Groceries and convenience · County · Iowa
Grocery stores in Linn County, IA
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for grocery stores in Linn County, IA, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 71 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #382 of 2,070 scored counties
#3 of 60 scored counties in Iowa
- Listings
- 52
- 24 chain locations (46%)
- Official establishments
- 28
- 0.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $586.7M
- On groceries · $6,138 a household
- Spending per listing
- $11.3M
- 21% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 5.4
- 21% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 232,028
- +0.7% since 2020
See the grocery stores around any address in Linn 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 Linn 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
At $6,138 per household (3% below the U.S. average), households in Linn County spend about $586.7M a year on groceries. Spread across 52 grocery stores, that is $11.3M per store, 21% above the U.S. figure of $9.3M. The spending figure covers all groceries, not only grocery stores.
There are 52 grocery stores on map listings in Linn County as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 46% of them, against 37% across the U.S. That comes to 5.4 for every 10,000 households, 21% below the U.S. rate of 6.8.
Official counts show 28 businesses with payroll classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in Linn County in 2023, unchanged from 2019. That is one for every 3,414 households, against one for every 2,053 across the U.S.
Population estimates put the population change in Linn County from 2020 to 2025 at +0.7%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). Linn County scores 71 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for grocery stores, ranking #382 of 2,070 scored counties and #3 of 60 scored counties in Iowa. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How Linn 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 | Linn County | Iowa | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 5.4 | 6.8 | 6.8 |
| Spending per listing | $11.3M | $8.8M | $9.3M |
| Households per official establishment | 3,414 | 2,139 | 2,053 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | 0.0% | −1.4% | 0.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +0.7% | +1.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on groceries | $6,138 | $6,036 | $6,319 |
| Median household income | $77,649 | $75,059 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 71 | 37 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 28 → 280.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 3,401
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $59.7M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 5224 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 63The 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 Linn 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 Linn County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 232,028+0.7% since 2020
- Households
- 95,600
- Median age
- 39.8
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 74%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 717 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 321
- Median household income
- $77,649+19.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $104,478
- Median home value
- $214,300
- Jobs located here
- 130,525
- Daytime population
- 248,541Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Linn 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 Linn 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 Linn 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 |
Other business types in Linn County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
- Grocery and convenience stores76
- Grocery stores71
- Convenience stores76
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 Linn County, IA?
As of September 2026, map listings count 52 grocery stores in Linn County. 24 of them (46%) are chain locations. The listings count grocery stores and supermarkets. Official counts show 28 businesses with payroll classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in 2023, unchanged from 2019.
How much do households in Linn County, IA spend on groceries?
About $586.7M a year, or $6,138 per household. That is 3% below the U.S. average (an index of 97, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 52 grocery stores on map listings, it comes to $11.3M per store. That spending covers all groceries, which grocery stores share with other businesses in the trade. It is estimated from the incomes of the 95,600 households in Linn County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Linn County, IA compare with the U.S. for grocery stores?
Linn County has 5.4 grocery stores per 10,000 households, 21% below the U.S. rate of 6.8. Spending per store is $11.3M, 21% above the U.S. figure of $9.3M. At the U.S. ratio of grocery stores to household spending, Linn County would have about 63, against 52 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 3,414 households, against one for every 2,053 across the U.S. The official count held level from 2019 to 2023, against 0.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Linn County, IA growing?
Population estimates put Linn County at 232,028 people in 2025, up 0.7% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 95,600 households. The median household income in Linn County is $77,649 a year, 4% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 19.6% 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. Linn County scores 71 for grocery stores (upper middle), #382 of 2,070 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Linn 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 Linn County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Linn 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 Linn 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.