Market rankings · South Carolina
Grocery stores in South Carolina
Every metro area, small-town market and county in South Carolina, ranked by the Groundwork market score for grocery stores, with competitor counts and household spending for each.
- Listings
- 1,431
- 724 chain locations (51%)
- Official establishments
- 911
- +6.4% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $12.5B
- On groceries
- Listings per 10k households
- 6.8
- In line with the U.S.
- Spending per listing
- $8.7M
- 6% below the U.S.
- Rank among states
- #28 of 51
- Market score 49 · Lower middle
A site report maps the grocery stores on map listings around any address in South Carolina by name and distance, and the spending within reach.
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
There are 1,431 grocery stores on map listings in South Carolina as of September 2026. Of those, 724 are chain locations, or 51%, against 37% across the U.S. That comes to 6.8 for every 10,000 households, in line with the U.S. rate of 6.8.
Households in South Carolina spend about $12.5B a year on groceries, or $5,910 per household, 6% below the U.S. average. That is about $8.7M of household spending for each store on map listings, 6% below the U.S. figure of $9.3M. The spending figure covers all groceries, not only grocery stores.
Official counts show 911 businesses with payroll classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in South Carolina in 2023, up 6.4% from 2019. That is one for every 2,325 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, 14 SBA-backed loans worth $9.6M have gone to businesses classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in South Carolina.
Among the 50 states and DC, South Carolina ranks #28 for grocery stores, with a Groundwork market score of 49 (lower middle). Of the 10 scored metro areas in or partly in South Carolina, the Spartanburg metro area scores highest (66). Of the 6 scored small-town markets in or partly in South Carolina, the Seneca area scores highest (68).
Every market in South Carolina for grocery stores
Download the ranking (CSV)Numbered by Groundwork market score among the markets based in South Carolina, 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
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Spartanburg, SC | 66 | 70 | 4.9 | $11.7M | +14.3% | #81 of 387 |
| Augusta-Richmond County, GA-SC | 62 | 133 | 5.7 | $10.3M | +4.7% | #107 of 387 |
| Charlotte-Concord-Gastonia, NC-SC | 58 | 716 | 6.7 | $9.5M | +10.1% | #140 of 387 |
| 2Columbia, SC | 56 | 196 | 5.8 | $10.2M | +6.0% | #152 of 387 |
| 3Greenville-Anderson-Greer, SC | 55 | 236 | 6.1 | $9.7M | +9.0% | #167 of 387 |
| 4Charleston-North Charleston, SC | 53 | 229 | 6.8 | $9.3M | +10.7% | #187 of 387 |
| 5Hilton Head Island-Bluffton-Port Royal, SC | 46 | 72 | 7.5 | $8.4M | +12.0% | #229 of 387 |
| 6Myrtle Beach-Conway-North Myrtle Beach, SC | 37 | 116 | 7.3 | $7.9M | +20.9% | #282 of 387 |
| 7Sumter, SC | 25 | 29 | 7.1 | $7.8M | −0.3% | #345 of 387 |
| 8Florence, SC | 14 | 69 | 8.8 | $6.3M | +0.9% | #381 of 387 |
Small-town markets
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Seneca, SC | 68 | 21 | 6.1 | $9.4M | +6.3% | #89 of 506 |
| 2Gaffney, SC | 62 | 11 | 5.0 | $10.7M | +3.7% | #131 of 506 |
| 3Newberry, SC | 56 | 12 | 7.8 | $7.1M | +4.8% | #212 of 506 |
| 4Murrells Inlet, SC | 55 | 21 | 7.7 | $7.7M | +3.8% | #224 of 506 |
