Groceries and convenience · County · North Carolina
Grocery stores in Watauga County, NC
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for grocery stores in Watauga County, NC, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 29 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,669 of 2,070 scored counties
#69 of 87 scored counties in North Carolina
- Listings
- 17
- 9 chain locations (53%)
- Official establishments
- 14
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $117.3M
- On groceries · $5,533 a household
- Spending per listing
- $6.9M
- 26% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 8.0
- 18% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 54,786
- +0.6% since 2020
See the grocery stores around any address in Watauga 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 Watauga 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
Watauga County scores 29 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for grocery stores, ranking #1,669 of 2,070 scored counties and #69 of 87 scored counties in North Carolina. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
As of September 2026, map listings count 17 grocery stores in Watauga County. 9 of them (53%) are chain locations, against 37% across the U.S. That comes to 8.0 for every 10,000 households, 18% above the U.S. rate of 6.8.
Households in Watauga County spend about $117.3M a year on groceries, or $5,533 per household, 12% below the U.S. average. That works out to $6.9M per store, 26% 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 14 businesses with payroll in Watauga County classed as supermarkets and grocery stores. That is one for every 1,514 households, against one for every 2,053 across the U.S. Population estimates put the population change in Watauga County from 2020 to 2025 at +0.6%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Watauga 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 | Watauga County | North Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 8.0 | 7.4 | 6.8 |
| Spending per listing | $6.9M | $8.1M | $9.3M |
| Households per official establishment | 1,514 | 2,134 | 2,053 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +3.5% | 0.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +0.6% | +7.2% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on groceries | $5,533 | $6,016 | $6,319 |
| Median household income | $51,693 | $72,388 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 29 | 43 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 12 → 14
- Employees, 2023
- 852
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $17.9M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 179 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 Watauga 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 Watauga County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 54,786+0.6% since 2020
- Households
- 21,198
- Median age
- 35.8
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 62%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 312 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 176
- Median household income
- $51,693+8.8% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $83,665
- Median home value
- $358,900
- Jobs located here
- 24,062
- Daytime population
- 59,737Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Watauga 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 Watauga 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 Watauga 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 |
| 69Watauga County, NC | 29 | 17 | 8.0 | $6.9M | +0.6% | #1,669 of 2,070 |
Other business types in Watauga County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
- Grocery and convenience stores35
- Grocery stores29
- Convenience stores55
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 Watauga County, NC?
Watauga County has 17 grocery stores on map listings as of September 2026. 9 of them (53%) are chain locations. The listings count grocery stores and supermarkets. Official counts show 14 businesses with payroll classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in 2023.
How much do households in Watauga County, NC spend on groceries?
About $117.3M a year, or $5,533 per household. That is 12% below the U.S. average (an index of 88, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 17 grocery stores on map listings, it comes to $6.9M per store. The spending figure covers all groceries, not only grocery stores. It is estimated from the incomes of the 21,198 households in Watauga County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Watauga County, NC compare with the U.S. for grocery stores?
Watauga County has 8.0 grocery stores per 10,000 households, 18% above the U.S. rate of 6.8. Spending per store is $6.9M, 26% below the U.S. figure of $9.3M. At the national ratio of grocery stores to household spending, Watauga County would have about 13, against 17 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,514 households, against one for every 2,053 across the U.S.
How fast is Watauga County, NC growing?
Population estimates put Watauga County at 54,786 people in 2025, up 0.6% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 21,198 households. Median household income in Watauga County is $51,693, 36% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 8.8%, 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. Watauga County scores 29 for grocery stores (lower middle), #1,669 of 2,070 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Watauga 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 Watauga County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Watauga 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 Watauga 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.