Groceries and convenience · County · Massachusetts
Grocery stores in Essex County, MA
The grocery stores in Essex County, MA, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 62 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #618 of 2,070 scored counties
#7 of 14 scored counties in Massachusetts
- Listings
- 218
- 75 chain locations (34%)
- Official establishments
- 178
- 0.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $2.3B
- On groceries · $7,328 a household
- Spending per listing
- $10.5M
- 13% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 7.0
- 3% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 826,653
- +2.3% since 2020
See the grocery stores around any address in Essex 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 Essex 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 218 grocery stores in Essex County. 75 of them (34%) are chain locations, against 37% across the U.S. That is 7.0 per 10,000 households, 3% above the U.S. rate of 6.8.
Households in Essex County spend about $2.3B a year on groceries, or $7,328 per household, 16% above the U.S. average. That is about $10.5M of household spending for each store on map listings, 13% 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 178 businesses with payroll in Essex County classed as supermarkets and grocery stores, unchanged from 2019. That is one for every 1,759 households, against one for every 2,053 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 10 SBA-backed loans worth $3.1M have gone to businesses classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in Essex County.
Population estimates show Essex County grew 2.3% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). Essex County scores 62 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for grocery stores, ranking #618 of 2,070 scored counties and #7 of 14 scored counties in Massachusetts.
How Essex 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 | Essex County | Massachusetts | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 7.0 | 6.8 | 6.8 |
| Spending per listing | $10.5M | $10.9M | $9.3M |
| Households per official establishment | 1,759 | 2,066 | 2,053 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | 0.0% | +1.4% | 0.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.3% | +2.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on groceries | $7,328 | $7,382 | $6,319 |
| Median household income | $101,883 | $103,960 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 62 | 67 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 178 → 1780.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 9,733
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $267.3M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 21875 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 247The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 10
- Amount
- $3.1M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in Essex 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 Essex County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 826,653+2.3% since 2020
- Households
- 313,147
- Median age
- 42.2
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 64%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.7
- Land area
- 493 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 1,651
- Median household income
- $101,883+28.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $140,108
- Median home value
- $619,100
- Jobs located here
- 329,644
- Daytime population
- 736,954Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Essex 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 Essex 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 Essex 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 Essex County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
- Grocery and convenience stores63
- Grocery stores62
- Convenience stores64
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 Essex County, MA?
There are 218 grocery stores on map listings in Essex County as of September 2026. 75 of them (34%) are chain locations. The listings count grocery stores and supermarkets. Official counts show 178 businesses with payroll classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in 2023, unchanged from 2019.
How much do households in Essex County, MA spend on groceries?
About $2.3B a year, or $7,328 per household. That is 16% above the U.S. average (an index of 116, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 218 grocery stores on map listings, it comes to $10.5M per store. The spending figure covers all groceries, not only grocery stores. It is estimated from the incomes of the 313,147 households in Essex County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Essex County, MA compare with the U.S. for grocery stores?
Essex County has 7.0 grocery stores per 10,000 households, 3% above the U.S. rate of 6.8. Spending per store is $10.5M, 13% above the U.S. figure of $9.3M. At the national ratio of grocery stores to household spending, Essex County would have about 247, against 218 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,759 households, against one for every 2,053 across the U.S. The official count held level from 2019 to 2023, against 0.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Essex County, MA growing?
Population estimates put Essex County at 826,653 people in 2025, up 2.3% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 313,147 households. Median household income in Essex County is $101,883, 26% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 28.5%, 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. Essex County scores 62 for grocery stores (upper middle), #618 of 2,070 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Essex 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 Essex County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Essex 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 Essex 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.