| 5Greenwood, SC | 29 | 37 | 9.8 | $5.6M | +1.7% | #433 of 506 |
| 6Orangeburg, SC | 19 | 31 | 9.4 | $5.6M | −0.9% | #475 of 506 |
Counties
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Berkeley County, SC | 79 | 51 | 5.4 | $11.4M | +18.7% | #221 of 2,070 |
| 2York County, SC | 77 | 59 | 5.2 | $12.4M | +8.1% | #250 of 2,070 |
| 3Aiken County, SC | 77 | 37 | 5.3 | $11.2M | +7.3% | #256 of 2,070 |
| 4Dorchester County, SC | 76 | 37 | 5.9 | $10.5M | +10.1% | #279 of 2,070 |
| 5Kershaw County, SC | 74 | 12 | 4.5 | $13.1M | +11.6% | #315 of 2,070 |
| 6Spartanburg County, SC | 72 | 67 | 5.1 | $11.4M | +15.6% | #356 of 2,070 |
| 7Pickens County, SC | 72 | 27 | 5.2 | $11M | +5.7% | #357 of 2,070 |
| 8Anderson County, SC | 70 | 48 | 5.7 | $10.1M | +7.7% | #415 of 2,070 |
| 9Richland County, SC | 67 | 94 | 5.6 | $10.4M | +4.6% | #484 of 2,070 |
| 10Edgefield County, SC | 66 | 7 | 7.2 | $8.1M | +16.1% | #532 of 2,070 |
| 11Lexington County, SC | 65 | 73 | 6.0 | $10.1M | +7.7% | #543 of 2,070 |
| 12Greenville County, SC | 65 | 147 | 6.7 | $9.2M | +10.6% | #548 of 2,070 |
| 13Beaufort County, SC | 64 | 62 | 7.5 | $8.5M | +8.9% | #581 of 2,070 |
| 14Lancaster County, SC | 63 | 28 | 7.0 | $8.8M | +18.3% | #597 of 2,070 |
| 15Oconee County, SC | 62 | 21 | 6.1 | $9.4M | +6.3% | #628 of 2,070 |
| 16Laurens County, SC | 59 | 14 | 5.2 | $10.5M | +6.2% | #712 of 2,070 |
| 17Cherokee County, SC | 57 | 11 | 5.0 | $10.7M | +3.7% | #767 of 2,070 |
| 18Charleston County, SC | 57 | 141 | 7.9 | $8.2M | +6.4% | #785 of 2,070 |
| 19Horry County, SC | 55 | 116 | 7.3 | $7.9M | +20.9% | #854 of 2,070 |
| 20Newberry County, SC | 52 | 12 | 7.8 | $7.1M | +4.8% | #950 of 2,070 |
| 21Georgetown County, SC | 49 | 21 | 7.7 | $7.7M | +3.8% | #1,056 of 2,070 |
| 22Saluda County, SC | 46 | 6 | 7.8 | $7M | +4.1% | #1,154 of 2,070 |
| 23Abbeville County, SC | 45 | 7 | 7.2 | $7.8M | +2.3% | #1,180 of 2,070 |
| 24Jasper County, SC | 44 | 10 | 7.6 | $7.5M | +32.2% | #1,224 of 2,070 |
| 25Chesterfield County, SC | 44 | 14 | 8.0 | $6.6M | +3.4% | #1,235 of 2,070 |
Show all 46 counties
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26Sumter County, SC | 43 | 29 | 7.1 | $7.8M | −0.3% | #1,258 of 2,070 |
| 27Darlington County, SC | 40 | 17 | 6.7 | $8.1M | +0.1% | #1,348 of 2,070 |
| 28Clarendon County, SC | 37 | 12 | 9.7 | $5.5M | +0.7% | #1,464 of 2,070 |
| 29Chester County, SC | 34 | 14 | 10.6 | $5M | +2.2% | #1,549 of 2,070 |
| 30Williamsburg County, SC | 29 | 11 | 8.9 | $5.7M | −4.0% | #1,673 of 2,070 |
| 31Florence County, SC | 29 | 52 | 9.8 | $5.7M | +1.2% | #1,674 of 2,070 |
| 32Colleton County, SC | 23 | 16 | 9.8 | $5.6M | +2.2% | #1,816 of 2,070 |
| 33Greenwood County, SC | 22 | 30 | 10.8 | $5M | +1.5% | #1,842 of 2,070 |
| 34Orangeburg County, SC | 21 | 31 | 9.4 | $5.6M | −0.9% | #1,862 of 2,070 |
| 35Barnwell County, SC | 20 | 8 | 9.9 | $5.3M | +0.4% | #1,882 of 2,070 |
| 36Hampton County, SC | 18 | 10 | 13.8 | $3.7M | −1.9% | #1,915 of 2,070 |
| 37Fairfield County, SC | 15 | 9 | 10.1 | $5.3M | −2.6% | #1,953 of 2,070 |
| 38Dillon County, SC | 15 | 11 | 10.2 | $5.1M | −2.9% | #1,956 of 2,070 |
| 39Marion County, SC | 11 | 20 | 16.4 | $3M | −2.9% | #2,011 of 2,070 |
| 40Lee County, SC | 10 | 6 | 9.4 | $5.3M | −5.0% | #2,014 of 2,070 |
| 41Marlboro County, SC | 10 | 16 | 16.3 | $3M | −3.8% | #2,020 of 2,070 |
