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Hamilton County, OH — Grocery stores Saturation

How many grocery stores exist per person present — residents plus daytime workers — by ZIP code, compared with the U.S. average. Establishment data: Census ZBP 2023. Population: ACS 2024 5-year. 63 ZIP codes analyzed.

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

Measured density: Range spans bands — 0.76× the U.S. rate (between 0.76× and 1.09× once withheld ZIP cells are counted)

Why a range: Census does not publish a ZIP-by-industry count when that ZIP has 0–2 businesses. 37 ZIP cells in this county are withheld, 28 of them with residents. Each could hold 0, 1, or 2 businesses: counting them all as 0 gives the low end, counting them all as 2 gives the high end — the data cannot say where the truth sits. The density range uses only the populated cells, since ZIPs without residents are excluded from per-person rates. How ranges work

Range spans the U.S. rate   Hamilton County grocery stores — 76–109% of the U.S. rate

131 grocery stores are counted in Hamilton County — 1.2 per 10,000 people present (residents + daytime workers), 76% of the U.S. rate of 1.6.

On the comparable ZIP set (ZIPs with a published count in every year), the total has fallen 6% between 2015 and 2023 (117 → 110). That set is smaller than today's county total. 2020–2021 were pandemic-distorted, and Census rounds counts, so small moves are within noise.

Measured supply density is highest in 45232 (Cincinnati), 45209 (Cincinnati), 45207 (Cincinnati) — well above the national rate. On measured density alone, the lowest-density residential ZIPs with a published count are 45211 (Cincinnati), 45215 (Cincinnati), 45230 (Cincinnati).

BLS QCEW puts the latest county-wide count (2026 Q1) at 126 establishments, the freshest available signal.

Measured density: Hamilton County sits at 76% of the U.S. rate for grocery stores. 28 ZIPs with population have no published count (each 0–2 businesses), so the true per-capita rate is between 76% and 109% of the U.S. rate. Why. The highest measured density is in 45232 and 45209; the lowest measured density is in 45211 and 45215.

This is a supply-side read: it counts existing grocery stores and the people present, not foot traffic, income, rent, or whether locals want more. Treat low density as a question to check, not an answer.

Grocery stores
131–205
published count; upper bound counts each withheld ZIP cell as 2 (37 cells) (2023)
Per 10,000 present
1.2
residents + daytime workers
U.S. average
1.6
per 10,000 present
County index
0.76×
vs. U.S.
Latest quarter (QCEW)
126
2026 Q1 — county total
Residents
842,501
54 ZIPs with data
Workers
531,677
jobs located in county

Is the area growing?

Population
837,359
Census PEP, July 1 2024
Change since 2020
+0.8%
+6,941 people
Net migration 2024
+3,496
international +7,120, domestic −3,624
Jobs located here
512,101
LODES 2022, −3.3% since 2019

Hamilton County had an estimated 837,359 residents on July 1, 2024 — 0.8% more than in 2020 (+6,941). In the latest year it gained 5,800 people: births minus deaths +2,311, international migration +7,120, domestic migration −3,624. Components are published separately and may not sum exactly.

512,101 jobs were located in the county in 2022 (−3.3% since 2019), and 382,377 employed residents lived there (−4.0% since 2019). LODES counts wage and salary jobs covered by unemployment insurance plus federal jobs; it excludes the self-employed and military, and counts jobs rather than unique people. 2019→2022 spans the pandemic, so read it as one change, not a trend.

Population and migration say whether the customer base is growing. They do not say whether people want another business of this type. Definitions and limits →  ·  Full county detail →

ZIP gaining residents
2015–19 → 2020–24
Change
45204 Cincinnati
+52.8%
45202 Cincinnati
+26.8%
45030 Harrison
+10.8%
ZIP losing residents
2015–19 → 2020–24
Change
45248 Cincinnati
−11.9%
45212 Cincinnati
−5.2%

ACS 5-year estimates for 2015–2019 and 2020–2024. Only ZIPs with at least 2,000 residents in both windows and a change larger than the survey margin of error (90%) are listed — small ZIPs move a lot on paper without a real signal.

Nonemployer businesses

Not shown. Census publishes grocery stores only combined with convenience stores in this dataset, so a grocery-only nonemployer count is not published.

Census Nonemployer Statistics 2024 (NAICS 2022). We do not approximate this figure.

Saturation map

Each ZIP area is shaded by its density of this business type per person present (residents + workers) vs. the U.S. average. Click any ZIP to zoom to its boundary, see its numbers, and switch to aerial imagery. Individual mapped shops appear as dots at street level — Show locations zooms you in to them (scroll or double-click to zoom).

