Real estate · County · Minnesota
Real estate businesses in Stearns County, MN
The real estate businesses in Stearns County, MN, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 33 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,985 of 2,229 scored counties
#60 of 65 scored counties in Minnesota
- Listings
- 249
- 21 chain locations (8%)
- Official establishments
- 127
- −1.5% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $864.8M
- On rent and homeowner costs · $14,085 a household
- Housing spending per listing (U.S. = 100)
- 80
- 20% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 40.6
- 5% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 164,110
- +3.6% since 2020
See the real estate businesses around any address in Stearns 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 Stearns 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
The Groundwork market score for real estate businesses in Stearns County is 33 (lower middle), #1,985 of 2,229 scored counties and #60 of 65 scored counties in Minnesota. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
As of September 2026, map listings count 249 real estate businesses in Stearns County. 21 of them (8%) are chain locations, against 6% across the U.S. That comes to 40.6 for every 10,000 households, 5% above the U.S. rate of 38.5.
At $14,085 per household (15% below the U.S. average), households in Stearns County spend about $864.8M a year on rent and homeowner costs. Housing spending per office is 20% below 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.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as real estate agents, property managers, mortgage lenders and inspectors in Stearns County was 127 in 2023, down 1.5% from 2019. That is one for every 483 households, against one for every 414 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $108K have gone to businesses classed as real estate agents, property managers, mortgage lenders and inspectors in Stearns County. Population estimates show Stearns County grew 3.6% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Stearns 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 | Stearns County | Minnesota | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 40.6 | 36.4 | 38.5 |
| Housing spending per listing (U.S. = 100) | 80 | 96 | 100 |
| Households per official establishment | 483 | 402 | 414 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −1.5% | +11.5% | +15.8% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +3.6% | +2.1% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on rent and homeowner costs | $14,085 | $15,162 | $16,661 |
| Median household income | $77,066 | $89,062 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 33 | 36 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 129 → 127−1.5% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 665
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $28.4M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 472Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 24921 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 200The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 2
- Amount
- $108K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as real estate agents, property managers, mortgage lenders and inspectors in Stearns 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 Stearns County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 164,110+3.6% since 2020
- Households
- 61,403
- Median age
- 37.2
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 68%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 1,343 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 120
- Median household income
- $77,066+22.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $98,367
- Median home value
- $273,400
- Jobs located here
- 83,579
- Daytime population
- 169,051Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Stearns 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 Stearns 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 Stearns 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 |
| 60Stearns County, MN | 33 | 249 | 40.6 | 80 | +3.6% | #1,985 of 2,229 |
Other business types in Stearns 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 Stearns County, MN?
Stearns County has 249 real estate businesses on map listings as of September 2026. 21 of them (8%) are chain locations. The listings count real estate agents and brokers, property managers, mortgage brokers and lenders, and home inspectors. Official counts show 127 businesses with payroll classed as real estate agents, property managers, mortgage lenders and inspectors in 2023, down 1.5% from 2019. Official counts list 472 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Stearns County, MN spend on rent and homeowner costs?
About $864.8M a year, or $14,085 per household. That is 15% below the U.S. average (an index of 85, where 100 is the U.S. average). For the 249 real estate businesses on map listings, housing spending per office is 20% below 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 61,403 households in Stearns County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Stearns County, MN compare with the U.S. for real estate businesses?
Stearns County has 40.6 real estate businesses per 10,000 households, 5% above the U.S. rate of 38.5. The index of housing spending per office is 80, where 100 is the U.S. At the national ratio of real estate businesses to household spending, Stearns County would have about 200, against 249 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 483 households, against one for every 414 across the U.S. The official count fell 1.5% from 2019 to 2023, against +15.8% for the U.S.
How fast is Stearns County, MN growing?
Population estimates put Stearns County at 164,110 people in 2025, up 3.6% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 61,403 households. The median household income in Stearns County is $77,066 a year, 5% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 22.7% 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. Stearns County scores 33 for real estate businesses (lower middle), #1,985 of 2,229 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Stearns 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 Stearns County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Stearns 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 Stearns 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.