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Bars in Minnesota

How many bars exist per person present (residents + daytime workers) across the 10 Minnesota counties we cover, by ZIP code, compared with the U.S. average. Data: Census ZBP 2023 + ACS 2024 + BLS QCEW.

Includes: Bars & taverns · Pubs & brewpubs (drinking-focused) · Cocktail & wine bars · Taprooms. Counted together because official statistics use one 722410 code.

State verdict (covered counties): Well below the U.S. rate — 50% of the U.S. rate

Counties covered

in Minnesota

Bars

240

establishments (2023)

Per 10,000 present

0.5

residents + 0.5×workers

U.S. average

1.0

per 10,000 present

State index

50%

vs. U.S.

Residents

3,717,544

in covered counties

Workers

1,991,426

jobs in covered counties

Coverage. This page aggregates only the 10 Minnesota counties BizGapMap covers — not the whole state. Counts and the index reflect those counties. The aggregate index uses only ZIP cells Census published, so it is a lower bound. Density is a supply-side signal: it counts existing bars and the people present, not foot traffic, income, rent, or whether locals want more.

Counties in Minnesota

City	County	Bars	Residents	Workers	Per 10k	Index	Verdict
Duluth	St. Louis County	47–117	198,429	83,349	2.0	194–467%	Range spans bands
Saint Cloud	Stearns County	23–63	159,675	83,157	1.1	113–300%	Range spans bands
Shakopee	Scott County	16–24	157,514	60,893	0.9	84–127%	Range spans bands
Saint Paul	Ramsey County	44–72	542,837	283,821	0.6	64–96%	Below average
Rochester	Olmsted County	12–28	161,039	105,002	0.6	56–111%	Range spans bands
Minneapolis	Hennepin County	69–197	1,274,032	930,781	0.4	39–103%	Range spans bands
Saint Paul	Dakota County	14–48	447,813	184,893	0.3	26–84%	Range spans bands
Saint Paul	Washington County	7–39	285,910	97,169	0.2	21–116%	Range spans bands
Monticello	Wright County	3–31	139,143	42,307	0.2	19–192%	Range spans bands
Minneapolis	Anoka County	5–27	351,152	120,054	0.1	12–65%	Range spans bands

Scroll the table sideways to see all columns.

Lowest vs. highest measured density

Fewest competitors per capita

194%

113%

84%

64%

56%

39%

26%

21%

Most competitors per capita

12%

19%

21%

26%

39%

56%

64%

84%

Low measured density is not evidence of opportunity. A county with few bars may simply lack foot traffic, retail space, or demand. Use the ranking to find where to look, then verify locally.

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BizGapMap — free, no-login small-business saturation reports for major U.S. counties. Built entirely from public U.S. Census, BLS, and IRS data (ZBP 2023, ACS 2024 5-year, PEP 2024, LODES, QCEW, IRS SOI). No forecasts, no revenue guesses — withheld cells are marked, and the few derived counts are labelled as estimates.