Groceries and convenience · County · Minnesota
Grocery and convenience stores in Blue Earth County, MN
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for grocery and convenience stores in Blue Earth County, MN, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 78 out of 100: High
Ranked #223 of 2,402 scored counties
#13 of 66 scored counties in Minnesota
- Listings
- 40
- 20 chain locations (50%)
- Official establishments
- 8
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $164.5M
- On groceries · $5,958 a household
- Spending per listing
- $4.1M
- 21% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 14.5
- 22% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 70,634
- +2.1% since 2020
See the grocery and convenience stores around any address in Blue Earth 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 Blue Earth 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
Blue Earth County scores 78 (high) on the Groundwork market score for grocery and convenience stores, ranking #223 of 2,402 scored counties and #13 of 66 scored counties in Minnesota. That puts it in the top 10% of counties for grocery and convenience stores.
Households in Blue Earth County spend about $164.5M a year on groceries, or $5,958 per household, 6% below the U.S. average. That is about $4.1M of household spending for each store on map listings, 21% above the U.S. figure of $3.4M.
There are 40 grocery and convenience stores on map listings in Blue Earth County as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 50% of them, against 42% across the U.S. That comes to 14.5 for every 10,000 households, 22% below the U.S. rate of 18.7.
Official counts show 8 businesses with payroll classed as grocery and convenience stores in Blue Earth County in 2023. That is one for every 3,451 households, against one for every 1,293 across the U.S. Population estimates show Blue Earth County grew 2.1% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Blue Earth 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 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 | Blue Earth County | Minnesota | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 14.5 | 17.5 | 18.7 |
| Spending per listing | $4.1M | $3.7M | $3.4M |
| Households per official establishment | 3,451 | 2,009 | 1,293 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +1.6% | +7.2% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.1% | +2.1% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on groceries | $5,958 | $6,414 | $6,319 |
| Median household income | $74,477 | $89,062 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 78 | 67 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 6 → 8
- Employees, 2023
- 1,061
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $22.1M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 8Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 4020 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 49The 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 grocery and convenience stores in Blue Earth 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 Blue Earth County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 70,634+2.1% since 2020
- Households
- 27,606
- Median age
- 34.2
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 61%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 748 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 93
- Median household income
- $74,477+29.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $93,438
- Median home value
- $266,700
- Jobs located here
- 37,905
- Daytime population
- 76,062Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Blue Earth 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 Blue Earth 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 Minnesota
Every Minnesota market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Minnesota for grocery and convenience stores, numbered among those based in Minnesota, with Blue Earth County marked.
Top counties in Minnesota
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Washington County, MN | 95 | 127 | 12.0 | $5.8M | +6.9% | #12 of 2,402 |
| 2Sherburne County, MN | 93 | 40 | 11.3 | $6M | +6.8% | #22 of 2,402 |
| 3Scott County, MN | 91 | 71 | 12.9 | $5.5M | +5.1% | #35 of 2,402 |
| 4Carver County, MN | 91 | 66 | 16.0 | $4.5M | +6.6% | #40 of 2,402 |
| 5Dakota County, MN | 90 | 213 | 12.2 | $5.5M | +3.9% | #47 of 2,402 |
| 6Anoka County, MN | 89 | 184 | 13.4 | $5M | +4.7% | #55 of 2,402 |
| 7Isanti County, MN | 89 | 24 | 14.7 | $4.2M | +7.3% | #59 of 2,402 |
| 8Wright County, MN | 88 | 101 | 18.7 | $3.6M | +11.1% | #70 of 2,402 |
| 9Clay County, MN | 87 | 31 | 11.7 | $5.2M | +3.6% | #73 of 2,402 |
| 10Chisago County, MN | 85 | 36 | 16.9 | $3.9M | +4.3% | #103 of 2,402 |
| 13Blue Earth County, MN | 78 | 40 | 14.5 | $4.1M | +2.1% | #223 of 2,402 |
Other business types in Blue Earth County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
- Grocery and convenience stores78
- Grocery stores76
- Convenience stores68
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 Blue Earth County, MN?
As of September 2026, map listings count 40 grocery and convenience stores in Blue Earth County. 20 of them (50%) are chain locations. The listings count grocery, convenience and specialty food stores. Official counts show 8 businesses with payroll classed as grocery and convenience stores in 2023. Another 8 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Blue Earth County, MN spend on groceries?
About $164.5M a year, or $5,958 per household. That is 6% below the U.S. average (an index of 94, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 40 grocery and convenience stores on map listings, it comes to $4.1M per store. It is estimated from the incomes of the 27,606 households in Blue Earth County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Blue Earth County, MN compare with the U.S. for grocery and convenience stores?
Blue Earth County has 14.5 grocery and convenience stores per 10,000 households, 22% below the U.S. rate of 18.7. Spending per store is $4.1M, 21% above the U.S. figure of $3.4M. At the U.S. ratio of grocery and convenience stores to household spending, Blue Earth County would have about 49, against 40 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 3,451 households, against one for every 1,293 across the U.S.
How fast is Blue Earth County, MN growing?
Population estimates put Blue Earth County at 70,634 people in 2025, up 2.1% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 27,606 households. The median household income in Blue Earth County is $74,477 a year, 8% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 29.7% 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. Blue Earth County scores 78 for grocery and convenience stores (high), #223 of 2,402 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Blue Earth 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 Blue Earth County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Blue Earth 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 Blue Earth 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.