Groundwork

Groceries and convenience · County · Virginia

Grocery stores in Roanoke city, VA

The grocery stores in Roanoke city, VA, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 20 out of 100: Low

Ranked #1,878 of 2,070 scored counties
#83 of 94 scored counties in Virginia

Listings
40
14 chain locations (35%)
Official establishments
33
+32.0% since 2019
Household spending a year
$239M
On groceries · $5,484 a household
Spending per listing
$6M
36% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
9.2
35% above the U.S.
Population, 2025
99,111
−0.8% since 2020

See the grocery stores around any address in Roanoke city

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 Roanoke city. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Survey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure

What this means

Roanoke city scores 20 (low) on the Groundwork market score for grocery stores, ranking #1,878 of 2,070 scored counties and #83 of 94 scored counties in Virginia. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.

Map listings as of September 2026 show 40 grocery stores in Roanoke city. Of those, 14 are chain locations, or 35%, against 37% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 9.2, 35% above the U.S. rate of 6.8.

Households in Roanoke city spend about $239M a year on groceries, or $5,484 per household, 13% below the U.S. average. That works out to $6M per store, 36% below 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 33 businesses with payroll in Roanoke city classed as supermarkets and grocery stores, up 32.0% from 2019. That is one for every 1,320 households, against one for every 2,053 across the U.S. Population estimates show Roanoke city declined 0.8% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S.

How Roanoke city 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.

Grocery stores in Roanoke city, VA compared with Virginia and the U.S.
MeasureRoanoke cityVirginiaU.S.
Listings per 10k households9.26.66.8
Spending per listing$6M$9.9M$9.3M
Households per official establishment1,3202,2702,053
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+32.0%−2.7%0.0%
Population growth, 2020–2025−0.8%+2.8%+3.1%
Spending per household on groceries$5,484$6,537$6,319
Median household income$55,378$93,170$80,734
Groundwork market score2060

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
25 → 33+32.0% over the period
Employees, 2023
1,005
Annual payroll, 2023
$26.7M
One-person businesses, 2023
Not publishedNot published for this business type
Map listings, September 2026
4014 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
26The 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 Roanoke city, 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 Roanoke city

Population, 2025 estimate
99,111−0.8% since 2020
Households
43,575
Median age
39.8
Homes lived in by their owners
52%
Vehicles per household
1.6
Land area
43 sq. mi.
People per square mile
2,313
Median household income
$55,378+25.2% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$80,578
Median home value
$190,500
Jobs located here
69,862
Daytime population
125,030Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Roanoke city?

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 Roanoke city. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Grocery stores across Virginia

Every Virginia market ranked →

The highest-scoring counties in Virginia for grocery stores, numbered among those based in Virginia, with Roanoke city marked.

Top counties in Virginia

Counties in Virginia ranked for grocery stores by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Stafford County, VA90275.2$14.3M+8.3%#54 of 2,070
2Orange County, VA8985.4$12.1M+10.1%#64 of 2,070
3Fauquier County, VA87155.6$12.8M+4.8%#85 of 2,070
4York County, VA8593.3$20.6M+1.6%#105 of 2,070
5New Kent County, VA8466.5$10.8M+21.2%#126 of 2,070
6Bedford County, VA83164.8$12.7M+4.4%#139 of 2,070
7Caroline County, VA8365.0$12.6M+11.3%#140 of 2,070
8Chesterfield County, VA81705.0$13.4M+8.7%#167 of 2,070
9Frederick County, VA81226.2$10.6M+8.8%#179 of 2,070
10Loudoun County, VA80886.2$13M+6.4%#192 of 2,070
83Roanoke city, VA20409.2$6M−0.8%#1,878 of 2,070

Other business types in Roanoke city

Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.

Questions

How many grocery stores are in Roanoke city, VA?

There are 40 grocery stores on map listings in Roanoke city as of September 2026. 14 of them (35%) are chain locations. The listings count grocery stores and supermarkets. Official counts show 33 businesses with payroll classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in 2023, up 32.0% from 2019.

How much do households in Roanoke city, VA spend on groceries?

About $239M a year, or $5,484 per household. That is 13% below the U.S. average (an index of 87, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 40 grocery stores on map listings, it comes to $6M per store. The spending figure covers all groceries, not only grocery stores. It is estimated from the incomes of the 43,575 households in Roanoke city and national spending patterns by income.

How does Roanoke city, VA compare with the U.S. for grocery stores?

Roanoke city has 9.2 grocery stores per 10,000 households, 35% above the U.S. rate of 6.8. Spending per store is $6M, 36% below the U.S. figure of $9.3M. At the national ratio of grocery stores to household spending, Roanoke city would have about 26, against 40 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,320 households, against one for every 2,053 across the U.S. The official count rose 32.0% from 2019 to 2023, against 0.0% for the U.S.

How fast is Roanoke city, VA growing?

Population estimates put Roanoke city at 99,111 people in 2025, down 0.8% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 43,575 households. Median household income in Roanoke city is $55,378, 31% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 25.2%, 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. Roanoke city scores 20 for grocery stores (low), #1,878 of 2,070 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Roanoke city. 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 Roanoke city

Screening a site or an acquisition in Roanoke city?

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 Roanoke city. 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.