Groceries and convenience · County · Missouri
Grocery stores in St. Louis city, MO
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for grocery stores in St. Louis city, MO, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 23 out of 100: Low
Ranked #1,815 of 2,070 scored counties
#58 of 65 scored counties in Missouri
- Listings
- 127
- 27 chain locations (21%)
- Official establishments
- 81
- −12.9% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $809M
- On groceries · $5,584 a household
- Spending per listing
- $6.4M
- 31% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 8.8
- 29% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 278,144
- −7.4% since 2020
See the grocery stores around any address in St. Louis city
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 St. Louis city. 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
For grocery stores, St. Louis city has a Groundwork market score of 23 (low): #1,815 of 2,070 scored counties and #58 of 65 scored counties in Missouri. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
At $5,584 per household (12% below the U.S. average), households in St. Louis city spend about $809M a year on groceries. Spread across 127 grocery stores, that is $6.4M per store, 31% below the U.S. figure of $9.3M. The spending figure covers all groceries, not only grocery stores.
There are 127 grocery stores on map listings in St. Louis city as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 21% of them, against 37% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 8.8, 29% above the U.S. rate of 6.8.
In 2023, official counts showed 81 businesses with payroll in St. Louis city classed as supermarkets and grocery stores, down 12.9% from 2019. That is one for every 1,789 households, against one for every 2,053 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $1.8M have gone to businesses classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in St. Louis city. Population estimates show St. Louis city declined 7.4% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How St. Louis city 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 | St. Louis city | Missouri | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 8.8 | 6.1 | 6.8 |
| Spending per listing | $6.4M | $9.7M | $9.3M |
| Households per official establishment | 1,789 | 2,626 | 2,053 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −12.9% | −6.5% | 0.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −7.4% | +1.9% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on groceries | $5,584 | $5,947 | $6,319 |
| Median household income | $56,160 | $70,702 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 23 | 53 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 93 → 81−12.9% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 2,048
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $54.5M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 12727 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 87The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 2
- Amount
- $1.8M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in St. Louis city, 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 St. Louis city
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 278,144−7.4% since 2020
- Households
- 144,891
- Median age
- 38.2
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 45%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.3
- Land area
- 62 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 4,675
- Median household income
- $56,160+27.9% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $81,764
- Median home value
- $197,500
- Jobs located here
- 229,379
- Daytime population
- 378,059Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in St. Louis city?
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 St. Louis city. 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 St. Louis city 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 |
| 58St. Louis city, MO | 23 | 127 | 8.8 | $6.4M | −7.4% | #1,815 of 2,070 |
Other business types in St. Louis city
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
- Grocery and convenience stores34
- Grocery stores23
- Convenience stores52
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 St. Louis city, MO?
As of September 2026, map listings count 127 grocery stores in St. Louis city. 27 of them (21%) are chain locations. The listings count grocery stores and supermarkets. Official counts show 81 businesses with payroll classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in 2023, down 12.9% from 2019.
How much do households in St. Louis city, MO spend on groceries?
About $809M a year, or $5,584 per household. That is 12% below the U.S. average (an index of 88, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 127 grocery stores on map listings, it comes to $6.4M 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 144,891 households in St. Louis city and national spending patterns by income.
How does St. Louis city, MO compare with the U.S. for grocery stores?
St. Louis city has 8.8 grocery stores per 10,000 households, 29% above the U.S. rate of 6.8. Spending per store is $6.4M, 31% below the U.S. figure of $9.3M. At the U.S. ratio of grocery stores to household spending, St. Louis city would have about 87, against 127 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,789 households, against one for every 2,053 across the U.S. The official count fell 12.9% from 2019 to 2023, against 0.0% for the U.S.
How fast is St. Louis city, MO growing?
Population estimates put St. Louis city at 278,144 people in 2025, down 7.4% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 144,891 households. The median household income in St. Louis city is $56,160 a year, 30% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 27.9% 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. St. Louis city scores 23 for grocery stores (low), #1,815 of 2,070 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in St. Louis city. 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 St. Louis city
Screening a site or an acquisition in St. Louis city?
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 St. Louis city. 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.