Groceries and convenience · County · South Carolina
Grocery stores in Aiken County, SC
How Aiken County, SC 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 77 out of 100: High
Ranked #256 of 2,070 scored counties
#3 of 41 scored counties in South Carolina
- Listings
- 37
- 23 chain locations (62%)
- Official establishments
- 20
- −16.7% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $413.2M
- On groceries · $5,910 a household
- Spending per listing
- $11.2M
- 20% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 5.3
- 22% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 181,515
- +7.3% since 2020
See the grocery stores around any address in Aiken 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 Aiken 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
Map listings as of September 2026 show 37 grocery stores in Aiken County. Chain locations make up 62% of them, against 37% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 5.3, 22% below the U.S. rate of 6.8.
Households in Aiken County spend about $413.2M a year on groceries, or $5,910 per household, 6% below the U.S. average. That is about $11.2M of household spending for each store on map listings, 20% 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 20 businesses with payroll in Aiken County classed as supermarkets and grocery stores, down 16.7% from 2019. That is one for every 3,496 households, against one for every 2,053 across the U.S.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Aiken County grew 7.3%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for grocery stores in Aiken County is 77 (high), #256 of 2,070 scored counties and #3 of 41 scored counties in South Carolina. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How Aiken County compares
The same measures for South Carolina 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 | Aiken County | South Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 5.3 | 6.8 | 6.8 |
| Spending per listing | $11.2M | $8.7M | $9.3M |
| Households per official establishment | 3,496 | 2,325 | 2,053 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −16.7% | +6.4% | 0.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +7.3% | +8.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on groceries | $5,910 | $5,910 | $6,319 |
| Median household income | $70,609 | $69,324 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 77 | 49 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 24 → 20−16.7% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,256
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $31.9M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 3723 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 45The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 0
- Amount
- $0
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in Aiken 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 Aiken County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 181,515+7.3% since 2020
- Households
- 69,916
- Median age
- 42.1
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 77%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 1,071 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 163
- Median household income
- $70,609+37.4% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $93,371
- Median home value
- $218,000
- Jobs located here
- 65,453
- Daytime population
- 171,299Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Aiken 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 Aiken 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 South Carolina
Every South Carolina market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in South Carolina for grocery stores, numbered among those based in South Carolina, with Aiken County marked.
Top counties in South Carolina
| 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 |
Other business types in Aiken County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
- Grocery and convenience stores68
- Grocery stores77
- Convenience stores61
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 Aiken County, SC?
There are 37 grocery stores on map listings in Aiken County as of September 2026. 23 of them (62%) are chain locations. The listings count grocery stores and supermarkets. Official counts show 20 businesses with payroll classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in 2023, down 16.7% from 2019.
How much do households in Aiken County, SC spend on groceries?
About $413.2M 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 37 grocery stores on map listings, it comes to $11.2M per store. The spending figure covers all groceries, not only grocery stores. It is estimated from the incomes of the 69,916 households in Aiken County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Aiken County, SC compare with the U.S. for grocery stores?
Aiken County has 5.3 grocery stores per 10,000 households, 22% below the U.S. rate of 6.8. Spending per store is $11.2M, 20% above the U.S. figure of $9.3M. At the national ratio of grocery stores to household spending, Aiken County would have about 45, against 37 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 3,496 households, against one for every 2,053 across the U.S. The official count fell 16.7% from 2019 to 2023, against 0.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Aiken County, SC growing?
Population estimates put Aiken County at 181,515 people in 2025, up 7.3% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 69,916 households. Median household income in Aiken County is $70,609, 13% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 37.4%, 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. Aiken County scores 77 for grocery stores (high), #256 of 2,070 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Aiken 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 Aiken County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Aiken 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 Aiken 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.