| Union County, SC | Not scored | 3 | 2.6 | $19.8M | −1.4% | |
| Calhoun County, SC | Not scored | 2 | 3.2 | $17.2M | +0.6% | |
| Bamberg County, SC | Not scored | 4 | 8.6 | $5.9M | −3.5% | |
| McCormick County, SC | Not scored | 3 | 7.1 | $7.6M | +7.3% | |
| Allendale County, SC | Not scored | 5 | 15.4 | $3.2M | −7.4% |
Markets with fewer than 5 grocery stores on map listings, and counties under 10,000 people, aren’t scored; they’re listed last in each table.
Questions
How many grocery stores are in South Carolina?
As of September 2026, map listings count 1,431 grocery stores in South Carolina. 724 of them (51%) are chain locations. The listings count grocery stores and supermarkets. Official counts show 911 businesses with payroll classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in 2023, up 6.4% from 2019.
How much do households in South Carolina spend on groceries?
About $12.5B a year, or $5,910 per household. That is 6% below the U.S. average (an index of 94, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 1,431 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 2,117,989 households in South Carolina and national spending patterns by income.
How does South Carolina compare with the U.S. for grocery stores?
South Carolina has 6.8 grocery stores per 10,000 households, in line with the U.S. rate of 6.8. Spending per store is $8.7M, 6% below the U.S. figure of $9.3M. At the U.S. ratio of grocery stores to household spending, South Carolina would have about 1,347, against 1,431 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,325 households, against one for every 2,053 across the U.S. The official count rose 6.4% from 2019 to 2023, against 0.0% for the U.S.
Which market in South Carolina has the highest market score for grocery stores?
Among 10 scored metro areas in or partly in South Carolina, the Spartanburg metro area scores highest, at 66 (upper middle). Among 6 scored small-town markets in or partly in South Carolina, the Seneca area scores highest, at 68 (upper middle). Among 41 scored counties in South Carolina, Berkeley County scores highest, at 79 (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. South Carolina scores 49 for grocery stores (lower middle), #28 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 South Carolina. 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
- Alabama
- Alaska
- Arizona
- Arkansas
- California
- Colorado
- Connecticut
- Delaware
- District of Columbia
- Florida
- Georgia
- Hawaii
- Idaho
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Kansas
- Kentucky
- Louisiana
- Maine
- Maryland
- Massachusetts
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montana
- Nebraska
- Nevada
- New Hampshire
- New Jersey
- New Mexico
- New York
- North Carolina
- North Dakota
- Ohio
- Oklahoma
- Oregon
- Pennsylvania
- Rhode Island
- South Carolina
- South Dakota
- Tennessee
- Texas
- Utah
- Vermont
- Virginia
- Washington
- West Virginia
- Wisconsin
- Wyoming
Top markets for grocery stores across the U.S. · All business types in South Carolina
Related business types in South Carolina
- Grocery and convenience stores4,556 listings
- Convenience stores2,367 listings
Screening a site or an acquisition in South Carolina?
A site report maps the competitors on map listings near an address and sizes the households and spending around it.
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.