Groceries and convenience · County · North Carolina
Grocery stores in Lee County, NC
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for grocery stores in Lee County, NC, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 47 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,120 of 2,070 scored counties
#43 of 87 scored counties in North Carolina
- Listings
- 19
- 12 chain locations (63%)
- Official establishments
- 15
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $144M
- On groceries · $5,726 a household
- Spending per listing
- $7.6M
- 18% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 7.6
- 12% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 70,258
- +10.8% since 2020
See the grocery stores around any address in Lee 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 Lee 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
As of September 2026, map listings count 19 grocery stores in Lee County. Chain locations make up 63% of them, against 37% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 7.6, 12% above the U.S. rate of 6.8.
Households in Lee County spend about $144M a year on groceries, or $5,726 per household, 9% below the U.S. average. That is about $7.6M of household spending for each store on map listings, 18% below 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 Lee County was 15 in 2023. That is one for every 1,676 households, against one for every 2,053 across the U.S.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Lee County grew 10.8%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). Lee County scores 47 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for grocery stores, ranking #1,120 of 2,070 scored counties and #43 of 87 scored counties in North Carolina.
How Lee 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 | Lee County | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 7.6 | 7.4 | 6.8 |
| Spending per listing | $7.6M | $8.1M | $9.3M |
| Households per official establishment | 1,676 | 2,134 | 2,053 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +3.5% | 0.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +10.8% | +7.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on groceries | $5,726 | $6,016 | $6,319 |
| Median household income | $65,387 | $72,388 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 47 | 43 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 14 → 15
- Employees, 2023
- 621
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $13M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 1912 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 16The 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 Lee 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 Lee County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 70,258+10.8% since 2020
- Households
- 25,145
- Median age
- 39.7
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 67%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.1
- Land area
- 255 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 258
- Median household income
- $65,387+30.8% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $81,746
- Median home value
- $240,200
- Jobs located here
- 27,081
- Daytime population
- 64,849Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Lee 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 Lee 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 Lee 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 |
| 43Lee County, NC | 47 | 19 | 7.6 | $7.6M | +10.8% | #1,120 of 2,070 |
Other business types in Lee County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
- Grocery and convenience stores40
- Grocery stores47
- Convenience stores47
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 Lee County, NC?
Lee County has 19 grocery stores on map listings as of September 2026. 12 of them (63%) are chain locations. The listings count grocery stores and supermarkets. Official counts show 15 businesses with payroll classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in 2023.
How much do households in Lee County, NC spend on groceries?
About $144M a year, or $5,726 per household. That is 9% below the U.S. average (an index of 91, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 19 grocery stores on map listings, it comes to $7.6M per store. The spending figure covers all groceries, not only grocery stores. It is estimated from the incomes of the 25,145 households in Lee County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Lee County, NC compare with the U.S. for grocery stores?
Lee County has 7.6 grocery stores per 10,000 households, 12% above the U.S. rate of 6.8. Spending per store is $7.6M, 18% below the U.S. figure of $9.3M. At the national ratio of grocery stores to household spending, Lee County would have about 16, against 19 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,676 households, against one for every 2,053 across the U.S.
How fast is Lee County, NC growing?
Population estimates put Lee County at 70,258 people in 2025, up 10.8% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 25,145 households. Median household income in Lee County is $65,387, 19% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 30.8%, 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. Lee County scores 47 for grocery stores (lower middle), #1,120 of 2,070 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Lee 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 Lee County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Lee 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 Lee 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.