Basemap:
Under 50% 50–100% 100–150% 150–250% 250%+ 0–2 (not published) / no data ZIP total (dot size) Mapped shop (OpenStreetMap, street level)

Map data © OpenStreetMap contributors, tiles by OpenFreeMap.

White dots are ZIP totals from the official Census count — the bigger the dot, the more grocery stores in that ZIP. They are aggregated, not individual shops. Turquoise dots are individual locations mapped in OpenStreetMap, shown only at street level; they are crowd-sourced and indicative, may be incomplete, and do not equal the official counts. Only the official ZIP totals feed the saturation index.

Market trend — down 6% since 2015

Number of grocery stores in Hamilton County across 2015–2023, on a consistent set of ZIP codes present in every year — so changes are real, not ZIP-boundary artifacts. 2015/2018 are pre-pandemic baselines; 2020/2021 are COVID-distorted.

117
2015
114
2018
114
2020
117
2021
116
2022
110
2023

Highest measured density

ZIP
vs. U.S. average
Index
45232 Cincinnati
299%
45209 Cincinnati
227%
45207 Cincinnati
203%
45205 Cincinnati
199%
45214 Cincinnati
169%
45239 Cincinnati
161%
45236 Cincinnati
150%
45255 Cincinnati
146%
45220 Cincinnati
137%
45249 Cincinnati
135%
45241 Cincinnati
122%
45224 Cincinnati
99%
45238 Cincinnati
99%
45212 Cincinnati
96%
45229 Cincinnati
85%

Lowest measured density

ZIP
vs. U.S. average
Index
45211 Cincinnati
61%
45215 Cincinnati
64%
45230 Cincinnati
65%
45231 Cincinnati
73%
45240 Cincinnati
76%
45251 Cincinnati
78%
45237 Cincinnati
82%
45229 Cincinnati
85%
45212 Cincinnati
96%
45238 Cincinnati
99%
45224 Cincinnati
99%
45241 Cincinnati
122%
45249 Cincinnati
135%
45220 Cincinnati
137%
45255 Cincinnati
146%
Low measured density is not evidence of opportunity. A ZIP with few grocery stores may simply lack foot traffic, retail space, or demand. We rank only residential and mixed ZIPs here; employment hubs and visitor destinations are listed separately below. ZIPs where Census did not publish a count (0–2 businesses) are not ranked: they may be the least served of all, but the data cannot tell 0 from 1 or 2. Verify those locally.

Employment hubs & destinations

These ZIPs have far more workers (or visitors) than residents, so their counts are driven by daytime and visitor demand — not a place to read "shortage" from resident numbers alone.

ZIPNeighborhoodType ResidentsWorkersGrocery storesIndex
45246Cincinnati Employment hub 13,52727,776 9 211%
45202Cincinnati Employment hub 17,86972,665 7 83%
45242Cincinnati Employment hub 22,62349,581 4 54%
45041Miamitown Employment hub 118335 0–2 —
45203Cincinnati Employment hub 2,4365,920 0–2 —
45267Cincinnati Destination 235 0–2 —

Scroll the table sideways to see all columns.

All ZIP codes

Click a column header to sort. Index = grocery stores per 10,000 people present (residents + 0.5×workers) ÷ the U.S. average. 100% = exactly average.

