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Grocery stores in North Carolina

How many grocery stores exist per person present (residents + daytime workers) across the 23 North Carolina counties we cover, by ZIP code, compared with the U.S. average. Data: Census ZBP 2023 + ACS 2024 + BLS QCEW.

Includes: Supermarkets · Grocery stores · Neighborhood food markets. Counted together because official statistics use one 445110 code.

State verdict (covered counties): Below the U.S. rate — 90% of the U.S. rate

Counties covered

in North Carolina

Grocery stores

1,234

establishments (2023)

Per 10,000 present

1.4

residents + 0.5×workers

U.S. average

1.6

per 10,000 present

State index

90%

vs. U.S.

Residents

7,284,936

in covered counties

Workers

3,028,827

jobs in covered counties

Coverage. This page aggregates only the 23 North Carolina counties BizGapMap covers — not the whole state. Counts and the index reflect those counties. The aggregate index uses only ZIP cells Census published, so it is a lower bound. Density is a supply-side signal: it counts existing grocery stores and the people present, not foot traffic, income, rent, or whether locals want more.

Counties in North Carolina

City	County	Grocery stores	Residents	Workers	Per 10k	Index	Verdict
Thomasville	Davidson County	29–41	142,181	36,165	1.8	116–140%	Above average
Asheville	Buncombe County	60–88	269,596	125,376	1.8	116–139%	Above average
Winston Salem	Forsyth County	90–124	416,830	178,036	1.8	114–132%	Above average
Wilmington	New Hanover County	51–67	237,060	118,886	1.7	111–128%	Above average
Greensboro	Guilford County	115–165	577,982	264,336	1.6	101–124%	Above average
Chapel Hill	Orange County	29–37	159,674	52,230	1.6	100–114%	Above average
Charlotte	Mecklenburg County	221–311	1,173,019	704,489	1.4	93–97%	Below average
Morrisville	Wake County	221–279	1,254,117	563,740	1.4	93–101%	Range spans bands
Burlington	Alamance County	30–44	187,008	63,483	1.4	88–118%	Range spans bands
Clayton	Johnston County	28–42	189,124	42,187	1.3	86–116%	Range spans bands
Hickory	Catawba County	28–40	172,263	85,017	1.3	84–114%	Range spans bands
Fayetteville	Cumberland County	54–72	348,651	97,067	1.3	83–108%	Range spans bands
Monroe	Union County	36–44	250,703	61,424	1.3	82–96%	Below average
Jacksonville	Onslow County	28–42	204,246	41,476	1.2	80–109%	Range spans bands
Greenville	Pitt County	25–51	180,210	62,893	1.2	76–131%	Range spans bands
Durham	Durham County	49–71	327,804	174,233	1.2	76–88%	Below average
Concord	Cabarrus County	32–42	236,047	74,847	1.2	75–89%	Below average
Mooresville	Iredell County	26–44	192,680	79,784	1.1	72–94%	Below average
Asheboro	Randolph County	14–34	127,973	30,351	1.0	63–135%	Range spans bands
Leland	Brunswick County	16–32	151,179	32,781	1.0	61–115%	Range spans bands
Dunn	Harnett County	12–26	114,473	23,154	1.0	61–122%	Range spans bands
Gastonia	Gaston County	26–48	238,761	70,983	0.9	61–103%	Range spans bands
Salisbury	Rowan County	14–38	133,355	45,889	0.9	58–148%	Range spans bands

Scroll the table sideways to see all columns.

Lowest vs. highest measured density

Fewest competitors per capita

116%

116%

114%

111%

101%

100%

93%

93%

Most competitors per capita

58%

61%

61%

61%

63%

72%

75%

76%

Low measured density is not evidence of opportunity. A county with few grocery stores may simply lack foot traffic, retail space, or demand. Use the ranking to find where to look, then verify locally.

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BizGapMap — free, no-login small-business saturation reports for major U.S. counties. Built entirely from public U.S. Census, BLS, and IRS data (ZBP 2023, ACS 2024 5-year, PEP 2024, LODES, QCEW, IRS SOI). No forecasts, no revenue guesses — withheld cells are marked, and the few derived counts are labelled as estimates.