Groceries and convenience · Metro area · New York
Grocery stores in the Rochester, NY metro area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for grocery stores in the Rochester, NY metro area, set against other metro areas and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 46 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #225 of 387 scored metro areas
#6 of 13 scored metro areas based in New York
- Listings
- 297
- 102 chain locations (34%)
- Official establishments
- 211
- −11.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $3B
- On groceries · $6,651 a household
- Spending per listing
- $10M
- 7% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 6.7
- In line with the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 1,056,149
- −0.7% since 2020
See the grocery stores around any address in the Rochester 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 Rochester 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
As of September 2026, map listings count 297 grocery stores in the Rochester metro area. 102 of them (34%) are chain locations, against 37% across the U.S. That comes to 6.7 for every 10,000 households, in line with the U.S. rate of 6.8.
At $6,651 per household (5% above the U.S. average), households in the Rochester metro area spend about $3B a year on groceries. Spread across 297 grocery stores, that is $10M per store, 7% above the U.S. figure of $9.3M. That spending covers all groceries, which grocery stores share with other businesses in the trade.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in the Rochester metro area was 211 in 2023, down 11.0% from 2019. That is one for every 2,113 households, against one for every 2,053 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 12 SBA-backed loans worth $4M have gone to businesses classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in the Rochester metro area.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of the Rochester metro area declined 0.7%, against +3.1% for the U.S. The Groundwork market score for grocery stores in the Rochester metro area is 46 (lower middle), #225 of 387 scored metro areas and #6 of 13 scored metro areas based in New York.
How the Rochester 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 | Rochester metro area | New York | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 6.7 | 9.9 | 6.8 |
| Spending per listing | $10M | $7.1M | $9.3M |
| Households per official establishment | 2,113 | 926 | 2,053 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −11.0% | −10.0% | 0.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −0.7% | −0.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on groceries | $6,651 | $6,985 | $6,319 |
| Median household income | $76,284 | $85,974 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 46 | 22 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 211−11.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 12,853
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $348.2M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 297102 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 319The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 12
- Amount
- $4M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in the Rochester 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 Rochester metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 1,056,149−0.7% since 2020
- Households
- 445,836
- Median age
- 42.2
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 67%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.6
- Land area
- 2,928 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 362
- Median household income
- $76,284
- Average household income
- $100,943
- Median home value
- $204,600
- Jobs located here
- 501,944
- Daytime population
- 1,064,689Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Rochester 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 Rochester 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 Rochester 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 Rochester 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 stores53
- Grocery stores46
- Convenience stores53
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 Rochester, NY metro area?
The Rochester metro area has 297 grocery stores on map listings as of September 2026. 102 of them (34%) are chain locations. The listings count grocery stores and supermarkets. Official counts show 211 businesses with payroll classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in 2023, down 11.0% from 2019.
How much do households in the Rochester, NY metro area spend on groceries?
About $3B a year, or $6,651 per household. That is 5% above the U.S. average (an index of 105, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 297 grocery stores on map listings, it comes to $10M per store. The spending figure covers all groceries, not only grocery stores. It is estimated from the incomes of the 445,836 households in the Rochester metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Rochester, NY metro area compare with the U.S. for grocery stores?
The Rochester metro area has 6.7 grocery stores per 10,000 households, in line with the U.S. rate of 6.8. Spending per store is $10M, 7% above the U.S. figure of $9.3M. At the national ratio of grocery stores to household spending, the Rochester metro area would have about 319, against 297 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,113 households, against one for every 2,053 across the U.S. The official count fell 11.0% from 2019 to 2023, against 0.0% for the U.S.
How fast is the Rochester, NY metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Rochester metro area at 1,056,149 people in 2025, down 0.7% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 445,836 households. Median household income in the Rochester metro area is $76,284, 6% below the U.S. median of $80,734.
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 Rochester metro area scores 46 for grocery stores (lower middle), #225 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 Rochester 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 Rochester metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Rochester 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 Rochester 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.