Groceries and convenience · County · Washington
Grocery stores in Cowlitz County, WA
How Cowlitz County, WA 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 64 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #563 of 2,070 scored counties
#8 of 34 scored counties in Washington
- Listings
- 22
- 7 chain locations (32%)
- Official establishments
- 20
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $260.2M
- On groceries · $5,922 a household
- Spending per listing
- $11.8M
- 27% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 5.0
- 26% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 114,885
- +3.5% since 2020
See the grocery stores around any address in Cowlitz 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 Cowlitz 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
As of September 2026, map listings count 22 grocery stores in Cowlitz County. Chain locations make up 32% of them, against 37% across the U.S. That comes to 5.0 for every 10,000 households, 26% below the U.S. rate of 6.8.
Household spending on groceries in Cowlitz County comes to about $260.2M a year: $5,922 per household, 6% below the U.S. average. Spread across 22 grocery stores, that is $11.8M per store, 27% 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 20 businesses with payroll in Cowlitz County classed as supermarkets and grocery stores. That is one for every 2,197 households, against one for every 2,053 across the U.S.
Population estimates put the population change in Cowlitz County from 2020 to 2025 at +3.5%, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). Cowlitz County scores 64 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for grocery stores, ranking #563 of 2,070 scored counties and #8 of 34 scored counties in Washington.
How Cowlitz County compares
The same measures for Washington 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 | Cowlitz County | Washington | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 5.0 | 7.1 | 6.8 |
| Spending per listing | $11.8M | $9.1M | $9.3M |
| Households per official establishment | 2,197 | 1,931 | 2,053 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +5.0% | 0.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +3.5% | +3.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on groceries | $5,922 | $6,520 | $6,319 |
| Median household income | $76,531 | $98,141 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 64 | 52 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 17 → 20
- Employees, 2023
- 805
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $29.5M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 227 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 28The 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 Cowlitz 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 Cowlitz County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 114,885+3.5% since 2020
- Households
- 43,943
- Median age
- 42.1
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 68%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.1
- Land area
- 1,141 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 98
- Median household income
- $76,531+40.4% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $95,669
- Median home value
- $397,500
- Jobs located here
- 40,531
- Daytime population
- 95,784Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Cowlitz 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 Cowlitz 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 Washington
Every Washington market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Washington for grocery stores, numbered among those based in Washington, with Cowlitz County marked.
Top counties in Washington
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Clark County, WA | 81 | 97 | 4.9 | $13.1M | +5.3% | #169 of 2,070 |
| 2Kitsap County, WA | 71 | 59 | 5.4 | $12.1M | +2.7% | #377 of 2,070 |
| 3Snohomish County, WA | 70 | 188 | 5.9 | $11.4M | +4.9% | #408 of 2,070 |
| 4Benton County, WA | 68 | 52 | 6.7 | $9.4M | +6.9% | #466 of 2,070 |
| 5Pierce County, WA | 67 | 185 | 5.3 | $12.4M | +2.5% | #477 of 2,070 |
| 6Thurston County, WA | 67 | 70 | 5.9 | $10.8M | +2.8% | #483 of 2,070 |
| 7Spokane County, WA | 66 | 126 | 5.8 | $10.4M | +3.2% | #515 of 2,070 |
| 8Cowlitz County, WA | 64 | 22 | 5.0 | $11.8M | +3.5% | #563 of 2,070 |
| 9Douglas County, WA | 60 | 10 | 6.3 | $9.9M | +8.0% | #679 of 2,070 |
| 10Franklin County, WA | 59 | 20 | 6.7 | $9.3M | +5.6% | #722 of 2,070 |
Other business types in Cowlitz County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
- Grocery and convenience stores59
- Grocery stores64
- Convenience stores61
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 Cowlitz County, WA?
Cowlitz County has 22 grocery stores on map listings as of September 2026. 7 of them (32%) are chain locations. The listings count grocery stores and supermarkets. Official counts show 20 businesses with payroll classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in 2023.
How much do households in Cowlitz County, WA spend on groceries?
About $260.2M a year, or $5,922 per household. That is 6% below the U.S. average (an index of 94, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 22 grocery stores on map listings, it comes to $11.8M per store. The spending figure covers all groceries, not only grocery stores. It is estimated from the incomes of the 43,943 households in Cowlitz County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Cowlitz County, WA compare with the U.S. for grocery stores?
Cowlitz County has 5.0 grocery stores per 10,000 households, 26% below the U.S. rate of 6.8. Spending per store is $11.8M, 27% above the U.S. figure of $9.3M. At the national ratio of grocery stores to household spending, Cowlitz County would have about 28, against 22 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,197 households, against one for every 2,053 across the U.S.
How fast is Cowlitz County, WA growing?
Population estimates put Cowlitz County at 114,885 people in 2025, up 3.5% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 43,943 households. Median household income in Cowlitz County is $76,531, 5% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 40.4%, 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. Cowlitz County scores 64 for grocery stores (upper middle), #563 of 2,070 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Cowlitz 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 Cowlitz County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Cowlitz 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 Cowlitz 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.