Groceries and convenience · County · Iowa
Grocery stores in O’Brien County, IA
The grocery stores in O’Brien County, IA, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 19 out of 100: Low
Ranked #1,908 of 2,070 scored counties
#56 of 60 scored counties in Iowa
- Listings
- 10
- 2 chain locations (20%)
- Official establishments
- 7
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $34M
- On groceries · $5,852 a household
- Spending per listing
- $3.4M
- 63% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 17.2
- 2.5 times the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 14,220
- +0.5% since 2020
See the grocery stores around any address in O’Brien 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 O’Brien 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, O’Brien County has a Groundwork market score of 19 (low): #1,908 of 2,070 scored counties and #56 of 60 scored counties in Iowa. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
As of September 2026, map listings count 10 grocery stores in O’Brien County. Chain locations make up 20% of them, against 37% across the U.S. That is 17.2 per 10,000 households, 2.5 times the U.S. rate of 6.8.
At $5,852 per household (7% below the U.S. average), households in O’Brien County spend about $34M a year on groceries. That works out to $3.4M per store, 63% below the U.S. figure of $9.3M. That spending covers all groceries, which grocery stores share with other businesses in the trade.
In 2023, official counts showed 7 businesses with payroll in O’Brien County classed as supermarkets and grocery stores. That is one for every 830 households, against one for every 2,053 across the U.S. Population estimates show O’Brien County grew 0.5% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How O’Brien 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 | O’Brien County | Iowa | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 17.2 | 6.8 | 6.8 |
| Spending per listing | $3.4M | $8.8M | $9.3M |
| Households per official establishment | 830 | 2,139 | 2,053 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | −1.4% | 0.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +0.5% | +1.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on groceries | $5,852 | $6,036 | $6,319 |
| Median household income | $68,356 | $75,059 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 19 | 37 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 7 → 7
- Employees, 2023
- 315
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $5M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 102 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 4The 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 O’Brien 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 O’Brien County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 14,220+0.5% since 2020
- Households
- 5,809
- Median age
- 40.9
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 76%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.2
- Land area
- 573 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 25
- Median household income
- $68,356+27.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $84,439
- Median home value
- $173,100
- Jobs located here
- 6,296
- Daytime population
- 12,761Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in O’Brien 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 O’Brien 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 O’Brien 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 |
| 56O’Brien County, IA | 19 | 10 | 17.2 | $3.4M | +0.5% | #1,908 of 2,070 |
Other business types in O’Brien County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
- Grocery and convenience stores26
- Grocery stores19
- Convenience stores42
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 O’Brien County, IA?
O’Brien County has 10 grocery stores on map listings as of September 2026. 2 of them (20%) are chain locations. The listings count grocery stores and supermarkets. Official counts show 7 businesses with payroll classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in 2023.
How much do households in O’Brien County, IA spend on groceries?
About $34M a year, or $5,852 per household. That is 7% below the U.S. average (an index of 93, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 10 grocery stores on map listings, it comes to $3.4M per store. The spending figure covers all groceries, not only grocery stores. It is estimated from the incomes of the 5,809 households in O’Brien County and national spending patterns by income.
How does O’Brien County, IA compare with the U.S. for grocery stores?
O’Brien County has 17.2 grocery stores per 10,000 households, 2.5 times the U.S. rate of 6.8. Spending per store is $3.4M, 63% below the U.S. figure of $9.3M. At the national ratio of grocery stores to household spending, O’Brien County would have about 4, against 10 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 830 households, against one for every 2,053 across the U.S.
How fast is O’Brien County, IA growing?
Population estimates put O’Brien County at 14,220 people in 2025, up 0.5% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 5,809 households. Median household income in O’Brien County is $68,356, 15% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 27.3%, 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. O’Brien County scores 19 for grocery stores (low), #1,908 of 2,070 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in O’Brien 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 O’Brien County
Screening a site or an acquisition in O’Brien 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 O’Brien 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.