Groceries and convenience · County · North Carolina
Grocery stores in Buncombe County, NC
The grocery stores in Buncombe County, NC, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 45 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,183 of 2,070 scored counties
#47 of 87 scored counties in North Carolina
- Listings
- 82
- 38 chain locations (46%)
- Official establishments
- 63
- −3.1% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $617.9M
- On groceries · $6,066 a household
- Spending per listing
- $7.5M
- 19% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 8.1
- 19% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 277,417
- +2.9% since 2020
See the grocery stores around any address in Buncombe 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 Buncombe 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
At $6,066 per household (4% below the U.S. average), households in Buncombe County spend about $617.9M a year on groceries. Spread across 82 grocery stores, that is $7.5M per store, 19% below the U.S. figure of $9.3M. The spending figure covers all groceries, not only grocery stores.
Buncombe County has 82 grocery stores on map listings as of September 2026. Of those, 38 are chain locations, or 46%, against 37% across the U.S. That is 8.1 per 10,000 households, 19% above the U.S. rate of 6.8.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in Buncombe County was 63 in 2023, down 3.1% from 2019. That is one for every 1,617 households, against one for every 2,053 across the U.S.
Population estimates put the population change in Buncombe County from 2020 to 2025 at +2.9%, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). For grocery stores, Buncombe County has a Groundwork market score of 45 (lower middle): #1,183 of 2,070 scored counties and #47 of 87 scored counties in North Carolina.
How Buncombe County compares
The same measures for North Carolina 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 | Buncombe County | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 8.1 | 7.4 | 6.8 |
| Spending per listing | $7.5M | $8.1M | $9.3M |
| Households per official establishment | 1,617 | 2,134 | 2,053 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −3.1% | +3.5% | 0.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.9% | +7.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on groceries | $6,066 | $6,016 | $6,319 |
| Median household income | $74,436 | $72,388 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 45 | 43 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 65 → 63−3.1% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 4,815
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $112.1M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 8238 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 67The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 0
- Amount
- $0
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in Buncombe 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 Buncombe County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 277,417+2.9% since 2020
- Households
- 101,855
- Median age
- 43.4
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 66%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 657 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 418
- Median household income
- $74,436+42.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $105,560
- Median home value
- $391,800
- Jobs located here
- 142,929
- Daytime population
- 299,325Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Buncombe 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 Buncombe 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 North Carolina
Every North Carolina market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in North Carolina for grocery stores, numbered among those based in North Carolina, with Buncombe County marked.
Top counties in North Carolina
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Hoke County, NC | 81 | 5 | 2.6 | $22.1M | +9.0% | #159 of 2,070 |
| 2Lincoln County, NC | 79 | 21 | 5.7 | $10.9M | +13.2% | #225 of 2,070 |
| 3Davie County, NC | 77 | 10 | 5.8 | $10.6M | +6.9% | #258 of 2,070 |
| 4Brunswick County, NC | 76 | 39 | 5.6 | $10.8M | +26.5% | #278 of 2,070 |
| 5Durham County, NC | 75 | 86 | 6.1 | $10.4M | +7.7% | #304 of 2,070 |
| 6Cabarrus County, NC | 74 | 49 | 5.8 | $11M | +9.9% | #321 of 2,070 |
| 7Rowan County, NC | 71 | 31 | 5.3 | $11M | +5.6% | #388 of 2,070 |
| 8Wake County, NC | 70 | 305 | 6.6 | $10.3M | +11.2% | #412 of 2,070 |
| 9Union County, NC | 70 | 60 | 7.1 | $9.5M | +11.7% | #420 of 2,070 |
| 10Chatham County, NC | 69 | 23 | 7.0 | $9.5M | +11.0% | #444 of 2,070 |
| 47Buncombe County, NC | 45 | 82 | 8.1 | $7.5M | +2.9% | #1,183 of 2,070 |
Other business types in Buncombe County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
- Grocery and convenience stores51
- Grocery stores45
- Convenience stores72
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 Buncombe County, NC?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 82 grocery stores in Buncombe County. 38 of them (46%) are chain locations. The listings count grocery stores and supermarkets. Official counts show 63 businesses with payroll classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in 2023, down 3.1% from 2019.
How much do households in Buncombe County, NC spend on groceries?
About $617.9M a year, or $6,066 per household. That is 4% below the U.S. average (an index of 96, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 82 grocery stores on map listings, it comes to $7.5M 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 101,855 households in Buncombe County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Buncombe County, NC compare with the U.S. for grocery stores?
Buncombe County has 8.1 grocery stores per 10,000 households, 19% above the U.S. rate of 6.8. Spending per store is $7.5M, 19% below the U.S. figure of $9.3M. At the U.S. ratio of grocery stores to household spending, Buncombe County would have about 67, against 82 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,617 households, against one for every 2,053 across the U.S. The official count fell 3.1% from 2019 to 2023, against 0.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Buncombe County, NC growing?
Population estimates put Buncombe County at 277,417 people in 2025, up 2.9% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 101,855 households. The median household income in Buncombe County is $74,436 a year, 8% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 42.6% 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. Buncombe County scores 45 for grocery stores (lower middle), #1,183 of 2,070 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Buncombe 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 Buncombe County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Buncombe 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 Buncombe 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.