Groceries and convenience · County · Virginia
Grocery stores in Amherst County, VA
How Amherst County, VA 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 57 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #786 of 2,070 scored counties
#36 of 94 scored counties in Virginia
- Listings
- 9
- 3 chain locations (33%)
- Official establishments
- 4
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $73.2M
- On groceries · $5,770 a household
- Spending per listing
- $8.1M
- 12% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 7.1
- 4% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 31,962
- +2.1% since 2020
See the grocery stores around any address in Amherst 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 Amherst 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
Household spending on groceries in Amherst County comes to about $73.2M a year: $5,770 per household, 9% below the U.S. average. Spread across 9 grocery stores, that is $8.1M per store, 12% below the U.S. figure of $9.3M. The spending figure covers all groceries, not only grocery stores.
There are 9 grocery stores on map listings in Amherst County as of September 2026. 3 of them (33%) are chain locations, against 37% across the U.S. That comes to 7.1 for every 10,000 households, 4% above the U.S. rate of 6.8.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in Amherst County was 4 in 2023. That is one for every 3,174 households, against one for every 2,053 across the U.S.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Amherst County grew 2.1%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). Amherst County scores 57 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for grocery stores, ranking #786 of 2,070 scored counties and #36 of 94 scored counties in Virginia.
How Amherst County compares
The same measures for Virginia 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 | Amherst County | Virginia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 7.1 | 6.6 | 6.8 |
| Spending per listing | $8.1M | $9.9M | $9.3M |
| Households per official establishment | 3,174 | 2,270 | 2,053 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | −2.7% | 0.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.1% | +2.8% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on groceries | $5,770 | $6,537 | $6,319 |
| Median household income | $68,724 | $93,170 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 57 | 60 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 5 → 4
- Employees, 2023
- 230
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $4.9M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 93 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 8The 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 Amherst 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 Amherst County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 31,962+2.1% since 2020
- Households
- 12,694
- Median age
- 44.0
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 81%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.2
- Land area
- 474 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 66
- Median household income
- $68,724+29.9% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $86,902
- Median home value
- $212,400
- Jobs located here
- 8,562
- Daytime population
- 26,580Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Amherst 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 Amherst 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 Virginia
Every Virginia market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Virginia for grocery stores, numbered among those based in Virginia, with Amherst County marked.
Top counties in Virginia
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Stafford County, VA | 90 | 27 | 5.2 | $14.3M | +8.3% | #54 of 2,070 |
| 2Orange County, VA | 89 | 8 | 5.4 | $12.1M | +10.1% | #64 of 2,070 |
| 3Fauquier County, VA | 87 | 15 | 5.6 | $12.8M | +4.8% | #85 of 2,070 |
| 4York County, VA | 85 | 9 | 3.3 | $20.6M | +1.6% | #105 of 2,070 |
| 5New Kent County, VA | 84 | 6 | 6.5 | $10.8M | +21.2% | #126 of 2,070 |
| 6Bedford County, VA | 83 | 16 | 4.8 | $12.7M | +4.4% | #139 of 2,070 |
| 7Caroline County, VA | 83 | 6 | 5.0 | $12.6M | +11.3% | #140 of 2,070 |
| 8Chesterfield County, VA | 81 | 70 | 5.0 | $13.4M | +8.7% | #167 of 2,070 |
| 9Frederick County, VA | 81 | 22 | 6.2 | $10.6M | +8.8% | #179 of 2,070 |
| 10Loudoun County, VA | 80 | 88 | 6.2 | $13M | +6.4% | #192 of 2,070 |
| 36Amherst County, VA | 57 | 9 | 7.1 | $8.1M | +2.1% | #786 of 2,070 |
Other business types in Amherst County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
- Grocery and convenience stores46
- Grocery stores57
- 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 Amherst County, VA?
As of September 2026, map listings count 9 grocery stores in Amherst County. 3 of them (33%) are chain locations. The listings count grocery stores and supermarkets. Official counts show 4 businesses with payroll classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in 2023.
How much do households in Amherst County, VA spend on groceries?
About $73.2M a year, or $5,770 per household. That is 9% below the U.S. average (an index of 91, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 9 grocery stores on map listings, it comes to $8.1M 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 12,694 households in Amherst County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Amherst County, VA compare with the U.S. for grocery stores?
Amherst County has 7.1 grocery stores per 10,000 households, 4% above the U.S. rate of 6.8. Spending per store is $8.1M, 12% below the U.S. figure of $9.3M. At the U.S. ratio of grocery stores to household spending, Amherst County would have about 8, against 9 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 3,174 households, against one for every 2,053 across the U.S.
How fast is Amherst County, VA growing?
Population estimates put Amherst County at 31,962 people in 2025, up 2.1% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 12,694 households. The median household income in Amherst County is $68,724 a year, 15% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 29.9% 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. Amherst County scores 57 for grocery stores (upper middle), #786 of 2,070 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Amherst 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 Amherst County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Amherst 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 Amherst 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.