Groceries and convenience · Small-town market · North Carolina
Grocery stores in the Kinston, NC area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for grocery stores in the Kinston, NC area, set against other small-town markets and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 22 out of 100: Low
Ranked #462 of 506 scored small-town markets
#19 of 23 scored small-town markets based in North Carolina
- Listings
- 25
- 12 chain locations (48%)
- Official establishments
- 13
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $121.5M
- On groceries · $5,204 a household
- Spending per listing
- $4.9M
- 48% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 10.7
- 57% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 55,837
- +1.4% since 2020
See the grocery stores around any address in the Kinston 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 Kinston 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
For grocery stores, the Kinston area has a Groundwork market score of 22 (low): #462 of 506 scored small-town markets and #19 of 23 scored small-town markets based in North Carolina. That puts it in the bottom quarter of small-town markets.
At $5,204 per household (18% below the U.S. average), households in the Kinston area spend about $121.5M a year on groceries. That works out to $4.9M per store, 48% below the U.S. figure of $9.3M. The spending figure covers all groceries, not only grocery stores.
The Kinston area has 25 grocery stores on map listings as of September 2026. 12 of them (48%) are chain locations, against 37% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 10.7, 57% above the U.S. rate of 6.8.
In 2023, official counts showed 13 businesses with payroll in the Kinston area classed as supermarkets and grocery stores. That is one for every 1,796 households, against one for every 2,053 across the U.S. Population estimates show the Kinston area grew 1.4% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How the Kinston area 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 | Kinston area | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 10.7 | 7.4 | 6.8 |
| Spending per listing | $4.9M | $8.1M | $9.3M |
| Households per official establishment | 1,796 | 2,134 | 2,053 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +3.5% | 0.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +1.4% | +7.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on groceries | $5,204 | $6,016 | $6,319 |
| Median household income | $45,143 | $72,388 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 22 | 43 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 13
- Employees, 2023
- 602
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $12.5M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 2512 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 13The 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 the Kinston 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 Kinston area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 55,837+1.4% since 2020
- Households
- 23,351
- Median age
- 41.6
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 59%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 399 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 138
- Median household income
- $45,143+14.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $65,291
- Median home value
- $120,500
- Jobs located here
- 29,615
- Daytime population
- 59,853Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Kinston area?
These figures cover the whole small-town market. 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 Kinston 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 North Carolina
Every North Carolina market ranked →The highest-scoring small-town markets in North Carolina for grocery stores, numbered among those based in North Carolina, with the Kinston area marked.
Top small-town markets in North Carolina
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Anderson Creek, NC | 67 | 41 | 8.2 | $7.1M | +12.3% | #97 of 506 |
| 2Marion, NC | 58 | 12 | 6.4 | $8.6M | +1.5% | #175 of 506 |
| 3Brevard, NC | 56 | 10 | 6.9 | $8.5M | +2.9% | #207 of 506 |
| 4Forest City, NC | 55 | 18 | 6.8 | $8M | +2.1% | #220 of 506 |
| 5Waynesville, NC | 53 | 22 | 8.1 | $7M | +1.9% | #245 of 506 |
| 6Sanford, NC | 51 | 19 | 7.6 | $7.6M | +10.8% | #262 of 506 |
| 7Morehead City, NC | 51 | 30 | 9.4 | $6.4M | +4.1% | #265 of 506 |
| 8New Bern, NC | 49 | 38 | 7.2 | $7.9M | +3.6% | #274 of 506 |
| 9Elizabeth City, NC | 49 | 14 | 8.9 | $6.5M | +4.5% | #278 of 506 |
| 10Shelby-Kings Mountain, NC | 44 | 32 | 8.2 | $6.7M | +3.4% | #324 of 506 |
| 19Kinston, NC | 22 | 25 | 10.7 | $4.9M | +1.4% | #462 of 506 |
Other business types in the Kinston area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
- Grocery and convenience stores23
- Grocery stores22
- Convenience stores27
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 Kinston, NC area?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 25 grocery stores in the Kinston area. 12 of them (48%) are chain locations. The listings count grocery stores and supermarkets. Official counts show 13 businesses with payroll classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in 2023.
How much do households in the Kinston, NC area spend on groceries?
About $121.5M a year, or $5,204 per household. That is 18% below the U.S. average (an index of 82, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 25 grocery stores on map listings, it comes to $4.9M 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 23,351 households in the Kinston area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Kinston, NC area compare with the U.S. for grocery stores?
The Kinston area has 10.7 grocery stores per 10,000 households, 57% above the U.S. rate of 6.8. Spending per store is $4.9M, 48% below the U.S. figure of $9.3M. At the U.S. ratio of grocery stores to household spending, the Kinston area would have about 13, against 25 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,796 households, against one for every 2,053 across the U.S.
How fast is the Kinston, NC area growing?
Population estimates put the Kinston area at 55,837 people in 2025, up 1.4% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 23,351 households. The median household income in the Kinston area is $45,143 a year, 44% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 14.6% 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. A small-town market is a town of 10,000 to 50,000 people and the county or counties tied to it by commuting. 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 Kinston area scores 22 for grocery stores (low), #462 of 506 scored small-town markets.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Kinston 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 Kinston area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Kinston 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 Kinston 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.