Groceries and convenience · Metro area · Pennsylvania
Grocery stores in the Reading, PA metro area
How the Reading, PA metro area compares with other metro areas and the U.S. for grocery stores: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 49 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #210 of 387 scored metro areas
#11 of 16 scored metro areas based in Pennsylvania
- Listings
- 124
- 46 chain locations (37%)
- Official establishments
- 68
- −4.2% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $1.1B
- On groceries · $6,730 a household
- Spending per listing
- $8.9M
- 5% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 7.6
- 12% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 440,072
- +2.7% since 2020
See the grocery stores around any address in the Reading 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 Reading 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
As of September 2026, map listings count 124 grocery stores in the Reading metro area. 46 of them (37%) are chain locations, against 37% across the U.S. That is 7.6 per 10,000 households, 12% above the U.S. rate of 6.8.
Households in the Reading metro area spend about $1.1B a year on groceries, or $6,730 per household, 7% above the U.S. average. Spread across 124 grocery stores, that is $8.9M per store, 5% 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 68 businesses with payroll in the Reading metro area classed as supermarkets and grocery stores, down 4.2% from 2019. That is one for every 2,401 households, against one for every 2,053 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 5 SBA-backed loans worth $4.4M have gone to businesses classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in the Reading metro area.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of the Reading metro area grew 2.7%, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). The Reading metro area scores 49 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for grocery stores, ranking #210 of 387 scored metro areas and #11 of 16 scored metro areas based in Pennsylvania.
How the Reading 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 | Reading metro area | Pennsylvania | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 7.6 | 7.2 | 6.8 |
| Spending per listing | $8.9M | $9.4M | $9.3M |
| Households per official establishment | 2,401 | 2,074 | 2,053 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −4.2% | −2.1% | 0.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.7% | +0.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on groceries | $6,730 | $6,738 | $6,319 |
| Median household income | $79,777 | $77,971 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 49 | 48 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 68−4.2% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 3,879
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $86.1M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 12446 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 118The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 5
- Amount
- $4.4M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in the Reading 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 Reading metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 440,072+2.7% since 2020
- Households
- 163,236
- Median age
- 40.9
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 71%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 856 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 506
- Median household income
- $79,777+25.2% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $103,265
- Median home value
- $257,300
- Jobs located here
- 179,513
- Daytime population
- 404,462Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Reading 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 Reading 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 Reading 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 |
| 11Reading, PA | 49 | 124 | 7.6 | $8.9M | +2.7% | #210 of 387 |
Other business types in the Reading 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 stores58
- Grocery stores49
- Convenience stores64
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 Reading, PA metro area?
The Reading metro area has 124 grocery stores on map listings as of September 2026. 46 of them (37%) are chain locations. The listings count grocery stores and supermarkets. Official counts show 68 businesses with payroll classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in 2023, down 4.2% from 2019.
How much do households in the Reading, PA metro area spend on groceries?
About $1.1B a year, or $6,730 per household. That is 7% above the U.S. average (an index of 107, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 124 grocery stores on map listings, it comes to $8.9M per store. The spending figure covers all groceries, not only grocery stores. It is estimated from the incomes of the 163,236 households in the Reading metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Reading, PA metro area compare with the U.S. for grocery stores?
The Reading metro area has 7.6 grocery stores per 10,000 households, 12% above the U.S. rate of 6.8. Spending per store is $8.9M, 5% below the U.S. figure of $9.3M. At the national ratio of grocery stores to household spending, the Reading metro area would have about 118, against 124 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,401 households, against one for every 2,053 across the U.S. The official count fell 4.2% from 2019 to 2023, against 0.0% for the U.S.
How fast is the Reading, PA metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Reading metro area at 440,072 people in 2025, up 2.7% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 163,236 households. Median household income in the Reading metro area is $79,777, in line with the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 25.2%, 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 Reading metro area scores 49 for grocery stores (lower middle), #210 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 Reading 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 Reading metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Reading 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 Reading 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.