Groceries and convenience · County · Minnesota
Convenience stores in Dakota County, MN
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for convenience stores in Dakota County, MN, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 91 out of 100: Very high
Ranked #28 of 2,261 scored counties
#2 of 63 scored counties in Minnesota
- Listings
- 102
- 91 chain locations (89%)
- Official establishments
- 4
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $1.2B
- On groceries · $6,771 a household
- Spending per listing
- $11.6M
- 47% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 5.8
- 27% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 457,710
- +3.9% since 2020
See the convenience stores around any address in Dakota 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 Dakota County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardSurvey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure
What this means
The Groundwork market score for convenience stores in Dakota County is 91 (very high), #28 of 2,261 scored counties and #2 of 63 scored counties in Minnesota. That puts it in the top 10% of counties for convenience stores.
Household spending on groceries in Dakota County comes to about $1.2B a year: $6,771 per household, 7% above the U.S. average. That is about $11.6M of household spending for each store on map listings, 47% above the U.S. figure of $7.9M. The spending figure covers all groceries, not only convenience stores.
Dakota County has 102 convenience stores on map listings as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 89% of them, against 60% across the U.S. That comes to 5.8 for every 10,000 households, 27% below the U.S. rate of 8.0.
In 2023, official counts showed 4 businesses with payroll in Dakota County classed as convenience stores. That is one for every 43,591 households, against one for every 3,493 across the U.S. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Dakota County grew 3.9%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Dakota County compares
The same measures for Minnesota 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.
| Measure | Dakota County | Minnesota | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 5.8 | 7.5 | 8.0 |
| Spending per listing | $11.6M | $8.6M | $7.9M |
| Households per official establishment | 43,591 | 15,284 | 3,493 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | −4.4% | +22.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +3.9% | +2.1% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on groceries | $6,771 | $6,414 | $6,319 |
| Median household income | $106,318 | $89,062 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 91 | 66 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 4 → 4
- Employees, 2023
- 43
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $1.7M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 10291 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 150The 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 Dakota 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 Dakota County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 457,710+3.9% since 2020
- Households
- 174,362
- Median age
- 39.8
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 75%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 563 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 792
- Median household income
- $106,318+23.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $131,265
- Median home value
- $381,000
- Jobs located here
- 180,369
- Daytime population
- 396,728Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Dakota 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 Dakota County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardConvenience stores across Minnesota
Every Minnesota market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Minnesota for convenience stores, numbered among those based in Minnesota, with Dakota County marked.
Top counties in Minnesota
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Washington County, MN | 92 | 66 | 6.3 | $11.2M | +6.9% | #22 of 2,261 |
| 2Dakota County, MN | 91 | 102 | 5.8 | $11.6M | +3.9% | #28 of 2,261 |
| 3Sherburne County, MN | 89 | 23 | 6.5 | $10.4M | +6.8% | #46 of 2,261 |
| 4Scott County, MN | 89 | 39 | 7.1 | $10M | +5.1% | #48 of 2,261 |
| 5Carver County, MN | 89 | 31 | 7.5 | $9.6M | +6.6% | #50 of 2,261 |
| 6Anoka County, MN | 88 | 99 | 7.2 | $9.2M | +4.7% | #64 of 2,261 |
| 7Olmsted County, MN | 85 | 40 | 6.0 | $11.1M | +2.3% | #90 of 2,261 |
| 8Wright County, MN | 85 | 51 | 9.4 | $7.1M | +11.1% | #95 of 2,261 |
| 9Le Sueur County, MN | 84 | 6 | 5.2 | $12.4M | +2.9% | #99 of 2,261 |
| 10Hennepin County, MN | 83 | 235 | 4.4 | $15.3M | +0.2% | #112 of 2,261 |
Other business types in Dakota County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
- Grocery and convenience stores90
- Grocery stores83
- Convenience stores91
Auto
Beauty and personal care
Fitness and classes
Health care
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many convenience stores are in Dakota County, MN?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 102 convenience stores in Dakota County. 91 of them (89%) are chain locations. The listings count convenience stores without fuel. Official counts show 4 businesses with payroll classed as convenience stores in 2023.
How much do households in Dakota County, MN spend on groceries?
About $1.2B a year, or $6,771 per household. That is 7% above the U.S. average (an index of 107, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 102 convenience stores on map listings, it comes to $11.6M 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 174,362 households in Dakota County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Dakota County, MN compare with the U.S. for convenience stores?
Dakota County has 5.8 convenience stores per 10,000 households, 27% below the U.S. rate of 8.0. Spending per store is $11.6M, 47% above the U.S. figure of $7.9M. At the U.S. ratio of convenience stores to household spending, Dakota County would have about 150, against 102 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 43,591 households, against one for every 3,493 across the U.S.
How fast is Dakota County, MN growing?
Population estimates put Dakota County at 457,710 people in 2025, up 3.9% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 174,362 households. The median household income in Dakota County is $106,318 a year, 32% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 23.6% 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. Dakota County scores 91 for convenience stores (very high), #28 of 2,261 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Dakota 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 Dakota County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Dakota 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 Dakota 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.