Groceries and convenience · Metro area · South Carolina
Grocery stores in the Columbia, SC metro area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for grocery stores in the Columbia, SC metro area, set against other metro areas and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 56 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #152 of 387 scored metro areas
#2 of 8 scored metro areas based in South Carolina
- Listings
- 196
- 111 chain locations (57%)
- Official establishments
- 132
- +16.2% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $2B
- On groceries · $5,883 a household
- Spending per listing
- $10.2M
- 10% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 5.8
- 15% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 879,918
- +6.0% since 2020
See the grocery stores around any address in the Columbia 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 Columbia 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
Map listings as of September 2026 show 196 grocery stores in the Columbia metro area. Chain locations make up 57% of them, against 37% across the U.S. That is 5.8 per 10,000 households, 15% below the U.S. rate of 6.8.
Household spending on groceries in the Columbia metro area comes to about $2B a year: $5,883 per household, 7% below the U.S. average. Spread across 196 grocery stores, that is $10.2M per store, 10% above the U.S. figure of $9.3M. That spending covers all groceries, which grocery stores share with other businesses in the trade.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in the Columbia metro area was 132 in 2023, up 16.2% from 2019. That is one for every 2,573 households, against one for every 2,053 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $125K has gone to businesses classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in the Columbia metro area.
Population estimates put the population change in the Columbia metro area from 2020 to 2025 at +6.0%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Columbia metro area scores 56 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for grocery stores, ranking #152 of 387 scored metro areas and #2 of 8 scored metro areas based in South Carolina.
How the Columbia metro area 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 | Columbia metro area | South Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 5.8 | 6.8 | 6.8 |
| Spending per listing | $10.2M | $8.7M | $9.3M |
| Households per official establishment | 2,573 | 2,325 | 2,053 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +16.2% | +6.4% | 0.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +6.0% | +8.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on groceries | $5,883 | $5,910 | $6,319 |
| Median household income | $68,359 | $69,324 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 56 | 49 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 132+16.2% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 7,529
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $169.9M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 196111 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 215The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $125K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in the Columbia 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 Columbia metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 879,918+6.0% since 2020
- Households
- 339,601
- Median age
- 39.2
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 69%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 3,703 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 229
- Median household income
- $68,359+22.1% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $92,243
- Median home value
- $232,400
- Jobs located here
- 410,492
- Daytime population
- 894,123Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Columbia 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 Columbia 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 South Carolina
Every South Carolina market ranked →The highest-scoring metro areas in South Carolina for grocery stores, numbered among those based in South Carolina (a market based in another state is listed without a number), with the Columbia metro area marked.
Top metro areas in South Carolina
| 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 |
Other business types in the Columbia 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 stores48
- Grocery stores56
- Convenience stores40
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 Columbia, SC metro area?
There are 196 grocery stores on map listings in the Columbia metro area as of September 2026. 111 of them (57%) are chain locations. The listings count grocery stores and supermarkets. Official counts show 132 businesses with payroll classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in 2023, up 16.2% from 2019.
How much do households in the Columbia, SC metro area spend on groceries?
About $2B a year, or $5,883 per household. That is 7% below the U.S. average (an index of 93, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 196 grocery stores on map listings, it comes to $10.2M per store. The spending figure covers all groceries, not only grocery stores. It is estimated from the incomes of the 339,601 households in the Columbia metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Columbia, SC metro area compare with the U.S. for grocery stores?
The Columbia metro area has 5.8 grocery stores per 10,000 households, 15% below the U.S. rate of 6.8. Spending per store is $10.2M, 10% above the U.S. figure of $9.3M. At the national ratio of grocery stores to household spending, the Columbia metro area would have about 215, against 196 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,573 households, against one for every 2,053 across the U.S. The official count rose 16.2% from 2019 to 2023, against 0.0% for the U.S.
How fast is the Columbia, SC metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Columbia metro area at 879,918 people in 2025, up 6.0% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 339,601 households. Median household income in the Columbia metro area is $68,359, 15% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 22.1%, 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 Columbia metro area scores 56 for grocery stores (upper middle), #152 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 Columbia 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 Columbia metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Columbia 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 Columbia 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.