Groceries and convenience · County · Washington
Grocery stores in Thurston County, WA
How Thurston 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 67 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #483 of 2,070 scored counties
#6 of 34 scored counties in Washington
- Listings
- 70
- 20 chain locations (29%)
- Official establishments
- 50
- +2.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $756.5M
- On groceries · $6,362 a household
- Spending per listing
- $10.8M
- 16% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 5.9
- 13% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 304,261
- +2.8% since 2020
See the grocery stores around any address in Thurston 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 Thurston 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
Households in Thurston County spend about $756.5M a year on groceries, or $6,362 per household, in line with the U.S. average. Spread across 70 grocery stores, that is $10.8M per store, 16% above the U.S. figure of $9.3M. The spending figure covers all groceries, not only grocery stores.
Thurston County has 70 grocery stores on map listings as of September 2026. Of those, 20 are chain locations, or 29%, against 37% across the U.S. That comes to 5.9 for every 10,000 households, 13% below the U.S. rate of 6.8.
In 2023, official counts showed 50 businesses with payroll in Thurston County classed as supermarkets and grocery stores, up 2.0% from 2019. That is one for every 2,378 households, against one for every 2,053 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $30K has gone to businesses classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in Thurston County.
Population estimates show Thurston County grew 2.8% from 2020 to 2025, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). Thurston County scores 67 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for grocery stores, ranking #483 of 2,070 scored counties and #6 of 34 scored counties in Washington. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How Thurston 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 | Thurston County | Washington | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 5.9 | 7.1 | 6.8 |
| Spending per listing | $10.8M | $9.1M | $9.3M |
| Households per official establishment | 2,378 | 1,931 | 2,053 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +2.0% | +5.0% | 0.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.8% | +3.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on groceries | $6,362 | $6,520 | $6,319 |
| Median household income | $96,563 | $98,141 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 67 | 52 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 49 → 50+2.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 2,097
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $79.6M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 7020 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 81The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $30K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in Thurston 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 Thurston County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 304,261+2.8% since 2020
- Households
- 118,899
- Median age
- 40.9
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 68%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 723 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 414
- Median household income
- $96,563+34.1% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $114,140
- Median home value
- $480,300
- Jobs located here
- 136,091
- Daytime population
- 311,425Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Thurston 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 Thurston 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 Thurston 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 Thurston County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
- Grocery and convenience stores77
- Grocery stores67
- Convenience stores82
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 Thurston County, WA?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 70 grocery stores in Thurston County. 20 of them (29%) are chain locations. The listings count grocery stores and supermarkets. Official counts show 50 businesses with payroll classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in 2023, up 2.0% from 2019.
How much do households in Thurston County, WA spend on groceries?
About $756.5M a year, or $6,362 per household. That is in line with the U.S. average (an index of 101, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 70 grocery stores on map listings, it comes to $10.8M 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 118,899 households in Thurston County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Thurston County, WA compare with the U.S. for grocery stores?
Thurston County has 5.9 grocery stores per 10,000 households, 13% below the U.S. rate of 6.8. Spending per store is $10.8M, 16% above the U.S. figure of $9.3M. At the U.S. ratio of grocery stores to household spending, Thurston County would have about 81, against 70 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,378 households, against one for every 2,053 across the U.S. The official count rose 2.0% from 2019 to 2023, against 0.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Thurston County, WA growing?
Population estimates put Thurston County at 304,261 people in 2025, up 2.8% since 2020, in step with the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 118,899 households. The median household income in Thurston County is $96,563 a year, 20% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 34.1% 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. Thurston County scores 67 for grocery stores (upper middle), #483 of 2,070 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Thurston 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 Thurston County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Thurston 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 Thurston 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.