Jan. 14, 2026, 5:03 a.m. ET
A new report ranks the top grocery stores in the U.S. based on customer preference.H-E-B, Market Basket, and Woodman’s are the top three grocery stores nationwide.South Carolina is home to 10 of the top 20 ranked grocery store chains.
A simple trip to the grocery store has become a larger political issue as prices at the checkout never seem to stop rising.
But there are stores out there that are good enough to take some of the stress out of shopping.
The Ninth Annual Retailer Preference Index (RPI) for U.S. Grocery, released in January 2026 by Dunnhumby, reports that the importance of helping customers save money is at an all-time high. Also, for the first time, the marketing research firm saw a notable increase in the need for both savings and quality.
Dunnhumby reports that savings-first retailers like Walmart and Aldi are part of the trend. The stores are closing the gap in perceived product quality relative to other stores while widening their price-perception advantage.
Here are some of the best grocery stores in the United States, including those in South Carolina.
What are the best grocery stores in the U.S.?
The top 10 grocery stores in the RPI ranking are:
H-E-BMarket BasketWoodman’sCostcoAldiWinCo FoodsTrader Joe’sAmazon and Amazon FreshWegmansShopRiteHow many of the best grocery stores does South Carolina have?
Of the 20 best-ranked grocery store chains, South Carolina has five of the top 10 and, in total, 10 of the stores that round out the top 20. Here are the stores and how many of each location are in South Carolina.
What is the Retailer Preference Index report?
The RPI report highlights the retailers with the strongest customer value for driving long-term market success, per Dunnhumby. Its rankings are based on a cross-section of the best regional supermarket formats and non-traditional club, discount, online, and superstore formats.
To generate the report, Dunnhumby analyzed customer and financial data for the 81 largest supermarkets, discounters, superstores, clubs, and online banners in the nation, including perceptions of retailers’ value.
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