Groceries and convenience · Metro area · New York
Grocery stores in the Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY metro area
The grocery stores in the Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY metro area, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other metro areas.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 46 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #221 of 387 scored metro areas
#5 of 13 scored metro areas based in New York
- Listings
- 299
- 111 chain locations (37%)
- Official establishments
- 316
- −0.3% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $3.3B
- On groceries · $6,549 a household
- Spending per listing
- $11M
- 18% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 6.0
- 12% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 1,155,653
- −0.8% since 2020
See the grocery stores around any address in the Buffalo-Cheektowaga metro area
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 the Buffalo-Cheektowaga metro area. 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 299 grocery stores in the Buffalo-Cheektowaga metro area. 111 of them (37%) are chain locations, against 37% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 6.0, 12% below the U.S. rate of 6.8.
At $6,549 per household (4% above the U.S. average), households in the Buffalo-Cheektowaga metro area spend about $3.3B a year on groceries. That is about $11M of household spending for each store on map listings, 18% above 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 316 businesses with payroll in the Buffalo-Cheektowaga metro area classed as supermarkets and grocery stores, down 0.3% from 2019. That is one for every 1,587 households, against one for every 2,053 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 4 SBA-backed loans worth $220K have gone to businesses classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in the Buffalo-Cheektowaga metro area.
Population estimates show the Buffalo-Cheektowaga metro area declined 0.8% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S. For grocery stores, the Buffalo-Cheektowaga metro area has a Groundwork market score of 46 (lower middle): #221 of 387 scored metro areas and #5 of 13 scored metro areas based in New York.
How the Buffalo-Cheektowaga metro area compares
The same measures for New York 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 | Buffalo-Cheektowaga metro area | New York | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 6.0 | 9.9 | 6.8 |
| Spending per listing | $11M | $7.1M | $9.3M |
| Households per official establishment | 1,587 | 926 | 2,053 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −0.3% | −10.0% | 0.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −0.8% | −0.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on groceries | $6,549 | $6,985 | $6,319 |
| Median household income | $72,237 | $85,974 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 46 | 22 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 316−0.3% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 12,806
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $330M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 299111 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 353The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 4
- Amount
- $220K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in the Buffalo-Cheektowaga metro area, 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 the Buffalo-Cheektowaga metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 1,155,653−0.8% since 2020
- Households
- 501,549
- Median age
- 42.1
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 67%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.6
- Land area
- 1,565 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 742
- Median household income
- $72,237+25.4% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $96,175
- Median home value
- $226,100
- Jobs located here
- 547,190
- Daytime population
- 1,174,035Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Buffalo-Cheektowaga metro area?
These figures cover the whole metro area. 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 the Buffalo-Cheektowaga metro area. 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 York
Every New York market ranked →The highest-scoring metro areas in New York for grocery stores, numbered among those based in New York, with the Buffalo-Cheektowaga metro area marked.
Top metro areas in New York
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Kingston, NY | 57 | 43 | 5.8 | $12M | +1.1% | #142 of 387 |
| 2Kiryas Joel-Poughkeepsie-Newburgh, NY | 53 | 178 | 7.0 | $10.3M | +3.0% | #182 of 387 |
| 3Albany-Schenectady-Troy, NY | 52 | 264 | 6.9 | $10.1M | +1.9% | #190 of 387 |
| 4Elmira, NY | 51 | 22 | 6.2 | $10M | −3.9% | #199 of 387 |
| 5Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY | 46 | 299 | 6.0 | $11M | −0.8% | #221 of 387 |
| 6Rochester, NY | 46 | 297 | 6.7 | $10M | −0.7% | #225 of 387 |
| 7Ithaca, NY | 40 | 31 | 7.2 | $9.3M | −1.4% | #260 of 387 |
| 8Binghamton, NY | 36 | 70 | 6.8 | $9.3M | −1.3% | #287 of 387 |
| 9Utica-Rome, NY | 34 | 87 | 7.2 | $8.9M | −2.0% | #300 of 387 |
| 10Syracuse, NY | 34 | 213 | 7.9 | $8.4M | −1.3% | #301 of 387 |
Other business types in the Buffalo-Cheektowaga metro area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
- Grocery and convenience stores49
- Grocery stores46
- Convenience stores49
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 the Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY metro area?
There are 299 grocery stores on map listings in the Buffalo-Cheektowaga metro area as of September 2026. 111 of them (37%) are chain locations. The listings count grocery stores and supermarkets. Official counts show 316 businesses with payroll classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in 2023, down 0.3% from 2019.
How much do households in the Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY metro area spend on groceries?
About $3.3B a year, or $6,549 per household. That is 4% above the U.S. average (an index of 104, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 299 grocery stores on map listings, it comes to $11M per store. The spending figure covers all groceries, not only grocery stores. It is estimated from the incomes of the 501,549 households in the Buffalo-Cheektowaga metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY metro area compare with the U.S. for grocery stores?
The Buffalo-Cheektowaga metro area has 6.0 grocery stores per 10,000 households, 12% below the U.S. rate of 6.8. Spending per store is $11M, 18% above the U.S. figure of $9.3M. At the national ratio of grocery stores to household spending, the Buffalo-Cheektowaga metro area would have about 353, against 299 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,587 households, against one for every 2,053 across the U.S. The official count fell 0.3% from 2019 to 2023, against 0.0% for the U.S.
How fast is the Buffalo-Cheektowaga, NY metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Buffalo-Cheektowaga metro area at 1,155,653 people in 2025, down 0.8% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 501,549 households. Median household income in the Buffalo-Cheektowaga metro area is $72,237, 11% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 25.4%, 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. The Buffalo-Cheektowaga metro area scores 46 for grocery stores (lower middle), #221 of 387 scored metro areas.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Buffalo-Cheektowaga metro area. 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 the Buffalo-Cheektowaga metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Buffalo-Cheektowaga metro area?
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 the Buffalo-Cheektowaga metro area. 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.