Groceries and convenience · County · North Carolina
Grocery stores in Onslow County, NC
How Onslow County, NC compares with other counties and the U.S. for grocery stores: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 67 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #486 of 2,070 scored counties
#14 of 87 scored counties in North Carolina
- Listings
- 44
- 27 chain locations (61%)
- Official establishments
- 25
- +4.2% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $435.8M
- On groceries · $5,790 a household
- Spending per listing
- $9.9M
- 7% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 5.8
- 15% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 217,175
- +6.0% since 2020
See the grocery stores around any address in Onslow 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 Onslow 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
Household spending on groceries in Onslow County comes to about $435.8M a year: $5,790 per household, 8% below the U.S. average. That is about $9.9M of household spending for each store on map listings, 7% above the U.S. figure of $9.3M. The spending figure covers all groceries, not only grocery stores.
Onslow County has 44 grocery stores on map listings as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 61% of them, against 37% across the U.S. That is 5.8 per 10,000 households, 15% below the U.S. rate of 6.8.
Official counts show 25 businesses with payroll classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in Onslow County in 2023, up 4.2% from 2019. That is one for every 3,011 households, against one for every 2,053 across the U.S.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Onslow County grew 6.0%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). For grocery stores, Onslow County has a Groundwork market score of 67 (upper middle): #486 of 2,070 scored counties and #14 of 87 scored counties in North Carolina. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How Onslow 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 | Onslow County | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 5.8 | 7.4 | 6.8 |
| Spending per listing | $9.9M | $8.1M | $9.3M |
| Households per official establishment | 3,011 | 2,134 | 2,053 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +4.2% | +3.5% | 0.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +6.0% | +7.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on groceries | $5,790 | $6,016 | $6,319 |
| Median household income | $68,148 | $72,388 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 67 | 43 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 24 → 25+4.2% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,227
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $31.5M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 4427 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 47The 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 Onslow 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 Onslow County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 217,175+6.0% since 2020
- Households
- 75,265
- Median age
- 30.9
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 64%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 762 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 273
- Median household income
- $68,148+35.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $85,766
- Median home value
- $236,400
- Jobs located here
- 48,126
- Daytime population
- 192,000Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Onslow 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 Onslow 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 Onslow 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 |
| 14Onslow County, NC | 67 | 44 | 5.8 | $9.9M | +6.0% | #486 of 2,070 |
Other business types in Onslow County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
- Grocery and convenience stores66
- Grocery stores67
- Convenience stores68
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 Onslow County, NC?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 44 grocery stores in Onslow County. 27 of them (61%) are chain locations. The listings count grocery stores and supermarkets. Official counts show 25 businesses with payroll classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in 2023, up 4.2% from 2019.
How much do households in Onslow County, NC spend on groceries?
About $435.8M a year, or $5,790 per household. That is 8% below the U.S. average (an index of 92, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 44 grocery stores on map listings, it comes to $9.9M 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 75,265 households in Onslow County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Onslow County, NC compare with the U.S. for grocery stores?
Onslow County has 5.8 grocery stores per 10,000 households, 15% below the U.S. rate of 6.8. Spending per store is $9.9M, 7% above the U.S. figure of $9.3M. At the U.S. ratio of grocery stores to household spending, Onslow County would have about 47, against 44 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 3,011 households, against one for every 2,053 across the U.S. The official count rose 4.2% from 2019 to 2023, against 0.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Onslow County, NC growing?
Population estimates put Onslow County at 217,175 people in 2025, up 6.0% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 75,265 households. The median household income in Onslow County is $68,148 a year, 16% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 35.5% 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. Onslow County scores 67 for grocery stores (upper middle), #486 of 2,070 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Onslow 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 Onslow County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Onslow 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 Onslow 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.