Groundwork

Groceries and convenience · County · Iowa

Convenience stores in Linn County, IA

Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for convenience stores in Linn County, IA, set against other counties and the U.S.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 76 out of 100: High

Ranked #279 of 2,261 scored counties
#6 of 60 scored counties in Iowa

Listings
66
46 chain locations (70%)
Official establishments
8
Businesses with payroll, 2023
Household spending a year
$586.7M
On groceries · $6,138 a household
Spending per listing
$8.9M
13% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
6.9
14% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
232,028
+0.7% since 2020

See the convenience stores around any address in Linn County

The site report maps the convenience stores on map listings near the address, by name and distance, and sizes the households and spending around it. Or open the report at the center of Linn County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

Survey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure

What this means

Households in Linn County spend about $586.7M a year on groceries, or $6,138 per household, 3% below the U.S. average. That is about $8.9M of household spending for each store on map listings, 13% above the U.S. figure of $7.9M. The spending figure covers all groceries, not only convenience stores.

There are 66 convenience stores on map listings in Linn County as of September 2026. 46 of them (70%) are chain locations, against 60% across the U.S. That comes to 6.9 for every 10,000 households, 14% below the U.S. rate of 8.0.

Official counts show 8 businesses with payroll classed as convenience stores in Linn County in 2023. That is one for every 11,950 households, against one for every 3,493 across the U.S.

Population estimates show Linn County grew 0.7% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for convenience stores in Linn County is 76 (high), #279 of 2,261 scored counties and #6 of 60 scored counties in Iowa. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.

How Linn County compares

The same measures for Iowa and the whole U.S. Spending per listing divides a year of household spending on all groceries by the convenience stores counted, so it measures the demand for each competitor, not any business’s revenue. Households per establishment does the same with the official count.

Convenience stores in Linn County, IA compared with Iowa and the U.S.
MeasureLinn CountyIowaU.S.
Listings per 10k households6.98.48.0
Spending per listing$8.9M$7.2M$7.9M
Households per official establishment11,95011,7473,493
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023n/a+67.2%+22.0%
Population growth, 2020–2025+0.7%+1.5%+3.1%
Spending per household on groceries$6,138$6,036$6,319
Median household income$77,649$75,059$80,734
Groundwork market score7651

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
5 → 8
Employees, 2023
32
Annual payroll, 2023
$823K
One-person businesses, 2023
Not publishedNot published for this business type
Map listings, September 2026
6646 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
75The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
0
Amount
$0

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as convenience stores in Linn County, through June 2026, placed by the borrower’s ZIP code. Official establishments are businesses with payroll; the official counts leave out places with fewer than 3.

Population and households in Linn County

Population, 2025 estimate
232,028+0.7% since 2020
Households
95,600
Median age
39.8
Homes lived in by their owners
74%
Vehicles per household
1.9
Land area
717 sq. mi.
People per square mile
321
Median household income
$77,649+19.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$104,478
Median home value
$214,300
Jobs located here
130,525
Daytime population
248,541Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Linn County?

These figures cover the whole county. A site report draws rings around one address and counts what’s inside them: households, spending, jobs, and the convenience stores on map listings by name and distance.

Or open the report at the center of Linn County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

Convenience stores across Iowa

Every Iowa market ranked →

The highest-scoring counties in Iowa for convenience stores, numbered among those based in Iowa, with Linn County marked.

Top counties in Iowa

Counties in Iowa ranked for convenience stores by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Dallas County, IA94276.4$10.7M+17.8%#12 of 2,261
2Johnson County, IA84294.6$13.4M+4.6%#97 of 2,261
3Polk County, IA841527.4$8.5M+4.8%#108 of 2,261
4Warren County, IA84167.7$8.3M+9.0%#109 of 2,261
5Story County, IA83164.1$14.5M+2.7%#114 of 2,261
6Linn County, IA76666.9$8.9M+0.7%#279 of 2,261
7Pottawattamie County, IA71256.6$9M−0.7%#404 of 2,261
8Madison County, IA7169.0$7M+3.8%#413 of 2,261
9Washington County, IA7055.6$10.8M+0.6%#421 of 2,261
10Marion County, IA70107.5$8.1M+2.3%#434 of 2,261

Other business types in Linn County

Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.

Questions

How many convenience stores are in Linn County, IA?

As of September 2026, map listings count 66 convenience stores in Linn County. 46 of them (70%) are chain locations. The listings count convenience stores without fuel. Official counts show 8 businesses with payroll classed as convenience stores in 2023.

How much do households in Linn County, IA spend on groceries?

About $586.7M a year, or $6,138 per household. That is 3% below the U.S. average (an index of 97, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 66 convenience stores on map listings, it comes to $8.9M per store. That spending covers all groceries, which convenience stores share with other businesses in the trade. It is estimated from the incomes of the 95,600 households in Linn County and national spending patterns by income.

How does Linn County, IA compare with the U.S. for convenience stores?

Linn County has 6.9 convenience stores per 10,000 households, 14% below the U.S. rate of 8.0. Spending per store is $8.9M, 13% above the U.S. figure of $7.9M. At the U.S. ratio of convenience stores to household spending, Linn County would have about 75, against 66 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 11,950 households, against one for every 3,493 across the U.S.

How fast is Linn County, IA growing?

Population estimates put Linn County at 232,028 people in 2025, up 0.7% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 95,600 households. The median household income in Linn County is $77,649 a year, 4% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 19.6% from the 2015–2019 survey, before inflation.

What is the Groundwork market score?

The Groundwork market score runs from 0 to 100 and compares a market with others of its kind for one business type: states with states, metro areas with metro areas, small-town markets and counties with their own. It weighs household spending per competitor (35%), households per business with payroll (25%), population growth (20%) and spending power (20%), each ranked against those peers. A higher score means that, taken together, the market has more household spending and more households for each business already there, faster population growth and more spending per household than similar markets. It describes a market, not any one site or deal. Linn County scores 76 for convenience stores (high), #279 of 2,261 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Linn County. It maps the convenience stores on map listings near the site and sizes the households and spending within the distance you choose. New accounts get 10 actions over 3 days, no card.

How the score works · Top markets for convenience stores · All 56 business types in Linn County

Screening a site or an acquisition in Linn County?

A site report maps the competitors on map listings near an address and sizes the households and spending around it.

The button opens the report at the center of Linn County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

This product uses the Census Bureau Data API but is not endorsed or certified by the Census Bureau.

Figures are estimates for research only. Not investment or real estate advice.