Groceries and convenience · County · Maryland
Grocery stores in Dorchester County, MD
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for grocery stores in Dorchester County, MD, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 36 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,489 of 2,070 scored counties
#19 of 24 scored counties in Maryland
- Listings
- 15
- 4 chain locations (27%)
- Official establishments
- 7
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $77.5M
- On groceries · $5,723 a household
- Spending per listing
- $5.2M
- 44% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 11.1
- 63% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 33,628
- +3.4% since 2020
See the grocery stores around any address in Dorchester 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 Dorchester 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 Dorchester County. 4 of them (27%) are chain locations, against 37% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 11.1, 63% above the U.S. rate of 6.8.
Household spending on groceries in Dorchester County comes to about $77.5M a year: $5,723 per household, 9% below the U.S. average. That works out to $5.2M per store, 44% below 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 7 businesses with payroll in Dorchester County classed as supermarkets and grocery stores. That is one for every 1,935 households, against one for every 2,053 across the U.S.
Population estimates show Dorchester County grew 3.4% from 2020 to 2025, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for grocery stores in Dorchester County is 36 (lower middle), #1,489 of 2,070 scored counties and #19 of 24 scored counties in Maryland.
How Dorchester 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 | Dorchester County | Maryland | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 11.1 | 6.3 | 6.8 |
| Spending per listing | $5.2M | $10.6M | $9.3M |
| Households per official establishment | 1,935 | 1,881 | 2,053 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +2.9% | 0.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +3.4% | +1.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on groceries | $5,723 | $6,737 | $6,319 |
| Median household income | $61,839 | $103,678 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 36 | 55 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 6 → 7
- Employees, 2023
- 123
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $3.2M
- 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 Dorchester 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 Dorchester County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 33,628+3.4% since 2020
- Households
- 13,546
- Median age
- 43.3
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 66%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.7
- Land area
- 541 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 61
- Median household income
- $61,839+16.9% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $84,771
- Median home value
- $262,400
- Jobs located here
- 12,352
- Daytime population
- 29,247Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Dorchester 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 Dorchester 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 Dorchester 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 |
| 19Dorchester County, MD | 36 | 15 | 11.1 | $5.2M | +3.4% | #1,489 of 2,070 |
Other business types in Dorchester County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
- Grocery and convenience stores30
- Grocery stores36
- Convenience stores37
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 Dorchester County, MD?
There are 15 grocery stores on map listings in Dorchester County as of September 2026. 4 of them (27%) are chain locations. The listings count grocery stores and supermarkets. Official counts show 7 businesses with payroll classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in 2023.
How much do households in Dorchester County, MD spend on groceries?
About $77.5M a year, or $5,723 per household. That is 9% below the U.S. average (an index of 91, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 15 grocery stores on map listings, it comes to $5.2M per store. The spending figure covers all groceries, not only grocery stores. It is estimated from the incomes of the 13,546 households in Dorchester County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Dorchester County, MD compare with the U.S. for grocery stores?
Dorchester County has 11.1 grocery stores per 10,000 households, 63% above the U.S. rate of 6.8. Spending per store is $5.2M, 44% below the U.S. figure of $9.3M. At the national ratio of grocery stores to household spending, Dorchester County would have about 8, against 15 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,935 households, against one for every 2,053 across the U.S.
How fast is Dorchester County, MD growing?
Population estimates put Dorchester County at 33,628 people in 2025, up 3.4% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 13,546 households. Median household income in Dorchester County is $61,839, 23% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 16.9%, 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. Dorchester County scores 36 for grocery stores (lower middle), #1,489 of 2,070 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Dorchester 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 Dorchester County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Dorchester 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 Dorchester 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.