Groceries and convenience · County · Pennsylvania
Grocery stores in Lancaster County, PA
How Lancaster County, PA 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 59 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #718 of 2,070 scored counties
#34 of 62 scored counties in Pennsylvania
- Listings
- 152
- 50 chain locations (33%)
- Official establishments
- 116
- −5.7% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $1.5B
- On groceries · $6,941 a household
- Spending per listing
- $9.7M
- 5% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 7.1
- 4% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 563,159
- +1.9% since 2020
See the grocery stores around any address in Lancaster 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 Lancaster 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 152 grocery stores in Lancaster County. Chain locations make up 33% of them, against 37% across the U.S. That is 7.1 per 10,000 households, 4% above the U.S. rate of 6.8.
At $6,941 per household (10% above the U.S. average), households in Lancaster County spend about $1.5B a year on groceries. Spread across 152 grocery stores, that is $9.7M per store, 5% above 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 116 businesses with payroll in Lancaster County classed as supermarkets and grocery stores, down 5.7% from 2019. That is one for every 1,834 households, against one for every 2,053 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $540K has gone to businesses classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in Lancaster County.
Population estimates put the population change in Lancaster County from 2020 to 2025 at +1.9%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for grocery stores in Lancaster County is 59 (upper middle), #718 of 2,070 scored counties and #34 of 62 scored counties in Pennsylvania.
How Lancaster County 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 | Lancaster County | Pennsylvania | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 7.1 | 7.2 | 6.8 |
| Spending per listing | $9.7M | $9.4M | $9.3M |
| Households per official establishment | 1,834 | 2,074 | 2,053 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −5.7% | −2.1% | 0.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +1.9% | +0.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on groceries | $6,941 | $6,738 | $6,319 |
| Median household income | $86,959 | $77,971 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 59 | 48 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 123 → 116−5.7% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 7,772
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $180.5M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 15250 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 159The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $540K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in Lancaster 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 Lancaster County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 563,159+1.9% since 2020
- Households
- 212,748
- Median age
- 40.5
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 70%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 944 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 591
- Median household income
- $86,959+31.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $112,346
- Median home value
- $301,100
- Jobs located here
- 258,003
- Daytime population
- 553,680Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Lancaster 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 Lancaster 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 Pennsylvania
Every Pennsylvania market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Pennsylvania for grocery stores, numbered among those based in Pennsylvania, with Lancaster County marked.
Top counties in Pennsylvania
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Adams County, PA | 89 | 17 | 4.2 | $16.4M | +3.6% | #61 of 2,070 |
| 2Pike County, PA | 87 | 13 | 5.4 | $12.7M | +7.2% | #86 of 2,070 |
| 3Chester County, PA | 84 | 126 | 6.2 | $12.8M | +4.2% | #123 of 2,070 |
| 4York County, PA | 81 | 97 | 5.3 | $12.8M | +3.6% | #170 of 2,070 |
| 5Washington County, PA | 78 | 45 | 5.1 | $13.3M | +0.7% | #230 of 2,070 |
| 6Bucks County, PA | 77 | 130 | 5.2 | $14.6M | +0.3% | #243 of 2,070 |
| 7Butler County, PA | 76 | 51 | 6.3 | $11.1M | +3.2% | #275 of 2,070 |
| 8Cumberland County, PA | 76 | 71 | 6.7 | $10.5M | +6.5% | #280 of 2,070 |
| 9Northampton County, PA | 75 | 76 | 6.2 | $11.3M | +3.7% | #300 of 2,070 |
| 10Montgomery County, PA | 74 | 192 | 5.7 | $13.3M | +2.4% | #311 of 2,070 |
| 34Lancaster County, PA | 59 | 152 | 7.1 | $9.7M | +1.9% | #718 of 2,070 |
Other business types in Lancaster County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
- Grocery and convenience stores67
- Grocery stores59
- Convenience stores83
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 Lancaster County, PA?
Lancaster County has 152 grocery stores on map listings as of September 2026. 50 of them (33%) are chain locations. The listings count grocery stores and supermarkets. Official counts show 116 businesses with payroll classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in 2023, down 5.7% from 2019.
How much do households in Lancaster County, PA spend on groceries?
About $1.5B a year, or $6,941 per household. That is 10% above the U.S. average (an index of 110, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 152 grocery stores on map listings, it comes to $9.7M per store. The spending figure covers all groceries, not only grocery stores. It is estimated from the incomes of the 212,748 households in Lancaster County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Lancaster County, PA compare with the U.S. for grocery stores?
Lancaster County has 7.1 grocery stores per 10,000 households, 4% above the U.S. rate of 6.8. Spending per store is $9.7M, 5% above the U.S. figure of $9.3M. At the national ratio of grocery stores to household spending, Lancaster County would have about 159, against 152 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,834 households, against one for every 2,053 across the U.S. The official count fell 5.7% from 2019 to 2023, against 0.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Lancaster County, PA growing?
Population estimates put Lancaster County at 563,159 people in 2025, up 1.9% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 212,748 households. Median household income in Lancaster County is $86,959, 8% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 31.6%, 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. Lancaster County scores 59 for grocery stores (upper middle), #718 of 2,070 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Lancaster 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 Lancaster County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Lancaster 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 Lancaster 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.