Groceries and convenience · County · Virginia
Grocery stores in Nelson County, VA
The grocery stores in Nelson County, VA, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 40 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,373 of 2,070 scored counties
#59 of 94 scored counties in Virginia
- Listings
- 7
- 3 chain locations (43%)
- Official establishments
- n/a
- Fewer than 3, or not published
- Household spending a year
- $38.9M
- On groceries · $6,115 a household
- Spending per listing
- $5.6M
- 40% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 11.0
- 62% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 14,920
- +1.2% since 2020
See the grocery stores around any address in Nelson 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 Nelson 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 7 grocery stores in Nelson County. Chain locations make up 43% of them, against 37% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 11.0, 62% above the U.S. rate of 6.8.
At $6,115 per household (3% below the U.S. average), households in Nelson County spend about $38.9M a year on groceries. Spread across 7 grocery stores, that is $5.6M per store, 40% below the U.S. figure of $9.3M. That spending covers all groceries, which grocery stores share with other businesses in the trade.
There is no official count of businesses with payroll classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in Nelson County: counts under 3 aren’t published.
Population estimates show Nelson County grew 1.2% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for grocery stores in Nelson County is 40 (lower middle), #1,373 of 2,070 scored counties and #59 of 94 scored counties in Virginia.
How Nelson 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 | Nelson County | Virginia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 11.0 | 6.6 | 6.8 |
| Spending per listing | $5.6M | $9.9M | $9.3M |
| Households per official establishment | n/a | 2,270 | 2,053 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | −2.7% | 0.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +1.2% | +2.8% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on groceries | $6,115 | $6,537 | $6,319 |
| Median household income | $72,589 | $93,170 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 40 | 60 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- n/a
- Employees, 2023
- n/a
- Annual payroll, 2023
- n/a
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 73 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 4The 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 Nelson 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 Nelson County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 14,920+1.2% since 2020
- Households
- 6,364
- Median age
- 49.5
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 80%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.1
- Land area
- 471 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 31
- Median household income
- $72,589+12.9% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $104,122
- Median home value
- $321,700
- Jobs located here
- 3,841
- Daytime population
- 12,142Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Nelson 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 Nelson 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 Nelson 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 |
| 59Nelson County, VA | 40 | 7 | 11.0 | $5.6M | +1.2% | #1,373 of 2,070 |
Other business types in Nelson 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 stores40
- Convenience stores49
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 Nelson County, VA?
There are 7 grocery stores on map listings in Nelson County as of September 2026. 3 of them (43%) are chain locations. The listings count grocery stores and supermarkets. No official count is published for supermarkets and grocery stores in Nelson County: counts under 3 are left out.
How much do households in Nelson County, VA spend on groceries?
About $38.9M a year, or $6,115 per household. That is 3% below the U.S. average (an index of 97, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 7 grocery stores on map listings, it comes to $5.6M per store. The spending figure covers all groceries, not only grocery stores. It is estimated from the incomes of the 6,364 households in Nelson County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Nelson County, VA compare with the U.S. for grocery stores?
Nelson County has 11.0 grocery stores per 10,000 households, 62% above the U.S. rate of 6.8. Spending per store is $5.6M, 40% below the U.S. figure of $9.3M. At the national ratio of grocery stores to household spending, Nelson County would have about 4, against 7 on map listings.
How fast is Nelson County, VA growing?
Population estimates put Nelson County at 14,920 people in 2025, up 1.2% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 6,364 households. Median household income in Nelson County is $72,589, 10% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 12.9%, 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. Nelson County scores 40 for grocery stores (lower middle), #1,373 of 2,070 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Nelson 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 Nelson County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Nelson 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 Nelson 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.