Groceries and convenience · County · West Virginia
Grocery stores in Kanawha County, WV
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for grocery stores in Kanawha County, WV, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 54 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #866 of 2,070 scored counties
#8 of 34 scored counties in West Virginia
- Listings
- 38
- 16 chain locations (42%)
- Official establishments
- 25
- −16.7% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $431.8M
- On groceries · $5,647 a household
- Spending per listing
- $11.4M
- 22% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 5.0
- 26% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 172,381
- −4.3% since 2020
See the grocery stores around any address in Kanawha 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 Kanawha 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
Household spending on groceries in Kanawha County comes to about $431.8M a year: $5,647 per household, 11% below the U.S. average. That works out to $11.4M per store, 22% above the U.S. figure of $9.3M. The spending figure covers all groceries, not only grocery stores.
Kanawha County has 38 grocery stores on map listings as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 42% of them, against 37% across the U.S. That is 5.0 per 10,000 households, 26% below the U.S. rate of 6.8.
Official counts show 25 businesses with payroll classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in Kanawha County in 2023, down 16.7% from 2019. That is one for every 3,058 households, against one for every 2,053 across the U.S.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Kanawha County declined 4.3%, against +3.1% for the U.S. The Groundwork market score for grocery stores in Kanawha County is 54 (upper middle), #866 of 2,070 scored counties and #8 of 34 scored counties in West Virginia.
How Kanawha County compares
The same measures for West 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 | Kanawha County | West Virginia | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 5.0 | 6.5 | 6.8 |
| Spending per listing | $11.4M | $8.7M | $9.3M |
| Households per official establishment | 3,058 | 2,803 | 2,053 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −16.7% | −13.6% | 0.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −4.3% | −1.4% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on groceries | $5,647 | $5,613 | $6,319 |
| Median household income | $60,943 | $59,608 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 54 | 33 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 30 → 25−16.7% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,057
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $32M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 3816 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 47The 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 Kanawha 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 Kanawha County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 172,381−4.3% since 2020
- Households
- 76,459
- Median age
- 43.8
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 71%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.6
- Land area
- 902 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 196
- Median household income
- $60,943+30.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $84,041
- Median home value
- $147,300
- Jobs located here
- 104,812
- Daytime population
- 206,412Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Kanawha 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 Kanawha 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 West Virginia
Every West Virginia market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in West Virginia for grocery stores, numbered among those based in West Virginia, with Kanawha County marked.
Top counties in West Virginia
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Jefferson County, WV | 87 | 11 | 4.8 | $13.6M | +9.2% | #83 of 2,070 |
| 2Berkeley County, WV | 87 | 24 | 4.7 | $13M | +13.7% | #84 of 2,070 |
| 3Monongalia County, WV | 70 | 25 | 5.6 | $10.5M | +2.0% | #411 of 2,070 |
| 4Hampshire County, WV | 63 | 5 | 5.8 | $9.8M | +4.4% | #593 of 2,070 |
| 5Putnam County, WV | 60 | 16 | 6.9 | $9M | −1.0% | #686 of 2,070 |
| 6Wood County, WV | 56 | 19 | 5.3 | $10.5M | −2.1% | #801 of 2,070 |
| 7Greenbrier County, WV | 55 | 6 | 4.1 | $12.9M | −4.0% | #826 of 2,070 |
| 8Kanawha County, WV | 54 | 38 | 5.0 | $11.4M | −4.3% | #866 of 2,070 |
| 9Mercer County, WV | 52 | 11 | 4.5 | $11.9M | −3.4% | #925 of 2,070 |
| 10Preston County, WV | 50 | 10 | 7.8 | $7.2M | −0.6% | #1,031 of 2,070 |
Other business types in Kanawha County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
- Grocery and convenience stores51
- Grocery stores54
- Convenience stores46
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 Kanawha County, WV?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 38 grocery stores in Kanawha County. 16 of them (42%) are chain locations. The listings count grocery stores and supermarkets. Official counts show 25 businesses with payroll classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in 2023, down 16.7% from 2019.
How much do households in Kanawha County, WV spend on groceries?
About $431.8M a year, or $5,647 per household. That is 11% below the U.S. average (an index of 89, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 38 grocery stores on map listings, it comes to $11.4M 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 76,459 households in Kanawha County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Kanawha County, WV compare with the U.S. for grocery stores?
Kanawha County has 5.0 grocery stores per 10,000 households, 26% below the U.S. rate of 6.8. Spending per store is $11.4M, 22% above the U.S. figure of $9.3M. At the U.S. ratio of grocery stores to household spending, Kanawha County would have about 47, against 38 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 3,058 households, against one for every 2,053 across the U.S. The official count fell 16.7% from 2019 to 2023, against 0.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Kanawha County, WV growing?
Population estimates put Kanawha County at 172,381 people in 2025, down 4.3% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 76,459 households. The median household income in Kanawha County is $60,943 a year, 25% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 30.7% 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. Kanawha County scores 54 for grocery stores (upper middle), #866 of 2,070 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Kanawha 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 Kanawha County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Kanawha 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 Kanawha 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.