Groceries and convenience · County · South Carolina
Grocery stores in Marlboro County, SC
How Marlboro 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 10 out of 100: Low
Ranked #2,020 of 2,070 scored counties
#41 of 41 scored counties in South Carolina
- Listings
- 16
- 7 chain locations (44%)
- Official establishments
- 5
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $47.5M
- On groceries · $4,851 a household
- Spending per listing
- $3M
- 68% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 16.3
- 2.4 times the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 25,488
- −3.8% since 2020
See the grocery stores around any address in Marlboro 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 Marlboro 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
The Groundwork market score for grocery stores in Marlboro County is 10 (low), #2,020 of 2,070 scored counties and #41 of 41 scored counties in South Carolina. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
Map listings as of September 2026 show 16 grocery stores in Marlboro County. 7 of them (44%) are chain locations, against 37% across the U.S. That comes to 16.3 for every 10,000 households, 2.4 times the U.S. rate of 6.8.
At $4,851 per household (23% below the U.S. average), households in Marlboro County spend about $47.5M a year on groceries. That is about $3M of household spending for each store on map listings, 68% below 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 5 businesses with payroll classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in Marlboro County in 2023. That is one for every 1,958 households, against one for every 2,053 across the U.S. Population estimates show Marlboro County declined 3.8% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How Marlboro 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 | Marlboro County | South Carolina | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 16.3 | 6.8 | 6.8 |
| Spending per listing | $3M | $8.7M | $9.3M |
| Households per official establishment | 1,958 | 2,325 | 2,053 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +6.4% | 0.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −3.8% | +8.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on groceries | $4,851 | $5,910 | $6,319 |
| Median household income | $34,301 | $69,324 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 10 | 49 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 4 → 5
- Employees, 2023
- 161
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $1.8M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 167 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 5The 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 Marlboro 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 Marlboro County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 25,488−3.8% since 2020
- Households
- 9,789
- Median age
- 41.8
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 63%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.6
- Land area
- 480 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 54
- Median household income
- $34,301+2.1% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $51,818
- Median home value
- $82,000
- Jobs located here
- 5,341
- Daytime population
- 21,081Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Marlboro 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 Marlboro 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 Marlboro 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 |
| 41Marlboro County, SC | 10 | 16 | 16.3 | $3M | −3.8% | #2,020 of 2,070 |
Other business types in Marlboro County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
- Grocery and convenience stores3
- Grocery stores10
- Convenience stores5
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 Marlboro County, SC?
There are 16 grocery stores on map listings in Marlboro County as of September 2026. 7 of them (44%) are chain locations. The listings count grocery stores and supermarkets. Official counts show 5 businesses with payroll classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in 2023.
How much do households in Marlboro County, SC spend on groceries?
About $47.5M a year, or $4,851 per household. That is 23% below the U.S. average (an index of 77, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 16 grocery stores on map listings, it comes to $3M per store. The spending figure covers all groceries, not only grocery stores. It is estimated from the incomes of the 9,789 households in Marlboro County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Marlboro County, SC compare with the U.S. for grocery stores?
Marlboro County has 16.3 grocery stores per 10,000 households, 2.4 times the U.S. rate of 6.8. Spending per store is $3M, 68% below the U.S. figure of $9.3M. At the national ratio of grocery stores to household spending, Marlboro County would have about 5, against 16 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,958 households, against one for every 2,053 across the U.S.
How fast is Marlboro County, SC growing?
Population estimates put Marlboro County at 25,488 people in 2025, down 3.8% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 9,789 households. Median household income in Marlboro County is $34,301, 58% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 2.1%, 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. Marlboro County scores 10 for grocery stores (low), #2,020 of 2,070 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Marlboro 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 Marlboro County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Marlboro 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 Marlboro 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.