Groundwork

Groceries and convenience · County · Missouri

Grocery stores in St. Louis County, MO

The grocery stores in St. Louis County, MO, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 61 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #651 of 2,070 scored counties
#19 of 65 scored counties in Missouri

Listings
244
110 chain locations (45%)
Official establishments
163
−13.8% since 2019
Household spending a year
$2.6B
On groceries · $6,355 a household
Spending per listing
$10.8M
16% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
5.9
13% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
990,911
−1.2% since 2020

See the grocery stores around any address in St. Louis 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 St. Louis County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Survey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure

What this means

At $6,355 per household (in line with the U.S. average), households in St. Louis County spend about $2.6B a year on groceries. That works out to $10.8M per store, 16% above the U.S. figure of $9.3M. The spending figure covers all groceries, not only grocery stores.

St. Louis County has 244 grocery stores on map listings as of September 2026. Of those, 110 are chain locations, or 45%, against 37% across the U.S. That comes to 5.9 for every 10,000 households, 13% below the U.S. rate of 6.8.

In 2023, official counts showed 163 businesses with payroll in St. Louis County classed as supermarkets and grocery stores, down 13.8% from 2019. That is one for every 2,539 households, against one for every 2,053 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 3 SBA-backed loans worth $2.8M have gone to businesses classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in St. Louis County.

Population estimates show St. Louis County declined 1.2% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S. For grocery stores, St. Louis County has a Groundwork market score of 61 (upper middle): #651 of 2,070 scored counties and #19 of 65 scored counties in Missouri.

How St. Louis 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.

Grocery stores in St. Louis County, MO compared with Missouri and the U.S.
MeasureSt. Louis CountyMissouriU.S.
Listings per 10k households5.96.16.8
Spending per listing$10.8M$9.7M$9.3M
Households per official establishment2,5392,6262,053
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023−13.8%−6.5%0.0%
Population growth, 2020–2025−1.2%+1.9%+3.1%
Spending per household on groceries$6,355$5,947$6,319
Median household income$82,936$70,702$80,734
Groundwork market score6153

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
189 → 163−13.8% over the period
Employees, 2023
8,208
Annual payroll, 2023
$242M
One-person businesses, 2023
Not publishedNot published for this business type
Map listings, September 2026
244110 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
283The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
3
Amount
$2.8M

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in St. Louis 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 St. Louis County

Population, 2025 estimate
990,911−1.2% since 2020
Households
413,849
Median age
41.2
Homes lived in by their owners
69%
Vehicles per household
1.7
Land area
509 sq. mi.
People per square mile
1,958
Median household income
$82,936+23.0% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$123,036
Median home value
$276,800
Jobs located here
655,776
Daytime population
1,175,839Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in St. Louis 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 St. Louis County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Grocery 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 County marked.

Top counties in Missouri

Counties in Missouri ranked for grocery stores by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Lincoln County, MO9452.2$28.3M+11.4%#18 of 2,070
2Platte County, MO92153.4$19.3M+6.7%#35 of 2,070
3St. Charles County, MO88684.2$16M+4.9%#69 of 2,070
4Cass County, MO87194.4$14.4M+7.1%#82 of 2,070
5Clay County, MO86383.7$17M+4.3%#94 of 2,070
6Jefferson County, MO82364.1$15.1M+2.7%#149 of 2,070
7Christian County, MO80174.8$12.8M+8.3%#194 of 2,070
8Johnson County, MO7994.3$13.6M+4.9%#217 of 2,070
9Lawrence County, MO7553.4$16.3M+3.7%#287 of 2,070
10Cole County, MO75144.5$13.4M+1.7%#294 of 2,070
19St. Louis County, MO612445.9$10.8M−1.2%#651 of 2,070

Other business types in St. Louis County

Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.

Questions

How many grocery stores are in St. Louis County, MO?

Map listings as of September 2026 show 244 grocery stores in St. Louis County. 110 of them (45%) are chain locations. The listings count grocery stores and supermarkets. Official counts show 163 businesses with payroll classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in 2023, down 13.8% from 2019.

How much do households in St. Louis County, MO spend on groceries?

About $2.6B a year, or $6,355 per household. That is in line with the U.S. average (an index of 101, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 244 grocery stores on map listings, it comes to $10.8M 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 413,849 households in St. Louis County and national spending patterns by income.

How does St. Louis County, MO compare with the U.S. for grocery stores?

St. Louis County has 5.9 grocery stores per 10,000 households, 13% below the U.S. rate of 6.8. Spending per store is $10.8M, 16% above the U.S. figure of $9.3M. At the U.S. ratio of grocery stores to household spending, St. Louis County would have about 283, against 244 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,539 households, against one for every 2,053 across the U.S. The official count fell 13.8% from 2019 to 2023, against 0.0% for the U.S.

How fast is St. Louis County, MO growing?

Population estimates put St. Louis County at 990,911 people in 2025, down 1.2% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 413,849 households. The median household income in St. Louis County is $82,936 a year, 3% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 23.0% 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 County scores 61 for grocery stores (upper middle), #651 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 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 St. Louis County

Screening a site or an acquisition in St. Louis 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 St. Louis 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.