Groceries and convenience · County · New Jersey
Grocery stores in Mercer County, NJ
How Mercer County, NJ compares with other counties and the U.S. for grocery stores: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 53 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #915 of 2,070 scored counties
#13 of 21 scored counties in New Jersey
- Listings
- 126
- 31 chain locations (25%)
- Official establishments
- 114
- −2.6% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $1.1B
- On groceries · $7,324 a household
- Spending per listing
- $8.4M
- 10% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 8.7
- 28% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 399,289
- +3.3% since 2020
See the grocery stores around any address in Mercer 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 Mercer 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 126 grocery stores in Mercer County. 31 of them (25%) are chain locations, against 37% across the U.S. That comes to 8.7 for every 10,000 households, 28% above the U.S. rate of 6.8.
Household spending on groceries in Mercer County comes to about $1.1B a year: $7,324 per household, 16% above the U.S. average. Spread across 126 grocery stores, that is $8.4M per store, 10% below 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 114 businesses with payroll in Mercer County classed as supermarkets and grocery stores, down 2.6% from 2019. That is one for every 1,264 households, against one for every 2,053 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $1.7M have gone to businesses classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in Mercer County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Mercer County grew 3.3%, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). Mercer County scores 53 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for grocery stores, ranking #915 of 2,070 scored counties and #13 of 21 scored counties in New Jersey.
How Mercer County compares
The same measures for New Jersey 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 | Mercer County | New Jersey | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 8.7 | 8.3 | 6.8 |
| Spending per listing | $8.4M | $8.9M | $9.3M |
| Households per official establishment | 1,264 | 1,459 | 2,053 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −2.6% | −3.2% | 0.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +3.3% | +3.0% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on groceries | $7,324 | $7,393 | $6,319 |
| Median household income | $100,645 | $103,556 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 53 | 46 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 117 → 114−2.6% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 4,051
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $127.1M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 12631 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 114The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 2
- Amount
- $1.7M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in Mercer 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 Mercer County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 399,289+3.3% since 2020
- Households
- 144,114
- Median age
- 40.4
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 62%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.6
- Land area
- 225 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 1,719
- Median household income
- $100,645+24.2% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $142,372
- Median home value
- $377,700
- Jobs located here
- 262,034
- Daytime population
- 469,892Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Mercer 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 Mercer 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 New Jersey
Every New Jersey market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in New Jersey for grocery stores, numbered among those based in New Jersey, with Mercer County marked.
Top counties in New Jersey
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Gloucester County, NJ | 83 | 60 | 5.3 | $13.8M | +3.3% | #134 of 2,070 |
| 2Burlington County, NJ | 81 | 95 | 5.4 | $14M | +4.3% | #165 of 2,070 |
| 3Sussex County, NJ | 77 | 30 | 5.2 | $14.7M | +2.9% | #242 of 2,070 |
| 4Somerset County, NJ | 75 | 76 | 5.8 | $14M | +3.5% | #290 of 2,070 |
| 5Ocean County, NJ | 74 | 143 | 5.9 | $12M | +5.6% | #319 of 2,070 |
| 6Warren County, NJ | 70 | 28 | 6.2 | $11.6M | +3.2% | #407 of 2,070 |
| 7Hunterdon County, NJ | 69 | 38 | 7.5 | $10.9M | +2.3% | #438 of 2,070 |
| 8Morris County, NJ | 69 | 146 | 7.6 | $10.7M | +3.2% | #441 of 2,070 |
| 9Salem County, NJ | 64 | 16 | 6.4 | $10.4M | +2.3% | #570 of 2,070 |
| 10Monmouth County, NJ | 59 | 186 | 7.4 | $10.6M | +1.4% | #711 of 2,070 |
| 13Mercer County, NJ | 53 | 126 | 8.7 | $8.4M | +3.3% | #915 of 2,070 |
Other business types in Mercer County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
- Grocery and convenience stores65
- Grocery stores53
- Convenience stores74
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 Mercer County, NJ?
There are 126 grocery stores on map listings in Mercer County as of September 2026. 31 of them (25%) are chain locations. The listings count grocery stores and supermarkets. Official counts show 114 businesses with payroll classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in 2023, down 2.6% from 2019.
How much do households in Mercer County, NJ spend on groceries?
About $1.1B a year, or $7,324 per household. That is 16% above the U.S. average (an index of 116, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 126 grocery stores on map listings, it comes to $8.4M per store. The spending figure covers all groceries, not only grocery stores. It is estimated from the incomes of the 144,114 households in Mercer County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Mercer County, NJ compare with the U.S. for grocery stores?
Mercer County has 8.7 grocery stores per 10,000 households, 28% above the U.S. rate of 6.8. Spending per store is $8.4M, 10% below the U.S. figure of $9.3M. At the national ratio of grocery stores to household spending, Mercer County would have about 114, against 126 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,264 households, against one for every 2,053 across the U.S. The official count fell 2.6% from 2019 to 2023, against 0.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Mercer County, NJ growing?
Population estimates put Mercer County at 399,289 people in 2025, up 3.3% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 144,114 households. Median household income in Mercer County is $100,645, 25% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 24.2%, 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. Mercer County scores 53 for grocery stores (upper middle), #915 of 2,070 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Mercer 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 Mercer County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Mercer 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 Mercer 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.