Health care · County · Minnesota
Optometrists and eye clinics in Stearns County, MN
The optometrists and eye clinics in Stearns County, MN, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 41 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #900 of 1,302 scored counties
#23 of 29 scored counties in Minnesota
- Listings
- 39
- 6 chain locations (15%)
- Official establishments
- 17
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $87.1M
- On medical and dental services · $1,419 a household
- Spending per listing
- $2.2M
- 29% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 6.4
- 56% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 164,110
- +3.6% since 2020
See the optometrists and eye clinics around any address in Stearns 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 Stearns 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
As of September 2026, map listings count 39 optometrists and eye clinics in Stearns County. Of those, 6 are chain locations, or 15%, against 20% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 6.4, 56% above the U.S. rate of 4.1.
Households in Stearns County spend about $87.1M a year on medical and dental services, or $1,419 per household, 10% above the U.S. average. That works out to $2.2M per practice, 29% below 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 Stearns County was 17 in 2023. That is one for every 3,612 households, against one for every 5,742 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $50K has gone to businesses classed as offices of optometrists in Stearns County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Stearns County grew 3.6%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). For optometrists and eye clinics, Stearns County has a Groundwork market score of 41 (lower middle): #900 of 1,302 scored counties and #23 of 29 scored counties in Minnesota.
How Stearns 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.
| Measure | Stearns County | Minnesota | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 6.4 | 3.8 | 4.1 |
| Spending per listing | $2.2M | $4.1M | $3.1M |
| Households per official establishment | 3,612 | 6,106 | 5,742 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +8.0% | +0.2% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +3.6% | +2.1% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on medical and dental services | $1,419 | $1,550 | $1,288 |
| Median household income | $77,066 | $89,062 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 41 | 77 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 19 → 17
- Employees, 2023
- 111
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $5.9M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 396 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 28The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $50K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as offices of optometrists in Stearns 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 Stearns County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 164,110+3.6% since 2020
- Households
- 61,403
- Median age
- 37.2
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 68%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 1,343 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 120
- Median household income
- $77,066+22.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $98,367
- Median home value
- $273,400
- Jobs located here
- 83,579
- Daytime population
- 169,051Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Stearns 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 Stearns County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardOptometrists 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 Stearns County marked.
Top counties in Minnesota
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Chisago County, MN | 90 | 5 | 2.3 | $6.8M | +4.3% | #5 of 1,302 |
| 2Rice County, MN | 89 | 5 | 2.1 | $6.9M | +4.2% | #7 of 1,302 |
| 3Anoka County, MN | 86 | 37 | 2.7 | $6M | +4.7% | #13 of 1,302 |
| 4Washington County, MN | 84 | 48 | 4.5 | $3.9M | +6.9% | #25 of 1,302 |
| 5Dakota County, MN | 83 | 57 | 3.3 | $5.1M | +3.9% | #31 of 1,302 |
| 6Olmsted County, MN | 81 | 20 | 3.0 | $5.4M | +2.3% | #43 of 1,302 |
| 7Sherburne County, MN | 80 | 11 | 3.1 | $5.3M | +6.8% | #53 of 1,302 |
| 8Otter Tail County, MN | 78 | 7 | 2.8 | $5M | +1.6% | #78 of 1,302 |
| 9Blue Earth County, MN | 77 | 9 | 3.3 | $4.2M | +2.1% | #100 of 1,302 |
| 10Le Sueur County, MN | 74 | 5 | 4.3 | $3.6M | +2.9% | #144 of 1,302 |
| 23Stearns County, MN | 41 | 39 | 6.4 | $2.2M | +3.6% | #900 of 1,302 |
Other business types in Stearns County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
Auto
Beauty and personal care
Fitness and classes
Health care
- Doctors, dentists and clinics50
- Dentists and orthodontists60
- Primary care and pediatrics83
- Urgent care and walk-in clinics
- Chiropractors36
- Physical therapy80
- Optometrists and eye care41
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many optometrists and eye clinics are in Stearns County, MN?
Stearns County has 39 optometrists and eye clinics on map listings as of September 2026. 6 of them (15%) are chain locations. The listings count optometrists and eye clinics. Official counts show 17 businesses with payroll classed as offices of optometrists in 2023.
How much do households in Stearns County, MN spend on medical and dental services?
About $87.1M a year, or $1,419 per household. That is 10% above the U.S. average (an index of 110, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 39 optometrists and eye clinics on map listings, it comes to $2.2M 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 61,403 households in Stearns County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Stearns County, MN compare with the U.S. for optometrists and eye clinics?
Stearns County has 6.4 optometrists and eye clinics per 10,000 households, 56% above the U.S. rate of 4.1. Spending per practice is $2.2M, 29% below the U.S. figure of $3.1M. At the national ratio of optometrists and eye clinics to household spending, Stearns County would have about 28, against 39 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 3,612 households, against one for every 5,742 across the U.S.
How fast is Stearns County, MN growing?
Population estimates put Stearns County at 164,110 people in 2025, up 3.6% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 61,403 households. The median household income in Stearns County is $77,066 a year, 5% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 22.7% 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. Stearns County scores 41 for optometrists and eye clinics (lower middle), #900 of 1,302 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Stearns 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 Stearns County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Stearns 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 Stearns 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.