Real estate · County · Minnesota
Real estate businesses in Houston County, MN
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for real estate businesses in Houston County, MN, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 50 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #1,070 of 2,229 scored counties
#28 of 65 scored counties in Minnesota
- Listings
- 16
- 3 chain locations (19%)
- Official establishments
- 7
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $115.9M
- On rent and homeowner costs · $14,250 a household
- Housing spending per listing (U.S. = 100)
- 167
- 67% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 19.7
- 49% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 18,400
- −2.3% since 2020
See the real estate businesses around any address in Houston County
The site report maps the real estate businesses 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
Map listings as of September 2026 show 16 real estate businesses in Houston County. 3 of them (19%) are chain locations, against 6% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 19.7, 49% below the U.S. rate of 38.5.
Households in Houston County spend about $115.9M a year on rent and homeowner costs, or $14,250 per household, 14% below the U.S. average. Housing spending per office is 67% above the U.S. figure. That figure is all rent and homeowner costs, used as a measure of housing demand; it is not money real estate businesses take in.
In 2023, official counts showed 7 businesses with payroll in Houston County classed as real estate agents, property managers, mortgage lenders and inspectors. That is one for every 1,162 households, against one for every 414 across the U.S. Official counts also show 46 one-person businesses without payroll.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Houston County declined 2.3%, against +3.1% for the U.S. Houston County scores 50 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for real estate businesses, ranking #1,070 of 2,229 scored counties and #28 of 65 scored counties in Minnesota.
How Houston County compares
The same measures for Minnesota and the whole U.S. Housing spending per listing divides all rent and homeowner costs by the listings counted: a measure of housing demand for each business, not money any of them take in, so it is shown against the U.S. (100) only. Households per establishment divides households by the official count.
| Measure | Houston County | Minnesota | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 19.7 | 36.4 | 38.5 |
| Housing spending per listing (U.S. = 100) | 167 | 96 | 100 |
| Households per official establishment | 1,162 | 402 | 414 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +11.5% | +15.8% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −2.3% | +2.1% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on rent and homeowner costs | $14,250 | $15,162 | $16,661 |
| Median household income | $79,825 | $89,062 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 50 | 36 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 3 → 7
- Employees, 2023
- 64
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $2M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 46Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 163 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 27The 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 real estate agents, property managers, mortgage lenders and inspectors 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 real estate businesses 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 cardReal estate across Minnesota
Every Minnesota market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Minnesota for real estate businesses, numbered among those based in Minnesota, with Houston County marked.
Top counties in Minnesota
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Housing spending per listing (U.S. = 100) | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Dodge County, MN | 79 | 10 | 12.4 | 282 | +2.3% | #41 of 2,229 |
| 2Fillmore County, MN | 71 | 10 | 11.5 | 280 | +1.4% | #186 of 2,229 |
| 3Kanabec County, MN | 68 | 10 | 15.2 | 205 | +3.6% | #278 of 2,229 |
| 4Nicollet County, MN | 66 | 19 | 14.6 | 230 | −0.7% | #337 of 2,229 |
| 5Clay County, MN | 64 | 36 | 13.6 | 240 | +3.6% | #403 of 2,229 |
| 6Carlton County, MN | 64 | 20 | 14.2 | 229 | +1.4% | #407 of 2,229 |
| 7Sibley County, MN | 63 | 10 | 16.9 | 195 | +3.6% | #459 of 2,229 |
| 8Polk County, MN | 61 | 11 | 8.9 | 354 | −1.8% | #523 of 2,229 |
| 9Faribault County, MN | 61 | 8 | 13.2 | 233 | −0.1% | #531 of 2,229 |
| 10Wadena County, MN | 61 | 8 | 13.2 | 224 | +1.9% | #533 of 2,229 |
| 28Houston County, MN | 50 | 16 | 19.7 | 167 | −2.3% | #1,070 of 2,229 |
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
Auto
Beauty and personal care
Fitness and classes
Health care
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many real estate businesses are in Houston County, MN?
There are 16 real estate businesses on map listings in Houston County as of September 2026. 3 of them (19%) are chain locations. The listings count real estate agents and brokers, property managers, mortgage brokers and lenders, and home inspectors. Official counts show 7 businesses with payroll classed as real estate agents, property managers, mortgage lenders and inspectors in 2023. Another 46 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Houston County, MN spend on rent and homeowner costs?
About $115.9M a year, or $14,250 per household. That is 14% below the U.S. average (an index of 86, where 100 is the U.S. average). For the 16 real estate businesses on map listings, housing spending per office is 67% above the U.S. figure. The spending figure is all rent and homeowner costs, a measure of housing demand, not money real estate businesses take in. 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 real estate businesses?
Houston County has 19.7 real estate businesses per 10,000 households, 49% below the U.S. rate of 38.5. The index of housing spending per office is 167, where 100 is the U.S. At the national ratio of real estate businesses to household spending, Houston County would have about 27, against 16 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,162 households, against one for every 414 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 50 for real estate businesses (upper middle), #1,070 of 2,229 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 real estate businesses 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 real estate businesses · 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.