Groceries and convenience · County · Missouri
Grocery stores in Cole County, MO
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for grocery stores in Cole County, MO, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 75 out of 100: High
Ranked #294 of 2,070 scored counties
#10 of 65 scored counties in Missouri
- Listings
- 14
- 8 chain locations (57%)
- Official establishments
- 9
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $188M
- On groceries · $6,047 a household
- Spending per listing
- $13.4M
- 44% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 4.5
- 34% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 77,908
- +1.7% since 2020
See the grocery stores around any address in Cole 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 Cole 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
Households in Cole County spend about $188M a year on groceries, or $6,047 per household, 4% below the U.S. average. That is about $13.4M of household spending for each store on map listings, 44% above the U.S. figure of $9.3M. The spending figure covers all groceries, not only grocery stores.
There are 14 grocery stores on map listings in Cole County as of September 2026. Of those, 8 are chain locations, or 57%, against 37% across the U.S. That is 4.5 per 10,000 households, 34% below the U.S. rate of 6.8.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in Cole County was 9 in 2023. That is one for every 3,454 households, against one for every 2,053 across the U.S.
Population estimates show Cole County grew 1.7% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). Cole County scores 75 (high) on the Groundwork market score for grocery stores, ranking #294 of 2,070 scored counties and #10 of 65 scored counties in Missouri. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How Cole County compares
The same measures for Missouri 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 | Cole County | Missouri | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 4.5 | 6.1 | 6.8 |
| Spending per listing | $13.4M | $9.7M | $9.3M |
| Households per official establishment | 3,454 | 2,626 | 2,053 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | −6.5% | 0.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +1.7% | +1.9% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on groceries | $6,047 | $5,947 | $6,319 |
| Median household income | $74,876 | $70,702 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 75 | 53 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 9 → 9
- Employees, 2023
- 833
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $18.5M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 148 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 20The 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 Cole 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 Cole County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 77,908+1.7% since 2020
- Households
- 31,086
- Median age
- 40.1
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 68%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 392 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 197
- Median household income
- $74,876+24.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $95,025
- Median home value
- $229,600
- Jobs located here
- 56,757
- Daytime population
- 96,838Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Cole 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 Cole 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 Missouri
Every Missouri market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Missouri for grocery stores, numbered among those based in Missouri, with Cole County marked.
Top counties in Missouri
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Lincoln County, MO | 94 | 5 | 2.2 | $28.3M | +11.4% | #18 of 2,070 |
| 2Platte County, MO | 92 | 15 | 3.4 | $19.3M | +6.7% | #35 of 2,070 |
| 3St. Charles County, MO | 88 | 68 | 4.2 | $16M | +4.9% | #69 of 2,070 |
| 4Cass County, MO | 87 | 19 | 4.4 | $14.4M | +7.1% | #82 of 2,070 |
| 5Clay County, MO | 86 | 38 | 3.7 | $17M | +4.3% | #94 of 2,070 |
| 6Jefferson County, MO | 82 | 36 | 4.1 | $15.1M | +2.7% | #149 of 2,070 |
| 7Christian County, MO | 80 | 17 | 4.8 | $12.8M | +8.3% | #194 of 2,070 |
| 8Johnson County, MO | 79 | 9 | 4.3 | $13.6M | +4.9% | #217 of 2,070 |
| 9Lawrence County, MO | 75 | 5 | 3.4 | $16.3M | +3.7% | #287 of 2,070 |
| 10Cole County, MO | 75 | 14 | 4.5 | $13.4M | +1.7% | #294 of 2,070 |
Other business types in Cole County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
- Grocery and convenience stores73
- Grocery stores75
- Convenience stores67
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 Cole County, MO?
As of September 2026, map listings count 14 grocery stores in Cole County. 8 of them (57%) are chain locations. The listings count grocery stores and supermarkets. Official counts show 9 businesses with payroll classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in 2023.
How much do households in Cole County, MO spend on groceries?
About $188M a year, or $6,047 per household. That is 4% below the U.S. average (an index of 96, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 14 grocery stores on map listings, it comes to $13.4M per store. That spending covers all groceries, which grocery stores share with other businesses in the trade. It is estimated from the incomes of the 31,086 households in Cole County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Cole County, MO compare with the U.S. for grocery stores?
Cole County has 4.5 grocery stores per 10,000 households, 34% below the U.S. rate of 6.8. Spending per store is $13.4M, 44% above the U.S. figure of $9.3M. At the U.S. ratio of grocery stores to household spending, Cole County would have about 20, against 14 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 3,454 households, against one for every 2,053 across the U.S.
How fast is Cole County, MO growing?
Population estimates put Cole County at 77,908 people in 2025, up 1.7% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 31,086 households. The median household income in Cole County is $74,876 a year, 7% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 24.7% from the 2015–2019 survey, 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. Cole County scores 75 for grocery stores (high), #294 of 2,070 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Cole 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 Cole County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Cole 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 Cole 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.