The Most Popular Grocery Store in Your State

Publix ranks as the most popular grocery store in three states, including Alabama. Publix has over 1,200 retail locations across seven southern states, 78 of which in Alabama. Publix bills itself as the largest employee-owned company in America. The first Publix store was founded in 1930 by George Jenkins.

Fred Meyer is a grocery chain that was started in Portland, Oregon, nearly 100 years ago by Freg G. Meyer. Though the brand is owned by supermarket giant Kroger today, there are still over 130 stores bearing the Fred Meyer name in the Pacific Northwest. The store’s founder was an early pioneer of the one-stop shop concept, and today Fred Meyers stores still offer shoppers apparel, housewares, food, pharmacy, and home electronics departments.

Sprouts ranks as the top supermarket in Arizona. The Phoenix-based chain markets itself to the health conscious consumer, and offers fresh produce and a range of organic and gluten-free products. The chain’s popularity with customers is evidenced by its rapid growth. Since the first location opened in 2002, Sprouts expanded and now has 356 locations across 23 states. The store has also reported revenue growth in each of the last four years.

Arkansas is one of seven states in which Sam’s Club is the most popular grocery store. The store, headquartered in Bentonville, Arkansas, was founded by WalMart’s Sam Walton in 1983.

Sam’s Club requires shoppers to sign up for a membership — the Club option goes for $45 per year, while the Plus membership costs $100 per year and offers additional perks. Sam’s Club has 11 Arkansas locations.

California-based Trader Joe’s has locations in more than 40 states. The first Trader Joe’s store opened in Pasadena in 1967. The chain now has dozens of locations across the state. The store focuses on private label products or groceries that are made especially for Trader Joe’s stores. This, according to the company, eliminates “slotting fees, marketing fees, middlemen fees,” resulting in savings for customers.

King Soopers is a popular grocery chain founded in Arvada, Colorado, over 70 years ago. The chain has dozens of locations in and around the Denver area and is now owned by Kroger Co. King Soopers gets its name from its founder, Lloyd King, and the unusual spelling of the word “super” used in Archie Comics around the time of its founding in 1947. Innovative in the grocery space, the store was the first supermarket with a pharmacy.

With nearly 100 locations, Stop & Shop ranks as the most popular grocery store in Connecticut. The grocer was founded over 100 years ago in Somerville, Massachusetts, and now has over 400 stores in the New England region as well as New York and New Jersey. In addition to groceries, Stop & Shop carries home and office supplies, health and beauty items, and pet products.

Acme Markets has over 150 locations in the Northeastern U.S., the majority of which in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. The chain ranks as the most popular grocery store in Delaware, where it operates 15 stores. Acme Markets beat other stores in Delaware like Malin’s Market and Deli, Newark Farmers Market, and Janssen’s Market to rank highest in the state.

Florida’s most popular grocery store is Publix, a chain native to the state since 1930. There are over 800 Publix stores in the state as well as seven distribution centers and eight manufacturing facilities. Publix is one of the largest supermarket chains in the U.S., reporting over $38 billion in retail sales in 2019. Across Florida, Publix stores are generally well-reviewed, according to Yelp.

Georgia is one of six states in which Kroger ranks as the most popular grocery store. Kroger has been reviewed on Yelp nearly 2,000 times across 60 different stores. There are 173 Kroger locations in the state, primarily concentrated around Atlanta. Kroger is the largest supermarket chain in the country as Walmart is not technically considered a supermarket.

Though it has just two locations in the state, both on the island of Oahu, Sam’s Club ranks as the most popular grocery store in Hawaii. It ranks ahead of Whole Foods, Safeway, and others. Because of its remote location, groceries are more expensive in Hawaii than any other state. Perhaps one reason for the chain’s popularity is that a Sam’s Club membership can help shoppers save on groceries and other items if they buy in bulk.

Idaho is one of four Western states in which the Portland, Oregon-based chain Fred Meyer ranks as the most popular grocery store. The store beat WinCo Foods, Whole Foods Market, and even Albertsons — which is headquartered in Boise, Idaho — to rank as the most popular grocer in the state. Fred Meyer ranks as the most popular grocer in all states where it operates — including Alaska, Oregon, and Washington — except for Utah.

