Groundwork

Health care · County · Minnesota

Optometrists and eye clinics in Dakota County, MN

Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for optometrists and eye clinics in Dakota County, MN, set against other counties and the U.S.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 83 out of 100: High

Ranked #31 of 1,302 scored counties
#5 of 29 scored counties in Minnesota

Listings
57
17 chain locations (30%)
Official establishments
27
0.0% since 2019
Household spending a year
$292M
On medical and dental services · $1,675 a household
Spending per listing
$5.1M
63% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
3.3
20% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
457,710
+3.9% since 2020

See the optometrists and eye clinics around any address in Dakota County

The site report maps the optometrists and eye clinics 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 card

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

What this means

For optometrists and eye clinics, Dakota County has a Groundwork market score of 83 (high): #31 of 1,302 scored counties and #5 of 29 scored counties in Minnesota. That puts it in the top 10% of counties for optometrists and eye clinics.

Map listings as of September 2026 show 57 optometrists and eye clinics in Dakota County. 17 of them (30%) are chain locations, against 20% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 3.3, 20% below the U.S. rate of 4.1.

At $1,675 per household (30% above the U.S. average), households in Dakota County spend about $292M a year on medical and dental services. That works out to $5.1M per practice, 63% above the U.S. figure of $3.1M. That spending covers all medical and dental services, which optometrists and eye clinics share with other businesses in the trade.

The official count of businesses with payroll classed as offices of optometrists in Dakota County was 27 in 2023, unchanged from 2019. That is one for every 6,458 households, against one for every 5,742 across the U.S. Population estimates put the population change in Dakota County from 2020 to 2025 at +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 medical and dental services by the optometrists and eye clinics counted, so it measures the demand for each competitor, not any business’s revenue. Households per establishment does the same with the official count.

Optometrists and eye care in Dakota County, MN compared with Minnesota and the U.S.
MeasureDakota CountyMinnesotaU.S.
Listings per 10k households3.33.84.1
Spending per listing$5.1M$4.1M$3.1M
Households per official establishment6,4586,1065,742
Official establishment growth, 2019–20230.0%+8.0%+0.2%
Population growth, 2020–2025+3.9%+2.1%+3.1%
Spending per household on medical and dental services$1,675$1,550$1,288
Median household income$106,318$89,062$80,734
Groundwork market score8377

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
27 → 270.0% over the period
Employees, 2023
278
Annual payroll, 2023
$22.4M
One-person businesses, 2023
Not publishedNot published for this business type
Map listings, September 2026
5717 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
93The 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 offices of optometrists 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 optometrists and eye clinics 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.

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Optometrists and eye care across Minnesota

Every Minnesota market ranked →

The highest-scoring counties in Minnesota for optometrists and eye clinics, numbered among those based in Minnesota, with Dakota County marked.

Top counties in Minnesota

Counties in Minnesota ranked for optometrists and eye clinics by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Chisago County, MN9052.3$6.8M+4.3%#5 of 1,302
2Rice County, MN8952.1$6.9M+4.2%#7 of 1,302
3Anoka County, MN86372.7$6M+4.7%#13 of 1,302
4Washington County, MN84484.5$3.9M+6.9%#25 of 1,302
5Dakota County, MN83573.3$5.1M+3.9%#31 of 1,302
6Olmsted County, MN81203.0$5.4M+2.3%#43 of 1,302
7Sherburne County, MN80113.1$5.3M+6.8%#53 of 1,302
8Otter Tail County, MN7872.8$5M+1.6%#78 of 1,302
9Blue Earth County, MN7793.3$4.2M+2.1%#100 of 1,302
10Le Sueur County, MN7454.3$3.6M+2.9%#144 of 1,302

Other business types in Dakota County

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

Questions

How many optometrists and eye clinics are in Dakota County, MN?

There are 57 optometrists and eye clinics on map listings in Dakota County as of September 2026. 17 of them (30%) are chain locations. The listings count optometrists and eye clinics. Official counts show 27 businesses with payroll classed as offices of optometrists in 2023, unchanged from 2019.

How much do households in Dakota County, MN spend on medical and dental services?

About $292M a year, or $1,675 per household. That is 30% above the U.S. average (an index of 130, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 57 optometrists and eye clinics on map listings, it comes to $5.1M per practice. The spending figure covers all medical and dental services, not only optometrists and eye clinics. 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 optometrists and eye clinics?

Dakota County has 3.3 optometrists and eye clinics per 10,000 households, 20% below the U.S. rate of 4.1. Spending per practice is $5.1M, 63% above the U.S. figure of $3.1M. At the national ratio of optometrists and eye clinics to household spending, Dakota County would have about 93, against 57 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 6,458 households, against one for every 5,742 across the U.S. The official count held level from 2019 to 2023, against +0.2% for 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 83 for optometrists and eye clinics (high), #31 of 1,302 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 optometrists and eye clinics 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 optometrists and eye clinics · 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.