Carroll County. Chain locations make up 54% of them, against 37% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 5.4, 21% below the U.S. rate of 6.8.
At $7,020 per household (11% above the U.S. average), households in Carroll County spend about $451.3M a year on groceries. Spread across 35 grocery stores, that is $12.9M per store, 39% above the U.S. figure of $9.3M. That spending covers all groceries, which grocery stores share with other businesses in the trade.
In 2023, official counts showed 31 businesses with payroll in Carroll County classed as supermarkets and grocery stores, up 10.7% from 2019. That is one for every 2,074 households, against one for every 2,053 across the U.S.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Carroll County grew 2.2%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). Carroll County scores 70 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for grocery stores, ranking #404 of 2,070 scored counties and #9 of 24 scored counties in Maryland. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How Carroll 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 | Carroll County | Maryland | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 5.4 | 6.3 | 6.8 |
| Spending per listing | $12.9M | $10.6M | $9.3M |
| Households per official establishment | 2,074 | 1,881 | 2,053 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +10.7% | +2.9% | 0.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.2% | +1.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on groceries | $7,020 | $6,737 | $6,319 |
| Median household income | $118,211 | $103,678 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 70 | 55 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 28 → 31+10.7% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,743
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $47.6M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 3519 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 49The 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 Carroll 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 Carroll County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 176,677+2.2% since 2020
- Households
- 64,285
- Median age
- 42.4
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 84%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.1
- Land area
- 448 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 392
- Median household income
- $118,211+22.2% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $142,587
- Median home value
- $434,000
- Jobs located here
- 57,897
- Daytime population
- 147,678Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Carroll 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 Carroll 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 Carroll 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 |
Other business types in Carroll County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
- Grocery and convenience stores74
- Grocery stores70
- Convenience stores79
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 Carroll County, MD?
Carroll County has 35 grocery stores on map listings as of September 2026. 19 of them (54%) are chain locations. The listings count grocery stores and supermarkets. Official counts show 31 businesses with payroll classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in 2023, up 10.7% from 2019.
How much do households in Carroll County, MD spend on groceries?
About $451.3M a year, or $7,020 per household. That is 11% above the U.S. average (an index of 111, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 35 grocery stores on map listings, it comes to $12.9M per store. The spending figure covers all groceries, not only grocery stores. It is estimated from the incomes of the 64,285 households in Carroll County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Carroll County, MD compare with the U.S. for grocery stores?
Carroll County has 5.4 grocery stores per 10,000 households, 21% below the U.S. rate of 6.8. Spending per store is $12.9M, 39% above the U.S. figure of $9.3M. At the national ratio of grocery stores to household spending, Carroll County would have about 49, against 35 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,074 households, against one for every 2,053 across the U.S. The official count rose 10.7% from 2019 to 2023, against 0.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Carroll County, MD growing?
Population estimates put Carroll County at 176,677 people in 2025, up 2.2% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 64,285 households. Median household income in Carroll County is $118,211, 46% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 22.2%, 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. Carroll County scores 70 for grocery stores (upper middle), #404 of 2,070 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Carroll 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 Carroll County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Carroll 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 Carroll 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.