Jewel is one of the oldest grocers on this list, having been founded in 1899 in Itasca, Illinois. The company expanded throughout the Chicagoland area and the rest of Illinois and now ranks as the most popular grocer in the state. The store has maintained its Midwestern roots, expanding to 187 locations — 182 of which are in Illinois, four in Indiana, and one in Iowa. In 2015, Jewel was acquired by grocery chain Albertsons.

With 150 locations across Indiana, Kroger ranks as the most popular grocery store in the state. Kroger is one of the largest and most popular grocery chains in the U.S. — outside of Walmart, no company in America sells more groceries than Kroger. Kroger beat stores like Meijer, Fresh Thyme Market, and Trader Joe’s to rank as the most popular grocery store in the state.

Iowa’s most popular grocery store is Hy-Vee, a Midwestern chain of stores that also ranks as the most popular grocer in three other nearby states. Like Publix, Hy-Vee is employee-owned, with more than 40,000 of its workers participating as indirect stockholders. The store is headquartered in West Des Moines, Iowa.

Hy-Vee operates exclusively in the Midwest, with over 240 retail locations in eight states. Founded in 1930, Charles L. Hyde and David Vredenburg later combined their surnames to create the Hy-Vee brand name now recognized 90 years later. There are 11 Hy-Vee locations in Kansas.

Kroger beat grocery chains like Trader Joe’s, Meijer, Whole Foods Market, and more to rank as the most popular grocery store in Kentucky. Originally founded just across the Ohio River in Cincinnati, Kroger is not just the most popular grocer in Kentucky, but the entire country. No supermarket company had higher revenue in 2019 than Kroger.

There are 64 Rouses locations across the Southern United States, 53 of which are in Louisiana. The grocer was founded by Anthony J. Rouse, Sr. in Houma, Louisiana, in 1960. The company is still independent and family-run, with CEO Donny Rouse the third generation to run the company.

Maine is one of three states in which Hannaford Brothers Company ranks as the most popular grocer. Founded in Portland, Maine in 1902, the grocer now has over 180 locations in five New England states. The grocer is a subsidiary of Ahold Delhaize, a Belgian food retail company that owns other American grocers like Giant, Food Lion, and Stop & Shop.

Giant Food claims it was the first supermarket in Washington, D.C., after opening its first location in 1936. Now, it has over 160 locations in D.C. and the surrounding area, including in Maryland, Delaware, and Virginia. Like other grocers on this list — including Hannaford Brothers Company, Food Lion, and Stop & Shop — Giant Food is owned by Belgian grocery retailer Ahold Delhaize.

Stop & Shop ranks as the most popular grocery store in its home state of Massachusetts. It has over 130 locations in the state. Though it ranks as the most popular by volume of Yelp and Google Trends reviews, Stop & Shop is not generally well reviewed in Massachusetts. Its average Yelp review score in the state is 2.3 out of 5. Stop & Shop is a subsidiary of Belgian grocery retail company Ahold Delhaize, along with other Northeastern grocers like Hannaford, Food Lion, and Giant.

Founded by barber Hendrik Meijer and his son in 1934, Meijer now has over 200 locations and ranks as the most popular grocery store in its home state of Michigan. Meijer is still family-owned and ranks as one of the largest private companies in America. The company is run by the founder’s grandsons Hank and Doug Meijer.

Lunds & Byerlys ranks as the most popular grocery store in Minnesota, the only state in which the chain operates. It beat other national grocery chains like Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods Market, and ALDI. There are 27 Lunds & Byerlys locations in the state, all in the Twin Cities area. The company is still family-owned and run, as the founder’s grandson Russell T. Lund III CEO of the company.

Sam’s Club, with seven locations in the state, beat out other national chains like Kroger and Whole Foods to rank as the most popular grocery store in Mississippi. Sam’s Club bills itself as a “membership warehouse club” with a “limited-item business model” so members can save money by purchasing certain items in bulk, according to the chain.

Sam Walton spent his formative years in Missouri, before graduating from the University of Missouri in 1940. Now, his store Sam’s Club is the state’s most popular grocer. There are 19 Sam’s Club locations across the Show Me State. Sam’s Club is unique among many of the grocery stores on this list as it operates with a membership business model.

