Groceries and convenience · County · Iowa
Grocery and convenience stores in Dubuque County, IA
The grocery and convenience stores in Dubuque County, IA, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 68 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #497 of 2,402 scored counties
#13 of 72 scored counties in Iowa
- Listings
- 68
- 33 chain locations (49%)
- Official establishments
- 20
- 0.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $248.9M
- On groceries · $6,073 a household
- Spending per listing
- $3.7M
- 8% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 16.6
- 11% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 99,381
- +0.1% since 2020
See the grocery and convenience stores around any address in Dubuque County
The site report maps the grocery and 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 Dubuque 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
Households in Dubuque County spend about $248.9M a year on groceries, or $6,073 per household, 4% below the U.S. average. That works out to $3.7M per store, 8% above the U.S. figure of $3.4M.
Dubuque County has 68 grocery and convenience stores on map listings as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 49% of them, against 42% across the U.S. That is 16.6 per 10,000 households, 11% below the U.S. rate of 18.7.
In 2023, official counts showed 20 businesses with payroll in Dubuque County classed as grocery and convenience stores, unchanged from 2019. That is one for every 2,049 households, against one for every 1,293 across the U.S. Official counts also show 20 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $900K has gone to businesses classed as grocery and convenience stores in Dubuque County.
Population estimates put the population change in Dubuque County from 2020 to 2025 at +0.1%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for grocery and convenience stores in Dubuque County is 68 (upper middle), #497 of 2,402 scored counties and #13 of 72 scored counties in Iowa. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How Dubuque 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 grocery and 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 | Dubuque County | Iowa | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 16.6 | 18.7 | 18.7 |
| Spending per listing | $3.7M | $3.2M | $3.4M |
| Households per official establishment | 2,049 | 1,810 | 1,293 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | 0.0% | +5.2% | +7.2% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +0.1% | +1.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on groceries | $6,073 | $6,036 | $6,319 |
| Median household income | $77,630 | $75,059 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 68 | 50 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 20 → 200.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,733
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $34.4M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 20Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 6833 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 74The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $900K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as grocery and convenience stores in Dubuque 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 Dubuque County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 99,381+0.1% since 2020
- Households
- 40,989
- Median age
- 39.9
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 73%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 608 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 163
- Median household income
- $77,630+23.2% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $100,177
- Median home value
- $237,300
- Jobs located here
- 58,941
- Daytime population
- 105,695Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Dubuque 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 grocery and convenience stores on map listings by name and distance.
Or open the report at the center of Dubuque County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardGrocery and convenience stores across Iowa
Every Iowa market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Iowa for grocery and convenience stores, numbered among those based in Iowa, with Dubuque County marked.
Top counties in Iowa
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Dallas County, IA | 95 | 54 | 12.7 | $5.3M | +17.8% | #13 of 2,402 |
| 2Warren County, IA | 93 | 29 | 14.0 | $4.6M | +9.0% | #26 of 2,402 |
| 3Johnson County, IA | 82 | 91 | 14.4 | $4.3M | +4.6% | #147 of 2,402 |
| 4Boone County, IA | 78 | 15 | 13.7 | $4.5M | +0.4% | #219 of 2,402 |
| 5Story County, IA | 77 | 53 | 13.6 | $4.4M | +2.7% | #240 of 2,402 |
| 6Polk County, IA | 77 | 354 | 17.2 | $3.6M | +4.8% | #252 of 2,402 |
| 7Linn County, IA | 76 | 144 | 15.1 | $4.1M | +0.7% | #266 of 2,402 |
| 8Bremer County, IA | 73 | 17 | 17.5 | $3.5M | +1.1% | #363 of 2,402 |
| 9Pottawattamie County, IA | 72 | 49 | 13.0 | $4.6M | −0.7% | #380 of 2,402 |
| 10Madison County, IA | 72 | 14 | 20.9 | $3M | +3.8% | #397 of 2,402 |
| 13Dubuque County, IA | 68 | 68 | 16.6 | $3.7M | +0.1% | #497 of 2,402 |
Other business types in Dubuque County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
- Grocery and convenience stores68
- Grocery stores66
- Convenience stores65
Auto
Beauty and personal care
Fitness and classes
Health care
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many grocery and convenience stores are in Dubuque County, IA?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 68 grocery and convenience stores in Dubuque County. 33 of them (49%) are chain locations. The listings count grocery, convenience and specialty food stores. Official counts show 20 businesses with payroll classed as grocery and convenience stores in 2023, unchanged from 2019. Another 20 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Dubuque County, IA spend on groceries?
About $248.9M a year, or $6,073 per household. That is 4% below the U.S. average (an index of 96, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 68 grocery and convenience stores on map listings, it comes to $3.7M per store. It is estimated from the incomes of the 40,989 households in Dubuque County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Dubuque County, IA compare with the U.S. for grocery and convenience stores?
Dubuque County has 16.6 grocery and convenience stores per 10,000 households, 11% below the U.S. rate of 18.7. Spending per store is $3.7M, 8% above the U.S. figure of $3.4M. At the U.S. ratio of grocery and convenience stores to household spending, Dubuque County would have about 74, against 68 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,049 households, against one for every 1,293 across the U.S. The official count held level from 2019 to 2023, against +7.2% for the U.S.
How fast is Dubuque County, IA growing?
Population estimates put Dubuque County at 99,381 people in 2025, up 0.1% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 40,989 households. The median household income in Dubuque County is $77,630 a year, 4% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 23.2% 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. Dubuque County scores 68 for grocery and convenience stores (upper middle), #497 of 2,402 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Dubuque County. It maps the grocery and 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 grocery and convenience stores · All 56 business types in Dubuque County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Dubuque 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 Dubuque 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.