Groceries and convenience · County · North Carolina
Grocery stores in Rutherford County, NC
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for grocery stores in Rutherford County, NC, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 50 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #1,022 of 2,070 scored counties
#36 of 87 scored counties in North Carolina
- Listings
- 18
- 9 chain locations (50%)
- Official establishments
- 8
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $143.4M
- On groceries · $5,381 a household
- Spending per listing
- $8M
- 14% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 6.8
- In line with the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 65,745
- +2.1% since 2020
See the grocery stores around any address in Rutherford 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 Rutherford 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
Map listings as of September 2026 show 18 grocery stores in Rutherford County. 9 of them (50%) are chain locations, against 37% across the U.S. That is 6.8 per 10,000 households, in line with the U.S. rate of 6.8.
At $5,381 per household (15% below the U.S. average), households in Rutherford County spend about $143.4M a year on groceries. Spread across 18 grocery stores, that is $8M per store, 14% below the U.S. figure of $9.3M. That spending covers all groceries, which grocery stores share with other businesses in the trade.
In 2023, official counts showed 8 businesses with payroll in Rutherford County classed as supermarkets and grocery stores. That is one for every 3,330 households, against one for every 2,053 across the U.S.
Population estimates put the population change in Rutherford County from 2020 to 2025 at +2.1%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). For grocery stores, Rutherford County has a Groundwork market score of 50 (upper middle): #1,022 of 2,070 scored counties and #36 of 87 scored counties in North Carolina.
How Rutherford 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 | Rutherford County | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 6.8 | 7.4 | 6.8 |
| Spending per listing | $8M | $8.1M | $9.3M |
| Households per official establishment | 3,330 | 2,134 | 2,053 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +3.5% | 0.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.1% | +7.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on groceries | $5,381 | $6,016 | $6,319 |
| Median household income | $51,410 | $72,388 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 50 | 43 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 10 → 8
- Employees, 2023
- 656
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $13.4M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 189 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 15The 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 Rutherford 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 Rutherford County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 65,745+2.1% since 2020
- Households
- 26,642
- Median age
- 44.8
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 74%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.1
- Land area
- 565 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 115
- Median household income
- $51,410+20.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $72,230
- Median home value
- $201,800
- Jobs located here
- 19,241
- Daytime population
- 55,091Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Rutherford 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 Rutherford 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 Rutherford 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 |
| 36Rutherford County, NC | 50 | 18 | 6.8 | $8M | +2.1% | #1,022 of 2,070 |
Other business types in Rutherford County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
- Grocery and convenience stores39
- Grocery stores50
- Convenience stores35
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 Rutherford County, NC?
There are 18 grocery stores on map listings in Rutherford County as of September 2026. 9 of them (50%) are chain locations. The listings count grocery stores and supermarkets. Official counts show 8 businesses with payroll classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in 2023.
How much do households in Rutherford County, NC spend on groceries?
About $143.4M a year, or $5,381 per household. That is 15% below the U.S. average (an index of 85, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 18 grocery stores on map listings, it comes to $8M per store. The spending figure covers all groceries, not only grocery stores. It is estimated from the incomes of the 26,642 households in Rutherford County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Rutherford County, NC compare with the U.S. for grocery stores?
Rutherford County has 6.8 grocery stores per 10,000 households, in line with the U.S. rate of 6.8. Spending per store is $8M, 14% below the U.S. figure of $9.3M. At the national ratio of grocery stores to household spending, Rutherford County would have about 15, against 18 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 3,330 households, against one for every 2,053 across the U.S.
How fast is Rutherford County, NC growing?
Population estimates put Rutherford County at 65,745 people in 2025, up 2.1% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 26,642 households. Median household income in Rutherford County is $51,410, 36% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 20.7%, 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. Rutherford County scores 50 for grocery stores (upper middle), #1,022 of 2,070 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Rutherford 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 Rutherford County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Rutherford 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 Rutherford 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.