Albertsons ranks as the most popular grocery store in Montana as well as two other Western states based on the number of reviews on Yelp and Google Trends data. The first location opened in Boise, Idaho, in 1939, and the chain now has over 350 locations in 15 states, including 29 in Montana.

Midwestern grocery chain Hy-Vee beat out Whole Foods Market, Trader Joe’s, ALDI, and more to rank as the most popular grocer in Nebraska. Hy-Vee managers at each store set their own prices and select their own inventories. Hy-Vee stores are all employee owned.

There are 35 Albertsons locations in Nevada, nearly all of which in and around Las Vegas. The grocer beat other popular national chains like Smith’s, Whole Foods Market, Sprouts Farmers Market, and Trader Joe’s to rank as the most popular grocer in the state, according to Google Trends and Yelp reviews. Albertsons’ grocery revenues are third highest in the country, trailing just Walmart and Kroger.

Hannaford Brothers Company beat other grocers like Market Basket, Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods Market, Shaw’s, and more to rank as the most popular grocer in New Hampshire. In addition to groceries, Hannaford Brothers Company stores have sections for baby products, pet care, home needs, and health and beauty.

Though it is headquartered on the other side of the country in Monrovia, California, Trader Joe’s ranks as the most popular grocery store in New Jersey. With over 1,100 Yelp reviews, New Jersey Trader Joe’s stores have a high average rating of over 4.1 out of 5. Trader Joe’s gets the inspiration for its nautical theme from the Jungle Cruise ride at Disneyland. Founder Joe Coulombe was inspired after visiting the amusement park, and Trader Joe’s employees are still considered “traders on the culinary seas” to this day.

Albertsons was founded in 1939 by Joe Albertson, the former manager of a Safeway grocery store. The company acquired Safeway in 2015. Albertsons is also the most popular grocer in three Western states, including New Mexico. The chain has six locations in the state, three of which are in Las Cruces. Albertsons beat Sprouts Farmers Market, Whole Foods Market, and Trader Joe’s, among others, to rank as the most popular grocer in New Mexico.

Though it had been in operation since 1967, Trader Joe’s didn’t move to the East Coast until almost three decades later. Now, Trader Joe’s ranks as the most popular grocery store in New York. There are over a dozen New York City Trader Joe’s locations and several others in cities like Buffalo, Syracuse, and Rochester.

Food Lion operates over 1,000 stores in 10 states and ranks as the most popular grocery store in its home state of North Carolina. Food Lion is one of a number of store chains that appear on this list owned by Belgian food retailing company Ahold Delhaize. Food Lion came ahead of other stores like Harris Teeter, Trader Joe’s, Publix, and The Fresh Market to rank as the most popular grocery store in the state, based on Yelp and Google Trends reviews.

With three locations in the state, Sam’s Club ranks as North Dakota’s most popular grocery store. Sam’s Club is owned and operated by Walmart Inc., which is the top grocer in America by sales. The company sold an estimated $288 billion worth of groceries in 2019.

Founded in Cincinnati in 1883, Kroger is now the most popular grocer in the state of Ohio and the largest supermarket chain in the country. There are over 200 Kroger locations in Ohio, mostly concentrated around Columbus and Cincinnati.

Though it is headquartered in Arkansas, the first ever Sam’s Club opened in Midwest City, Oklahoma, in 1983. More than 35 years later, the membership chain ranks as the most popular grocery store in the state. There were 13 locations in Oklahoma, as of August 2020. Sam’s Club beat out stores like Crest Foods, Whole Foods Market, and Sprouts Farmers Market to rank as the state’s most popular grocery store.

Fred Meyer was founded in Oregon nearly 100 years ago, as Fred Grubmeyer (later changed to Fred G. Meyer) opened his first store in Portland in 1922. Fred Meyer emphasizes the concept of one-stop shopping, carrying food, health and beauty products, clothes, home goods, electronics, and more in the stores. Fred Meyer ranks ahead of Safeway, Trader Joe’s, Whole Foods Market, and WinCo Foods in the state.

