Groceries and convenience · Metro area · Pennsylvania
Grocery stores in the Erie, PA metro area
The grocery stores in the Erie, PA metro area, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other metro areas.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 43 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #242 of 387 scored metro areas
#13 of 16 scored metro areas based in Pennsylvania
- Listings
- 74
- 28 chain locations (38%)
- Official establishments
- 43
- −2.3% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $694.6M
- On groceries · $6,281 a household
- Spending per listing
- $9.4M
- In line with the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 6.7
- In line with the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 265,832
- −1.8% since 2020
See the grocery stores around any address in the Erie metro 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 Erie metro 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
Household spending on groceries in the Erie metro area comes to about $694.6M a year: $6,281 per household, in line with the U.S. average. That is about $9.4M of household spending for each store on map listings, in line with the U.S. figure of $9.3M. The spending figure covers all groceries, not only grocery stores.
The Erie metro area has 74 grocery stores on map listings as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 38% of them, against 37% across the U.S. That is 6.7 per 10,000 households, in line with the U.S. rate of 6.8.
In 2023, official counts showed 43 businesses with payroll in the Erie metro area classed as supermarkets and grocery stores, down 2.3% from 2019. That is one for every 2,572 households, against one for every 2,053 across the U.S.
Population estimates show the Erie metro area declined 1.8% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S. The Erie metro area scores 43 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for grocery stores, ranking #242 of 387 scored metro areas and #13 of 16 scored metro areas based in Pennsylvania.
How the Erie metro area compares
The same measures for Pennsylvania 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 | Erie metro area | Pennsylvania | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 6.7 | 7.2 | 6.8 |
| Spending per listing | $9.4M | $9.4M | $9.3M |
| Households per official establishment | 2,572 | 2,074 | 2,053 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −2.3% | −2.1% | 0.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −1.8% | +0.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on groceries | $6,281 | $6,738 | $6,319 |
| Median household income | $63,354 | $77,971 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 43 | 48 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 43−2.3% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 2,220
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $53.1M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 7428 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 75The 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 Erie metro 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 Erie metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 265,832−1.8% since 2020
- Households
- 110,587
- Median age
- 41.4
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 68%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.6
- Land area
- 799 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 337
- Median household income
- $63,354+23.0% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $85,573
- Median home value
- $177,000
- Jobs located here
- 120,819
- Daytime population
- 270,477Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Erie metro area?
These figures cover the whole metro area. 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 Erie metro 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 Pennsylvania
Every Pennsylvania market ranked →The highest-scoring metro areas in Pennsylvania for grocery stores, numbered among those based in Pennsylvania, with the Erie metro area marked.
Top metro areas in Pennsylvania
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Gettysburg, PA | 89 | 17 | 4.2 | $16.4M | +3.6% | #6 of 387 |
| 2York-Hanover, PA | 80 | 97 | 5.3 | $12.8M | +3.6% | #21 of 387 |
| 3Williamsport, PA | 69 | 20 | 4.3 | $14.7M | −1.3% | #63 of 387 |
| 4State College, PA | 66 | 33 | 5.6 | $11.8M | −0.4% | #80 of 387 |
| 5Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton, PA-NJ | 63 | 226 | 6.7 | $10.4M | +3.0% | #98 of 387 |
| 6Pittsburgh, PA | 61 | 635 | 6.0 | $11.2M | −1.3% | #115 of 387 |
| 7Chambersburg, PA | 61 | 39 | 6.1 | $10.8M | +3.0% | #117 of 387 |
| 8Altoona, PA | 56 | 29 | 5.7 | $10.9M | −2.5% | #151 of 387 |
| 9Harrisburg-Carlisle, PA | 56 | 183 | 7.4 | $9.1M | +4.2% | #157 of 387 |
| 10Lebanon, PA | 55 | 33 | 5.8 | $11.5M | +2.2% | #160 of 387 |
| 13Erie, PA | 43 | 74 | 6.7 | $9.4M | −1.8% | #242 of 387 |
Other business types in the Erie metro area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
- Grocery and convenience stores50
- Grocery stores43
- Convenience stores48
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 Erie, PA metro area?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 74 grocery stores in the Erie metro area. 28 of them (38%) are chain locations. The listings count grocery stores and supermarkets. Official counts show 43 businesses with payroll classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in 2023, down 2.3% from 2019.
How much do households in the Erie, PA metro area spend on groceries?
About $694.6M a year, or $6,281 per household. That is in line with the U.S. average (an index of 99, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 74 grocery stores on map listings, it comes to $9.4M 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 110,587 households in the Erie metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Erie, PA metro area compare with the U.S. for grocery stores?
The Erie metro area has 6.7 grocery stores per 10,000 households, in line with the U.S. rate of 6.8. Spending per store is $9.4M, in line with the U.S. figure of $9.3M. At the U.S. ratio of grocery stores to household spending, the Erie metro area would have about 75, against 74 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,572 households, against one for every 2,053 across the U.S. The official count fell 2.3% from 2019 to 2023, against 0.0% for the U.S.
How fast is the Erie, PA metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Erie metro area at 265,832 people in 2025, down 1.8% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 110,587 households. The median household income in the Erie metro area is $63,354 a year, 22% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 23.0% 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. The Erie metro area scores 43 for grocery stores (lower middle), #242 of 387 scored metro areas.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Erie metro 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 Erie metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Erie metro 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 Erie metro 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.