Publix vs Safeway:Which is searched more in the United States?
In September 2026, Safeway had more branded searches than Publix among grocery chains in the United States. Safeway had about 5 million branded searches, while Publix had 4.1 million. Safeway made up 8.6% of all grocery chain searches we track, and Publix accounted for 7%.
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Is Publix or Safeway more popular in search?
Compare the supermarket chains people in the US do their grocery shopping at. Branded searches tell you how often people look for a brand by name or related terms. Comparing these searches across competitors helps you see how popular each brand is over time.
Share of searches by month for Safeway, Publix. The figures are in the table below the chart.
View monthly share of searches table
| Month | Trader Joe's | Aldi | Kroger | Safeway | Publix | Meijer | Food Lion | Wegmans | Whole Foods Market | H-E-B | WinCo Foods | Albertsons |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Oct 2025 | 26.9% | 18% | 12.1% | 8.1% | 8.1% | 5.4% | 4.4% | 4.4% | 4.4% | 3% | 2.7% | 2.4% |
| Nov 2025 | 24.9% | 16.7% | 13.7% | 7.5% | 7.5% | 6.1% | 5% | 4.1% | 5% | 3.4% | 3.3% | 2.7% |
| Dec 2025 | 23.7% | 15.8% | 13% | 8.7% | 8.7% | 7.1% | 4.8% | 3.9% | 4.8% | 3.2% | 3.1% | 3.2% |
| Jan 2026 | 23% | 18.8% | 12.6% | 8.5% | 8.5% | 5.7% | 4.6% | 4.6% | 4.6% | 3.8% | 2.8% | 2.5% |
| Feb 2026 | 25.5% | 17.2% | 14% | 7.7% | 7.7% | 5.1% | 4.2% | 4.2% | 5.1% | 3.4% | 3% | 2.8% |
| Mar 2026 | 27.1% | 18.1% | 12.2% | 8.2% | 8.2% | 5.5% | 4.5% | 3.7% | 4.5% | 3% | 2.7% | 2.4% |
| Apr 2026 | 23.8% | 19.4% | 13.1% | 8.7% | 7.1% | 5.9% | 4.8% | 3.9% | 4.8% | 3.2% | 2.8% | 2.6% |
| May 2026 | 26.8% | 18% | 12.1% | 8.1% | 6.6% | 6.6% | 4.4% | 4.4% | 4.4% | 3% | 2.6% | 3% |
| Jun 2026 | 27.2% | 18.2% | 12.3% | 8.2% | 6.7% | 6.7% | 4.5% | 4.5% | 3.7% | 3% | 2.6% | 2.5% |
| Jul 2026 | 22.7% | 18.6% | 12.5% | 10.2% | 6.8% | 6.8% | 5.6% | 4.6% | 3.7% | 3.1% | 2.8% | 2.5% |
| Aug 2026 | 23.3% | 19% | 12.8% | 8.6% | 7% | 7% | 4.7% | 4.7% | 3.8% | 3.1% | 3.2% | 2.6% |
| Sep 2026 | 28.5% | 15.7% | 12.8% | 8.6% | 7% | 5.7% | 4.7% | 4.7% | 3.8% | 3.1% | 2.7% | 2.6% |
How has the Publix and Safeway comparison changed over the last 12 months?
3 findings
- Safeway was ahead of Publix in every measured month of the 12 months ending September 2026.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Publix’s share of searches among grocery chains in the United States moved from 8.1% to 7%, and its estimated monthly branded searches moved from 5M to 4.1M.
- Across the 12 months ending September 2026, Safeway’s share of searches among grocery chains in the United States moved from 8.1% to 8.6%, and its estimated monthly branded searches held steady at 5M.
How did search popularity change for United States grocery chains in September 2026?
1 change
In September 2026, Publix rose from 6th to 5th among grocery chains in the United States.
How are branded searches counted?
2 search terms
Brandwave collects information about searches that people make online using Publix’s and Safeway’s names. When viewed over time, estimated search volumes for these branded terms can be used to understand whether interest in the brands is growing, holding steady, or fading.
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