Giant Eagle is headquartered in O’Hara Township, Pennsylvania, just outside of Pittsburgh. The grocer, which was founded by a group of five Pittsburgh-area families in 1931, now has locations in Pennsylvania and Maryland. Giant Eagle beat Whole Foods Market, Trader Joe’s, and ACME Markets, among others, to rank as the most popular grocery store in Pennsylvania.

Rhode Island is one of three New England states in which Stop & Shop ranks as the most popular grocery store. Stop & Shop first expanded into the state in 1956 and now has 27 locations in Rhode Island. It beat grocers like Italian Corner, Dave’s Marketplace, Trader Joe’s, and Eastside Marketplace to rank as the state’s most popular grocer.

Like in other Southern states like Alabama and Florida, Publix ranks as the most popular grocery store in South Carolina — based on the volume of reviews on Yelp and Google Trends. Publix in South Carolina had a Google Trends score of 60.7 out of 100, the highest of any popular grocery stores to rank as the most popular in its state. There are 62 Publix locations in South Carolina.

Midwestern grocery chain Hy-Vee ranks as the most popular grocery store in South Dakota based on data from Yelp and Google Trends. Hy-Vee stores in South Dakota tend to be well reviewed on Yelp, with an average score of nearly 3.9 out of 5. South Dakota is one of just eight states where Hy-Vee operates.

Tennessee is one of four Southern states and one of six states overall in which Kroger ranks as the most popular grocery store. Kroger edged out Publix, ALDI, Sam’s Club, Whole Foods Market, and several other major national grocery chains to rank first in the state.

In 1905, in San Antonio, Texas, Florence Butt founded C.C. Butts Grocery Store to support her family. As the company began to expand in the 1920s, the name was changed to The H.E. Butt Grocery Company, later shortened to H-E-B. The company has continued to grow, now operating over 340 stores in Texas and Mexico. The company also operates other brands, like upscale grocer Central Market and Mexican-style grocery store Mi Tienda.

Utah’s most popular grocery store is Smith’s Food and Drug, a local establishment that first began operating in 1911. The chain now has over 100 locations in eight Western states. It came ahead of Harmons Neighborhood Grocer, Whole Foods Market, Trader Joe’s, Sprouts Farmers Market, and more in Yelp and Google Trends reviews to rank as the most popular grocery store in Utah. Smith’s was acquired by Kroger in 1999 but continues to operate under its brand name in the state.

Vermont is one of three New England states where Hannaford Brothers Company ranks as the most popular grocery store. The company operates in Maine, Vermont, Massachusetts, New York, and New Hampshire. A subsidiary of Belgian grocery retail company Ahold Delhaize, Hannaford Brothers Company came ahead of Price Chopper, Shaw’s, Trader Joe’s, and more to rank as Vermont’s most popular grocer.

Harris Teeter operates over 230 stores in seven states, yet Virginia is the only state in which the chain ranks as the most popular grocer. There are dozens of Harris Teeter locations in Virginia, primarily clustered around Norfolk, Charlottesville, and the Washington, D.C. area. Founded in 1960, Harris Teeter is now a subsidiary of Kroger.

Along with Oregon, Alaska, and Idaho, Fred Meyer also ranks as the most popular grocery store in Washington. Fred Meyer helped popularize the idea of one-stop shopping, as the store had different sections for meat, cheese, produce, and more so customers could buy what they needed at the grocery store instead of going to a different shop for each of these needs.

With 41 locations across West Virginia, Kroger ranks as the most popular grocery store in the state. It is one of six states where Kroger ranks first. Though it ranks as the most popular grocer in the state, Kroger is generally not well reviewed. Across seven Kroger stores in West Virginia, the average Yelp rating is just 2.5 out of 5.

Founded over a century ago, Woodman’s Markets has 18 locations across Wisconsin, as well as several more in northern Illinois. In 1998, Phil Woodman, grandson of the company’s founder John Woodman, sold a majority stake in the grocer to its employees. The company is still family-run, with Phil Woodman chairman and CEO and his son Clint president of the grocery chain.

Wyoming is one of seven states in which Bentonville, Arkansas-based Sam’s Club ranks as the most popular grocery store. There are two locations in the state — one in Cheyenne and one in Caper. Sam’s Club beat out grocers like Albertsons, Natural Grocers, Safeway, and more to rank as the most popular in Wyoming.