Groceries and convenience · County · Iowa
Grocery stores in Cerro Gordo County, IA
How Cerro Gordo County, IA compares with other counties and the U.S. for grocery stores: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 31 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,613 of 2,070 scored counties
#40 of 60 scored counties in Iowa
- Listings
- 16
- 9 chain locations (56%)
- Official establishments
- 13
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $114.2M
- On groceries · $5,847 a household
- Spending per listing
- $7.1M
- 23% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 8.2
- 21% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 42,372
- −1.5% since 2020
See the grocery stores around any address in Cerro Gordo County
The site report maps the grocery 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 Cerro Gordo 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
For grocery stores, Cerro Gordo County has a Groundwork market score of 31 (lower middle): #1,613 of 2,070 scored counties and #40 of 60 scored counties in Iowa. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
Map listings as of September 2026 show 16 grocery stores in Cerro Gordo County. Of those, 9 are chain locations, or 56%, against 37% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 8.2, 21% above the U.S. rate of 6.8.
Household spending on groceries in Cerro Gordo County comes to about $114.2M a year: $5,847 per household, 7% below the U.S. average. Spread across 16 grocery stores, that is $7.1M per store, 23% below the U.S. figure of $9.3M. That spending covers all groceries, which grocery stores share with other businesses in the trade.
Official counts show 13 businesses with payroll classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in Cerro Gordo County in 2023. That is one for every 1,503 households, against one for every 2,053 across the U.S. Population estimates show Cerro Gordo County declined 1.5% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How Cerro Gordo 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 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 | Cerro Gordo County | Iowa | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 8.2 | 6.8 | 6.8 |
| Spending per listing | $7.1M | $8.8M | $9.3M |
| Households per official establishment | 1,503 | 2,139 | 2,053 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | −1.4% | 0.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −1.5% | +1.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on groceries | $5,847 | $6,036 | $6,319 |
| Median household income | $68,189 | $75,059 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 31 | 37 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 10 → 13
- Employees, 2023
- 819
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $14.7M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 169 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 12The 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 supermarkets and grocery stores in Cerro Gordo 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 Cerro Gordo County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 42,372−1.5% since 2020
- Households
- 19,538
- Median age
- 45.5
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 70%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 568 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 75
- Median household income
- $68,189+26.4% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $92,087
- Median home value
- $166,400
- Jobs located here
- 22,381
- Daytime population
- 45,188Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Cerro Gordo 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 stores on map listings by name and distance.
Or open the report at the center of Cerro Gordo County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardGrocery stores across Iowa
Every Iowa market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Iowa for grocery stores, numbered among those based in Iowa, with Cerro Gordo County marked.
Top counties in Iowa
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Warren County, IA | 93 | 5 | 2.4 | $26.7M | +9.0% | #24 of 2,070 |
| 2Dallas County, IA | 92 | 18 | 4.2 | $16M | +17.8% | #37 of 2,070 |
| 3Linn County, IA | 71 | 52 | 5.4 | $11.3M | +0.7% | #382 of 2,070 |
| 4Pottawattamie County, IA | 70 | 14 | 3.7 | $16M | −0.7% | #401 of 2,070 |
| 5Scott County, IA | 70 | 35 | 4.8 | $12.8M | +0.4% | #405 of 2,070 |
| 6Boone County, IA | 69 | 5 | 4.6 | $13.5M | +0.4% | #428 of 2,070 |
| 7Benton County, IA | 67 | 7 | 6.9 | $9.1M | +1.8% | #489 of 2,070 |
| 8Dubuque County, IA | 66 | 20 | 4.9 | $12.4M | +0.1% | #502 of 2,070 |
| 9Bremer County, IA | 66 | 5 | 5.1 | $12.1M | +1.1% | #503 of 2,070 |
| 10Marion County, IA | 64 | 7 | 5.3 | $11.6M | +2.3% | #564 of 2,070 |
| 40Cerro Gordo County, IA | 31 | 16 | 8.2 | $7.1M | −1.5% | #1,613 of 2,070 |
Other business types in Cerro Gordo County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
- Grocery and convenience stores42
- Grocery stores31
- Convenience stores41
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 stores are in Cerro Gordo County, IA?
There are 16 grocery stores on map listings in Cerro Gordo County as of September 2026. 9 of them (56%) are chain locations. The listings count grocery stores and supermarkets. Official counts show 13 businesses with payroll classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in 2023.
How much do households in Cerro Gordo County, IA spend on groceries?
About $114.2M a year, or $5,847 per household. That is 7% below the U.S. average (an index of 93, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 16 grocery stores on map listings, it comes to $7.1M per store. The spending figure covers all groceries, not only grocery stores. It is estimated from the incomes of the 19,538 households in Cerro Gordo County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Cerro Gordo County, IA compare with the U.S. for grocery stores?
Cerro Gordo County has 8.2 grocery stores per 10,000 households, 21% above the U.S. rate of 6.8. Spending per store is $7.1M, 23% below the U.S. figure of $9.3M. At the national ratio of grocery stores to household spending, Cerro Gordo County would have about 12, against 16 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,503 households, against one for every 2,053 across the U.S.
How fast is Cerro Gordo County, IA growing?
Population estimates put Cerro Gordo County at 42,372 people in 2025, down 1.5% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 19,538 households. Median household income in Cerro Gordo County is $68,189, 16% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 26.4%, 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. Cerro Gordo County scores 31 for grocery stores (lower middle), #1,613 of 2,070 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Cerro Gordo County. It maps the grocery 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 stores · All 56 business types in Cerro Gordo County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Cerro Gordo 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 Cerro Gordo 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.