Groceries and convenience · County · New Jersey
Grocery stores in Ocean County, NJ
How Ocean 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 74 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #319 of 2,070 scored counties
#5 of 21 scored counties in New Jersey
- Listings
- 143
- 40 chain locations (28%)
- Official establishments
- 112
- +9.8% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $1.7B
- On groceries · $7,047 a household
- Spending per listing
- $12M
- 29% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 5.9
- 13% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 673,746
- +5.6% since 2020
See the grocery stores around any address in Ocean 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 Ocean 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 143 grocery stores in Ocean County. 40 of them (28%) are chain locations, against 37% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 5.9, 13% below the U.S. rate of 6.8.
At $7,047 per household (12% above the U.S. average), households in Ocean County spend about $1.7B a year on groceries. Spread across 143 grocery stores, that is $12M per store, 29% above the U.S. figure of $9.3M. That spending covers all groceries, which grocery stores share with other businesses in the trade.
Official counts show 112 businesses with payroll classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in Ocean County in 2023, up 9.8% from 2019. That is one for every 2,177 households, against one for every 2,053 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 5 SBA-backed loans worth $7.3M have gone to businesses classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in Ocean County.
Population estimates put the population change in Ocean County from 2020 to 2025 at +5.6%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for grocery stores in Ocean County is 74 (upper middle), #319 of 2,070 scored counties and #5 of 21 scored counties in New Jersey. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How Ocean 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 | Ocean County | New Jersey | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 5.9 | 8.3 | 6.8 |
| Spending per listing | $12M | $8.9M | $9.3M |
| Households per official establishment | 2,177 | 1,459 | 2,053 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +9.8% | −3.2% | 0.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +5.6% | +3.0% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on groceries | $7,047 | $7,393 | $6,319 |
| Median household income | $89,863 | $103,556 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 74 | 46 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 102 → 112+9.8% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 5,043
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $173.8M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 14340 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 185The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 5
- Amount
- $7.3M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in Ocean 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 Ocean County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 673,746+5.6% since 2020
- Households
- 243,843
- Median age
- 41.7
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 81%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 628 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 1,042
- Median household income
- $89,863+26.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $118,774
- Median home value
- $398,400
- Jobs located here
- 183,196
- Daytime population
- 568,313Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Ocean 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 Ocean 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 Ocean 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 |
Other business types in Ocean 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 stores74
- Convenience stores73
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 Ocean County, NJ?
There are 143 grocery stores on map listings in Ocean County as of September 2026. 40 of them (28%) are chain locations. The listings count grocery stores and supermarkets. Official counts show 112 businesses with payroll classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in 2023, up 9.8% from 2019.
How much do households in Ocean County, NJ spend on groceries?
About $1.7B a year, or $7,047 per household. That is 12% above the U.S. average (an index of 112, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 143 grocery stores on map listings, it comes to $12M per store. The spending figure covers all groceries, not only grocery stores. It is estimated from the incomes of the 243,843 households in Ocean County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Ocean County, NJ compare with the U.S. for grocery stores?
Ocean County has 5.9 grocery stores per 10,000 households, 13% below the U.S. rate of 6.8. Spending per store is $12M, 29% above the U.S. figure of $9.3M. At the national ratio of grocery stores to household spending, Ocean County would have about 185, against 143 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,177 households, against one for every 2,053 across the U.S. The official count rose 9.8% from 2019 to 2023, against 0.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Ocean County, NJ growing?
Population estimates put Ocean County at 673,746 people in 2025, up 5.6% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 243,843 households. Median household income in Ocean County is $89,863, 11% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 26.7%, 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. Ocean County scores 74 for grocery stores (upper middle), #319 of 2,070 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Ocean 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 Ocean County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Ocean 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 Ocean 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.