ZIPNeighborhood ResidentsWorkersGrocery stores Per 10kIndexStatus
45052North Bend 4,236719 3 6.5 420% Very high density
45232Cincinnati 6,3634,489 4 4.6 299% Very high density
45209Cincinnati 10,57012,820 6 3.5 227% High density
45246Cincinnati 13,52727,776 9 3.3 211% High density
45207Cincinnati 6,9835,074 3 3.2 203% High density
45205Cincinnati 18,6511,399 6 3.1 199% High density
45214Cincinnati 8,6305,521 3 2.6 169% High density
45239Cincinnati 29,6074,846 8 2.5 161% High density
45236Cincinnati 24,51319,456 8 2.3 150% High density
45255Cincinnati 22,3138,296 6 2.3 146% Above average
45220Cincinnati 14,1099,241 4 2.1 137% Above average
45249Cincinnati 14,49018,620 5 2.1 135% Above average
45241Cincinnati 23,95536,330 8 1.9 122% Above average
45224Cincinnati 21,9007,976 4 1.5 99% Below average
45238Cincinnati 48,3517,146 8 1.5 99% Below average
45212Cincinnati 21,52610,295 4 1.5 96% Below average
45229Cincinnati 13,52918,484 3 1.3 85% Below average
45202Cincinnati 17,86972,665 7 1.3 83% Below average
45237Cincinnati 20,90336,956 5 1.3 82% Below average
45251Cincinnati 20,2548,727 3 1.2 78% Below average
45240Cincinnati 29,6008,704 4 1.2 76% Below average
45231Cincinnati 40,4637,532 5 1.1 73% Below average
45230Cincinnati 27,5014,546 3 1.0 65% Below average
45215Cincinnati 30,58619,692 4 1.0 64% Below average
45211Cincinnati 38,0498,107 4 1.0 61% Below average
45242Cincinnati 22,62349,581 4 0.8 54% Below average
45001Addyston 904246 0–2 — — Not published
45002Cleves 15,4132,736 0–2 — — Not published
45030Harrison 21,6408,247 0–2 — — Not published
45033Hooven 37790 0–2 — — Not published
45041Miamitown 118335 0–2 — — Not published
45051Mount Saint Joseph 334312 0–2 — — Not published
45111Camp Dennison 265140 0–2 — — Not published
45174Terrace Park 2,321172 0–2 — — Not published
45201Cincinnati —366 0–2 — — Not published
45203Cincinnati 2,4365,920 0–2 — — Not published
45204Cincinnati 8,4122,477 0–2 — — Not published
45206Cincinnati 10,2995,758 0–2 — — Not published
45208Cincinnati 17,9435,616 0–2 — — Not published
45213Cincinnati 11,1393,329 0–2 — — Not published
45216Cincinnati 9,5695,510 0–2 — — Not published
45217Cincinnati 6,4542,794 0–2 — — Not published
45218Cincinnati 3,836278 0–2 — — Not published
45219Cincinnati 20,01221,011 0–2 — — Not published
45221Cincinnati —500 0–2 — — Not published
45222Cincinnati —129 0–2 — — Not published
45223Cincinnati 14,1823,424 0–2 — — Not published
45225Cincinnati 9,5832,350 0–2 — — Not published
45226Cincinnati 5,7966,407 0–2 — — Not published
45227Cincinnati 18,89316,136 0–2 — — Not published
45233Cincinnati 15,9812,999 0–2 — — Not published
45234Cincinnati —36 0–2 — — Not published
45243Cincinnati 16,1033,098 0–2 — — Not published
45244Cincinnati 28,5115,307 0–2 — — Not published
45247Cincinnati 23,6176,371 0–2 — — Not published
45248Cincinnati 22,5764,820 0–2 — — Not published
45250Cincinnati —115 0–2 — — Not published
45252Cincinnati 4,684761 0–2 — — Not published
45254Cincinnati —34 0–2 — — Not published
45262Cincinnati —38 0–2 — — Not published
45263Cincinnati —3,122 0–2 — — Not published
45267Cincinnati 235 0–2 — — Not published
45268Cincinnati —59 0–2 — — Not published

Scroll the table sideways to see all columns.

Find an actual space in Cincinnati

The numbers above tell you how the market looks. To find a specific storefront, these marketplaces list available retail space for lease.

LoopNet
Largest commercial marketplace
Browse Cincinnati retail space →
Crexi
Free listings + market data
Browse Cincinnati retail space →
CityFeet
Retail space for lease
Browse Cincinnati retail space →

Open vacancy data (actual empty units) is only published by some cities; where it exists we show it directly. Listings above are third-party.

Census withholds some ZIP-by-industry cells to protect small businesses. 0–2 means the cell was not published (Census publishes industry counts only at 3+ per ZIP), so the ZIP is left unranked rather than counted as zero. ~ means the count is estimated from the broader industry group and can be off by a business or two.

Follow Hamilton County and grocery stores

When a data vintage changes or a section of this report is revised, we post it to a public update feed. No email address, no account, no tracking — and nothing is sent unless something actually changed.

Subscribe to updates (RSS) How these numbers are built →

Methodology & sources

Establishments. U.S. Census ZIP Code Business Patterns (ZBP 2023), NAICS 445110 — supermarkets & other grocery stores. Counts establishments with paid employees. ZBP is published annually with a ~2-year lag.

Fresh county signal. BLS QCEW (quarterly) is newer than ZBP — 2026 Q1 shows 126 establishments county-wide for this industry. It cannot be broken down by ZIP.

Population. U.S. Census American Community Survey 2024 5-year ZCTA population (table B01003). Workers are the ZIP's total employment from the same 2023 ZBP file.

Demand ("people present"). Demand comes from residents and daytime workers: residents + 0.5 × workers. This is the single documented assumption in the model and can be tuned.

Index. index = (ZIP establishments ÷ ZIP demand × 10,000) ÷ the U.S. average for this industry (1.55 per 10,000 present). It is a supply-side density measure; it does not capture income, rent, tourism, or whether locals actually want more.

Read the full methodology →  ·  Data sources & vintages →

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.