Groceries and convenience · County · Rhode Island
Grocery stores in Providence County, RI
The grocery stores in Providence County, RI, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 57 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #781 of 2,070 scored counties
#5 of 5 scored counties in Rhode Island
- Listings
- 200
- 57 chain locations (28%)
- Official establishments
- 135
- +3.9% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $1.7B
- On groceries · $6,702 a household
- Spending per listing
- $8.7M
- 7% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 7.7
- 13% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 678,179
- +2.8% since 2020
See the grocery stores around any address in Providence 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 Providence 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
At $6,702 per household (6% above the U.S. average), households in Providence County spend about $1.7B a year on groceries. Spread across 200 grocery stores, that is $8.7M per store, 7% below the U.S. figure of $9.3M. The spending figure covers all groceries, not only grocery stores.
There are 200 grocery stores on map listings in Providence County as of September 2026. 57 of them (28%) are chain locations, against 37% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 7.7, 13% above the U.S. rate of 6.8.
Official counts show 135 businesses with payroll classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in Providence County in 2023, up 3.9% from 2019. That is one for every 1,920 households, against one for every 2,053 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 15 SBA-backed loans worth $7M have gone to businesses classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in Providence County.
Population estimates show Providence County grew 2.8% from 2020 to 2025, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). For grocery stores, Providence County has a Groundwork market score of 57 (upper middle): #781 of 2,070 scored counties and #5 of 5 scored counties in Rhode Island.
How Providence County compares
The same measures for Rhode Island 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 | Providence County | Rhode Island | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 7.7 | 6.5 | 6.8 |
| Spending per listing | $8.7M | $10.7M | $9.3M |
| Households per official establishment | 1,920 | 2,165 | 2,053 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +3.9% | +5.2% | 0.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.8% | +1.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on groceries | $6,702 | $6,948 | $6,319 |
| Median household income | $78,787 | $87,796 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 57 | 63 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 130 → 135+3.9% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 5,913
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $175.9M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 20057 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 187The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 15
- Amount
- $7M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in Providence 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 Providence County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 678,179+2.8% since 2020
- Households
- 259,210
- Median age
- 39.4
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 57%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.6
- Land area
- 410 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 1,624
- Median household income
- $78,787+33.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $103,369
- Median home value
- $373,600
- Jobs located here
- 293,972
- Daytime population
- 648,043Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Providence 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 Providence 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 Rhode Island
Every Rhode Island market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Rhode Island for grocery stores, numbered among those based in Rhode Island, with Providence County marked.
Top counties in Rhode Island
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Kent County, RI | 86 | 31 | 4.3 | $16.7M | +1.8% | #96 of 2,070 |
| 2Bristol County, RI | 79 | 10 | 5.0 | $15.2M | −1.5% | #213 of 2,070 |
| 3Washington County, RI | 66 | 26 | 4.9 | $15M | 0.0% | #495 of 2,070 |
| 4Newport County, RI | 61 | 21 | 5.7 | $12.9M | −2.9% | #641 of 2,070 |
| 5Providence County, RI | 57 | 200 | 7.7 | $8.7M | +2.8% | #781 of 2,070 |
Other business types in Providence County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
- Grocery and convenience stores63
- Grocery stores57
- Convenience stores68
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 Providence County, RI?
As of September 2026, map listings count 200 grocery stores in Providence County. 57 of them (28%) are chain locations. The listings count grocery stores and supermarkets. Official counts show 135 businesses with payroll classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in 2023, up 3.9% from 2019.
How much do households in Providence County, RI spend on groceries?
About $1.7B a year, or $6,702 per household. That is 6% above the U.S. average (an index of 106, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 200 grocery stores on map listings, it comes to $8.7M 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 259,210 households in Providence County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Providence County, RI compare with the U.S. for grocery stores?
Providence County has 7.7 grocery stores per 10,000 households, 13% above the U.S. rate of 6.8. Spending per store is $8.7M, 7% below the U.S. figure of $9.3M. At the U.S. ratio of grocery stores to household spending, Providence County would have about 187, against 200 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,920 households, against one for every 2,053 across the U.S. The official count rose 3.9% from 2019 to 2023, against 0.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Providence County, RI growing?
Population estimates put Providence County at 678,179 people in 2025, up 2.8% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 259,210 households. The median household income in Providence County is $78,787 a year, 2% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 33.6% 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. Providence County scores 57 for grocery stores (upper middle), #781 of 2,070 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Providence 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 Providence County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Providence 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 Providence 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.