Municipal Liquor Stores in MN Once Again Post Record Sales

2021 was another record year for municipal liquor stores in Minnesota, as for the 26th straight year, city-owned stores posted record sales.

According to a state auditor’s report released Thursday, after struggling during the closures of 2020, Minnesota’s on-sale liquor operations bounced back with a 105% increase in profits for 2021. Only 13 of the 177 Minnesota cities reported net losses.

Bemidji’s municipal liquor store sales ranked in the top 10 in the state for 2021, where they were ranked 9th with total sales of $8.6 million. Lakeville led the state with $19.7 million in sales.

The only other non-metro city that ranked higher than Bemidji was Detroit Lakes, which ranked 7th with $8.7 million in sales.