Minnesota’s Most Popular Municipal Liquor Stores Revealed

They’ve been quietly pouring profits into Minnesota cities for decades, but now the numbers are in, and some municipal liquor stores are absolutely dominating.

Municipal liquor stores are a phenomenon that has been around in Minnesota for nearly 100 years. And we now know just which stores are the most popular in the entire state.

Having grown up behind the Cheddar Curtain in Wisconsin, state law does not allow a municipality to own a liquor store. Of course, state law in Wisconsin DOES allow grocery and convenience stores to sell all forms of alcoholic beverages, so you don't see nearly as many standalone liquor stores as you do here in the North Star State.

How Minnesota’s Municipal Liquor Stores Work and Why They Exist

ALSO INTERESTING: Beer Brewed by Rochester's Little Thistle Brewing Now One of the Best on the Planet!

But here in the Land of 10,000 Lakes, there *are* a decent number of municipal liquor stores currently in business. The Minnesota Municipal Beverage Association (MMBA) notes that there are over 200 municipal liquor operations in our fair state, mainly concentrated outside the Twin Cities metro.

The MMBA website explains that liquor stores owned by local municipalities were first introduced in Minnesota nearly 100 years ago, in 1933:

Municipal liquor stores started after Prohibition as a means for cities to control the distribution of alcohol in their communities. Later, cities found their municipal liquor store could be a method of generating needed non-tax revenue. Today, the purpose of municipal liquor stores is to "control the distribution of alcohol" while simultaneously generating income for the community.

And now, thanks to an Analysis of Municipal Liquor Store Operations' report from the Minnesota Office of the State Auditor (OSA), we know just which of those municipal liquor stores are the most popular.

Get our free mobile app

Minnesota Municipal Liquor Stores Hit Record Sales

Overall, the OSA report said that during 2023, "Minnesota’s municipal liquor operations reported a 28th consecutive year of record sales, totaling $437.4 million. Total sales generated in 2023 increased by $3.9 million, or 0.9 percent, over 2022," OSA reported.

The OSA also said that the combined net profit of all municipal liquor operations totaled $31.6 million in 2023, an increase of $4.2 million, or 15.3 percent, from 2022.

Top-Selling Municipal Liquor Stores in Minnesota

Here are the Top Minnesota Liquor Stores (by total sales) in 2023 per the OSA:

1. Lakeville — $22,692,555
2. Richfield — $13,935,832
3. Edina — $13,330,018
4. Eden Prairie — $12,069,015
5. Apple Valley — $10,782,386
6. Detroit Lakes — $9,035,828
7. Columbia Heights — $9,054,922
8. Bemidji — $8,437,168
9. Alexandria — $8,098,739
10. Elk River — $7,978,894

Of course, those figures are only for the top municipal liquor stores in the Bold North. There are a lot of privately owned liquor stores operating in Minnesota, as well, that likely had even higher sales figures than municipal stores.

Either way, one of the most popular items any liquor store sells these days is wine, right? According to recent sales figures, wine is pretty popular here in our neck of the woods. Keep scrolling to see just how much wine Minnesotans bought each month in 2024. (Spoiler alert: It's a lot!)