Groceries and convenience · Metro area · Virginia
Grocery stores in the Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC metro area
How the Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC metro area compares with other metro areas and the U.S. for grocery stores: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 54 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #175 of 387 scored metro areas
#2 of 9 scored metro areas based in Virginia
- Listings
- 422
- 247 chain locations (59%)
- Official establishments
- 274
- −13.9% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $4.4B
- On groceries · $6,246 a household
- Spending per listing
- $10.5M
- 13% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 6.0
- 12% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 1,797,213
- +0.9% since 2020
See the grocery stores around any address in the Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk 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 Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk 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 422 grocery stores in the Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk metro area. Of those, 247 are chain locations, or 59%, against 37% across the U.S. That is 6.0 per 10,000 households, 12% below the U.S. rate of 6.8.
At $6,246 per household (in line with the U.S. average), households in the Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk metro area spend about $4.4B a year on groceries. That works out to $10.5M per store, 13% above 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 274 businesses with payroll in the Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk metro area classed as supermarkets and grocery stores, down 13.9% from 2019. That is one for every 2,582 households, against one for every 2,053 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $4.3M has gone to businesses classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in the Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk metro area.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of the Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk metro area grew 0.9%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk metro area scores 54 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for grocery stores, ranking #175 of 387 scored metro areas and #2 of 9 scored metro areas based in Virginia.
How the Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk metro area 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 | Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk metro area | Virginia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 6.0 | 6.6 | 6.8 |
| Spending per listing | $10.5M | $9.9M | $9.3M |
| Households per official establishment | 2,582 | 2,270 | 2,053 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −13.9% | −2.7% | 0.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +0.9% | +2.8% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on groceries | $6,246 | $6,537 | $6,319 |
| Median household income | $82,330 | $93,170 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 54 | 60 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 274−13.9% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 14,464
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $402.4M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 422247 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 475The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $4.3M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in the Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk 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 Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 1,797,213+0.9% since 2020
- Households
- 707,408
- Median age
- 39.1
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 63%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 3,202 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 558
- Median household income
- $82,330
- Average household income
- $108,120
- Median home value
- $340,900
- Jobs located here
- 729,464
- Daytime population
- 1,773,219Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk 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 Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk 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 Virginia
Every Virginia market ranked →The highest-scoring metro areas in Virginia for grocery stores, numbered among those based in Virginia (a market based in another state is listed without a number), with the Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk metro area marked.
Top metro areas in Virginia
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV | 62 | 1,506 | 6.3 | $11.3M | +3.3% | #105 of 387 |
| 1Richmond, VA | 56 | 341 | 6.4 | $10M | +5.5% | #153 of 387 |
| 2Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC | 54 | 422 | 6.0 | $10.5M | +0.9% | #175 of 387 |
| 3Lynchburg, VA | 52 | 61 | 5.9 | $9.9M | +2.9% | #191 of 387 |
| 4Winchester, VA-WV | 51 | 46 | 8.3 | $7.6M | +6.5% | #202 of 387 |
| Kingsport-Bristol, TN-VA | 48 | 74 | 5.7 | $9.9M | +2.3% | #212 of 387 |
| 5Staunton-Stuarts Draft, VA | 44 | 31 | 5.9 | $9.9M | +3.2% | #236 of 387 |
| 6Charlottesville, VA | 43 | 67 | 7.4 | $8.8M | +3.1% | #243 of 387 |
| 7Roanoke, VA | 34 | 84 | 6.4 | $9.2M | +0.4% | #299 of 387 |
| 8Blacksburg-Christiansburg-Radford, VA | 31 | 44 | 6.3 | $9.3M | −0.1% | #315 of 387 |
Other business types in the Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk 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 stores43
- Grocery stores54
- Convenience stores34
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 Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC metro area?
There are 422 grocery stores on map listings in the Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk metro area as of September 2026. 247 of them (59%) are chain locations. The listings count grocery stores and supermarkets. Official counts show 274 businesses with payroll classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in 2023, down 13.9% from 2019.
How much do households in the Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC metro area spend on groceries?
About $4.4B a year, or $6,246 per household. That is in line with the U.S. average (an index of 99, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 422 grocery stores on map listings, it comes to $10.5M per store. The spending figure covers all groceries, not only grocery stores. It is estimated from the incomes of the 707,408 households in the Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC metro area compare with the U.S. for grocery stores?
The Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk metro area has 6.0 grocery stores per 10,000 households, 12% below the U.S. rate of 6.8. Spending per store is $10.5M, 13% above the U.S. figure of $9.3M. At the national ratio of grocery stores to household spending, the Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk metro area would have about 475, against 422 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,582 households, against one for every 2,053 across the U.S. The official count fell 13.9% from 2019 to 2023, against 0.0% for the U.S.
How fast is the Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk, VA-NC metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk metro area at 1,797,213 people in 2025, up 0.9% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 707,408 households. Median household income in the Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk metro area is $82,330, 2% above the U.S. median of $80,734.
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 Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk metro area scores 54 for grocery stores (upper middle), #175 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 Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk 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 Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk 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 Virginia Beach-Chesapeake-Norfolk 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.