Groundwork

Market rankings · Rhode Island

Grocery stores in Rhode Island

Markets across Rhode Island ranked by the Groundwork market score for grocery stores, with competitor counts and household spending for each.

Listings
288
93 chain locations (32%)
Official establishments
204
+5.2% since 2019
Household spending a year
$3.1B
On groceries
Listings per 10k households
6.5
4% below the U.S.
Spending per listing
$10.7M
15% above the U.S.
Rank among states
#14 of 51
Market score 63 · Upper middle

A site report maps the grocery stores on map listings around any address in Rhode Island by name and distance, and the spending within reach.

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Survey 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 288 grocery stores in Rhode Island. 93 of them (32%) are chain locations, against 37% across the U.S. That is 6.5 per 10,000 households, 4% below the U.S. rate of 6.8.

Households in Rhode Island spend about $3.1B a year on groceries, or $6,948 per household, 10% above the U.S. average. That is about $10.7M of household spending for each store on map listings, 15% above the U.S. figure of $9.3M. That spending covers all groceries, which grocery stores share with other businesses in the trade.

Official counts show 204 businesses with payroll classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in Rhode Island in 2023, up 5.2% from 2019. That is one for every 2,165 households, against one for every 2,053 across the U.S. Across the U.S., the count held level over the same years. Since fiscal 2022, 16 SBA-backed loans worth $7.5M have gone to businesses classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in Rhode Island.

Among the 50 states and DC, Rhode Island ranks #14 for grocery stores, with a Groundwork market score of 63 (upper middle). The one scored metro area in or partly in Rhode Island, the Providence-Warwick metro area, scores 61. Among 5 scored counties, Kent County scores highest (86).

Every market in Rhode Island for grocery stores

Download the ranking (CSV)

Numbered by Groundwork market score among the markets based in Rhode Island, highest first; the U.S. rank compares each market with every other of its kind. A metro area that crosses a state line is listed in each state it reaches, and numbered only in the state its page is under. How the score works.

Metro areas

Metro areas reaching Rhode Island, ranked for grocery stores by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Providence-Warwick, RI-MA614266.3$11M+2.1%#116 of 387

Counties

Counties in Rhode Island, ranked for grocery stores by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Kent County, RI86314.3$16.7M+1.8%#96 of 2,070
2Bristol County, RI79105.0$15.2M−1.5%#213 of 2,070
3Washington County, RI66264.9$15M0.0%#495 of 2,070
4Newport County, RI61215.7$12.9M−2.9%#641 of 2,070
5Providence County, RI572007.7$8.7M+2.8%#781 of 2,070

Questions

How many grocery stores are in Rhode Island?

Rhode Island has 288 grocery stores on map listings as of September 2026. 93 of them (32%) are chain locations. The listings count grocery stores and supermarkets. Official counts show 204 businesses with payroll classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in 2023, up 5.2% from 2019.

How much do households in Rhode Island spend on groceries?

About $3.1B a year, or $6,948 per household. That is 10% above the U.S. average (an index of 110, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 288 grocery stores on map listings, it comes to $10.7M per store. The spending figure covers all groceries, not only grocery stores. It is estimated from the incomes of the 441,570 households in Rhode Island and national spending patterns by income.

How does Rhode Island compare with the U.S. for grocery stores?

Rhode Island has 6.5 grocery stores per 10,000 households, 4% below the U.S. rate of 6.8. Spending per store is $10.7M, 15% above the U.S. figure of $9.3M. At the national ratio of grocery stores to household spending, Rhode Island would have about 330, against 288 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,165 households, against one for every 2,053 across the U.S. The official count rose 5.2% from 2019 to 2023, against 0.0% for the U.S.

Which market in Rhode Island has the highest market score for grocery stores?

The one scored metro area in or partly in Rhode Island is the Providence-Warwick metro area, at 61 (upper middle). Among 5 scored counties in Rhode Island, Kent County scores highest, at 86 (high). Scores compare each market with others of its kind across the U.S.

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. Rhode Island scores 63 for grocery stores (upper middle), #14 of the 50 states and DC.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Rhode Island. 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.

Grocery stores in other states

All 51 states

Top markets for grocery stores across the U.S. · All business types in Rhode Island

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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.