Groceries and convenience · County · Massachusetts
Grocery stores in Barnstable County, MA
The grocery stores in Barnstable County, MA, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 53 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #914 of 2,070 scored counties
#8 of 14 scored counties in Massachusetts
- Listings
- 89
- 31 chain locations (35%)
- Official establishments
- 72
- +4.4% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $764.3M
- On groceries · $7,226 a household
- Spending per listing
- $8.6M
- 8% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 8.4
- 24% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 233,539
- +2.4% since 2020
See the grocery stores around any address in Barnstable 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 Barnstable 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 89 grocery stores in Barnstable County. Chain locations make up 35% of them, against 37% across the U.S. That is 8.4 per 10,000 households, 24% above the U.S. rate of 6.8.
Households in Barnstable County spend about $764.3M a year on groceries, or $7,226 per household, 14% above the U.S. average. Spread across 89 grocery stores, that is $8.6M per store, 8% 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 72 businesses with payroll classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in Barnstable County in 2023, up 4.4% from 2019. That is one for every 1,469 households, against one for every 2,053 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 7 SBA-backed loans worth $8.9M have gone to businesses classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in Barnstable County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Barnstable County grew 2.4%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). For grocery stores, Barnstable County has a Groundwork market score of 53 (upper middle): #914 of 2,070 scored counties and #8 of 14 scored counties in Massachusetts.
How Barnstable County compares
The same measures for Massachusetts 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 | Barnstable County | Massachusetts | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 8.4 | 6.8 | 6.8 |
| Spending per listing | $8.6M | $10.9M | $9.3M |
| Households per official establishment | 1,469 | 2,066 | 2,053 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +4.4% | +1.4% | 0.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.4% | +2.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on groceries | $7,226 | $7,382 | $6,319 |
| Median household income | $95,241 | $103,960 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 53 | 67 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 69 → 72+4.4% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 3,965
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $140.7M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 8931 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 82The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 7
- Amount
- $8.9M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in Barnstable 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 Barnstable County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 233,539+2.4% since 2020
- Households
- 105,777
- Median age
- 53.8
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 81%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 394 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 588
- Median household income
- $95,241+28.1% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $134,349
- Median home value
- $629,000
- Jobs located here
- 87,424
- Daytime population
- 221,377Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Barnstable 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 Barnstable 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 Massachusetts
Every Massachusetts market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Massachusetts for grocery stores, numbered among those based in Massachusetts, with Barnstable County marked.
Top counties in Massachusetts
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Worcester County, MA | 78 | 187 | 5.6 | $12.9M | +3.7% | #232 of 2,070 |
| 2Plymouth County, MA | 77 | 114 | 5.6 | $13.5M | +3.5% | #246 of 2,070 |
| 3Bristol County, MA | 75 | 138 | 5.9 | $11.7M | +2.9% | #297 of 2,070 |
| 4Norfolk County, MA | 74 | 170 | 6.0 | $13.2M | +2.2% | #312 of 2,070 |
| 5Middlesex County, MA | 74 | 403 | 6.4 | $12.5M | +2.8% | #317 of 2,070 |
| 6Hampshire County, MA | 70 | 40 | 6.4 | $10.8M | +10.4% | #409 of 2,070 |
| 7Essex County, MA | 62 | 218 | 7.0 | $10.5M | +2.3% | #618 of 2,070 |
| 8Barnstable County, MA | 53 | 89 | 8.4 | $8.6M | +2.4% | #914 of 2,070 |
| 9Hampden County, MA | 51 | 134 | 7.3 | $9M | +0.2% | #979 of 2,070 |
| 10Berkshire County, MA | 51 | 47 | 8.2 | $8.2M | −1.2% | #986 of 2,070 |
Other business types in Barnstable County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
- Grocery and convenience stores53
- Grocery stores53
- Convenience stores60
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 Barnstable County, MA?
There are 89 grocery stores on map listings in Barnstable County as of September 2026. 31 of them (35%) are chain locations. The listings count grocery stores and supermarkets. Official counts show 72 businesses with payroll classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in 2023, up 4.4% from 2019.
How much do households in Barnstable County, MA spend on groceries?
About $764.3M a year, or $7,226 per household. That is 14% above the U.S. average (an index of 114, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 89 grocery stores on map listings, it comes to $8.6M per store. The spending figure covers all groceries, not only grocery stores. It is estimated from the incomes of the 105,777 households in Barnstable County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Barnstable County, MA compare with the U.S. for grocery stores?
Barnstable County has 8.4 grocery stores per 10,000 households, 24% above the U.S. rate of 6.8. Spending per store is $8.6M, 8% below the U.S. figure of $9.3M. At the national ratio of grocery stores to household spending, Barnstable County would have about 82, against 89 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,469 households, against one for every 2,053 across the U.S. The official count rose 4.4% from 2019 to 2023, against 0.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Barnstable County, MA growing?
Population estimates put Barnstable County at 233,539 people in 2025, up 2.4% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 105,777 households. Median household income in Barnstable County is $95,241, 18% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 28.1%, 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. Barnstable County scores 53 for grocery stores (upper middle), #914 of 2,070 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Barnstable 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 Barnstable County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Barnstable 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 Barnstable 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.