Groceries and convenience · County · Minnesota
Grocery stores in Houston County, MN
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for grocery stores in Houston County, MN, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 49 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,038 of 2,070 scored counties
#32 of 54 scored counties in Minnesota
- Listings
- 5
- 0 chain locations (0%)
- Official establishments
- 4
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $49.8M
- On groceries · $6,116 a household
- Spending per listing
- $10M
- 7% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 6.1
- 10% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 18,400
- −2.3% since 2020
See the grocery stores around any address in Houston 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 Houston 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 Houston County spend about $49.8M a year on groceries, or $6,116 per household, 3% below the U.S. average. That is about $10M of household spending for each store on map listings, 7% above the U.S. figure of $9.3M. The spending figure covers all groceries, not only grocery stores.
Houston County has 5 grocery stores on map listings as of September 2026. None of them are chain locations, against 37% across the U.S. That comes to 6.1 for every 10,000 households, 10% below the U.S. rate of 6.8.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in Houston County was 4 in 2023. That is one for every 2,034 households, against one for every 2,053 across the U.S.
Population estimates show Houston County declined 2.3% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S. Houston County scores 49 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for grocery stores, ranking #1,038 of 2,070 scored counties and #32 of 54 scored counties in Minnesota.
How Houston 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 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 | Houston County | Minnesota | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 6.1 | 5.9 | 6.8 |
| Spending per listing | $10M | $10.8M | $9.3M |
| Households per official establishment | 2,034 | 2,313 | 2,053 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +2.6% | 0.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −2.3% | +2.1% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on groceries | $6,116 | $6,414 | $6,319 |
| Median household income | $79,825 | $89,062 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 49 | 64 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 4 → 4
- Employees, 2023
- 121
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $1.9M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 50 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 5The 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 Houston 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 Houston County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 18,400−2.3% since 2020
- Households
- 8,134
- Median age
- 45.5
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 83%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.1
- Land area
- 552 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 34
- Median household income
- $79,825+32.2% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $101,996
- Median home value
- $239,000
- Jobs located here
- 5,470
- Daytime population
- 15,004Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Houston 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 Houston 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 Minnesota
Every Minnesota market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Minnesota for grocery stores, numbered among those based in Minnesota, with Houston County marked.
Top counties in Minnesota
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Chisago County, MN | 91 | 6 | 2.8 | $23.4M | +4.3% | #42 of 2,070 |
| 2Washington County, MN | 91 | 33 | 3.1 | $22.4M | +6.9% | #43 of 2,070 |
| 3Wright County, MN | 91 | 27 | 5.0 | $13.5M | +11.1% | #49 of 2,070 |
| 4Sherburne County, MN | 90 | 7 | 2.0 | $34.1M | +6.8% | #50 of 2,070 |
| 5Scott County, MN | 89 | 20 | 3.6 | $19.5M | +5.1% | #58 of 2,070 |
| 6Isanti County, MN | 88 | 7 | 4.3 | $14.5M | +7.3% | #72 of 2,070 |
| 7Anoka County, MN | 85 | 59 | 4.3 | $15.5M | +4.7% | #109 of 2,070 |
| 8Carver County, MN | 84 | 21 | 5.1 | $14.1M | +6.6% | #120 of 2,070 |
| 9Dakota County, MN | 83 | 70 | 4.0 | $16.9M | +3.9% | #130 of 2,070 |
| 10Clay County, MN | 83 | 12 | 4.5 | $13.4M | +3.6% | #136 of 2,070 |
| 32Houston County, MN | 49 | 5 | 6.1 | $10M | −2.3% | #1,038 of 2,070 |
Other business types in Houston County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
- Grocery and convenience stores54
- Grocery stores49
- Convenience stores54
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 Houston County, MN?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 5 grocery stores in Houston County. None of them are chain locations. The listings count grocery stores and supermarkets. Official counts show 4 businesses with payroll classed as supermarkets and grocery stores in 2023.
How much do households in Houston County, MN spend on groceries?
About $49.8M a year, or $6,116 per household. That is 3% below the U.S. average (an index of 97, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 5 grocery stores on map listings, it comes to $10M 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 8,134 households in Houston County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Houston County, MN compare with the U.S. for grocery stores?
Houston County has 6.1 grocery stores per 10,000 households, 10% below the U.S. rate of 6.8. Spending per store is $10M, 7% above the U.S. figure of $9.3M. The count on map listings matches the U.S. ratio of grocery stores to household spending. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,034 households, against one for every 2,053 across the U.S.
How fast is Houston County, MN growing?
Population estimates put Houston County at 18,400 people in 2025, down 2.3% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 8,134 households. The median household income in Houston County is $79,825 a year, in line with the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 32.2% 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. Houston County scores 49 for grocery stores (lower middle), #1,038 of 2,070 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Houston 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 Houston County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Houston 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 Houston 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.