Groundwork

Auto · County · Iowa

Auto repair and car care businesses in Bremer County, IA

Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for auto repair and car care businesses in Bremer County, IA, set against other counties and the U.S.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 65 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #532 of 2,401 scored counties
#7 of 72 scored counties in Iowa

Listings
37
5 chain locations (14%)
Official establishments
15
−25.0% since 2019
Household spending a year
$11.9M
On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $1,224 a household
Spending per listing
$321K
20% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
38.1
7% above the U.S.
Population, 2025
25,296
+1.1% since 2020

See the auto repair and car care businesses around any address in Bremer County

The site report maps the auto repair and car care 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 Bremer County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

Survey 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 37 auto repair and car care businesses in Bremer County. 5 of them (14%) are chain locations, against 24% across the U.S. That is 38.1 per 10,000 households, 7% above the U.S. rate of 35.7.

Household spending on vehicle maintenance and repairs in Bremer County comes to about $11.9M a year: $1,224 per household, 28% above the U.S. average. Spread across 37 auto repair and car care businesses, that is $321K per business, 20% above the U.S. figure of $269K.

The official count of businesses with payroll classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in Bremer County was 15 in 2023, down 25.0% from 2019. That is one for every 648 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. Official counts also show 28 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 3 SBA-backed loans worth $1.1M have gone to businesses classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in Bremer County.

Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Bremer County grew 1.1%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). For auto repair and car care businesses, Bremer County has a Groundwork market score of 65 (upper middle): #532 of 2,401 scored counties and #7 of 72 scored counties in Iowa. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.

How Bremer County compares

The same measures for Iowa and the whole U.S. Spending per listing divides a year of household spending on all vehicle maintenance and repairs by the auto repair and car care businesses counted, so it measures the demand for each competitor, not any business’s revenue. Households per establishment does the same with the official count.

Auto repair and car care in Bremer County, IA compared with Iowa and the U.S.
MeasureBremer CountyIowaU.S.
Listings per 10k households38.141.835.7
Spending per listing$321K$271K$269K
Households per official establishment648558681
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023−25.0%+0.9%+4.1%
Population growth, 2020–2025+1.1%+1.5%+3.1%
Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs$1,224$1,134$958
Median household income$86,784$75,059$80,734
Groundwork market score6542

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
20 → 15−25.0% over the period
Employees, 2023
57
Annual payroll, 2023
$2.9M
One-person businesses, 2023
28Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
375 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
44The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
3
Amount
$1.1M

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in Bremer 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 Bremer County

Population, 2025 estimate
25,296+1.1% since 2020
Households
9,716
Median age
39.3
Homes lived in by their owners
80%
Vehicles per household
2.1
Land area
436 sq. mi.
People per square mile
58
Median household income
$86,784+23.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$108,261
Median home value
$219,600
Jobs located here
9,443
Daytime population
21,993Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Bremer 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 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings by name and distance.

Or open the report at the center of Bremer County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

Auto repair and car care across Iowa

Every Iowa market ranked →

The highest-scoring counties in Iowa for auto repair and car care businesses, numbered among those based in Iowa, with Bremer County marked.

Top counties in Iowa

Counties in Iowa ranked for auto repair and car care businesses by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Dallas County, IA9311727.5$437K+17.8%#9 of 2,401
2Johnson County, IA7517527.6$370K+4.6%#228 of 2,401
3Buchanan County, IA753340.0$314K+1.3%#236 of 2,401
4Tama County, IA742435.7$338K−1.5%#254 of 2,401
5Warren County, IA728440.6$310K+9.0%#316 of 2,401
6Polk County, IA6870734.4$313K+4.8%#435 of 2,401
7Bremer County, IA653738.1$321K+1.1%#532 of 2,401
8Harrison County, IA642846.0$279K+0.4%#594 of 2,401
9Story County, IA6313534.7$310K+2.7%#625 of 2,401
10Buena Vista County, IA623343.7$272K−1.7%#676 of 2,401

Other business types in Bremer County

Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.

Questions

How many auto repair and car care businesses are in Bremer County, IA?

There are 37 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings in Bremer County as of September 2026. 5 of them (14%) are chain locations. The listings count repair shops, body shops, tire shops, car washes, oil change and parts stores. Official counts show 15 businesses with payroll classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in 2023, down 25.0% from 2019. Another 28 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.

How much do households in Bremer County, IA spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?

About $11.9M a year, or $1,224 per household. That is 28% above the U.S. average (an index of 128, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 37 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings, it comes to $321K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 9,716 households in Bremer County and national spending patterns by income.

How does Bremer County, IA compare with the U.S. for auto repair and car care businesses?

Bremer County has 38.1 auto repair and car care businesses per 10,000 households, 7% above the U.S. rate of 35.7. Spending per business is $321K, 20% above the U.S. figure of $269K. At the national ratio of auto repair and car care businesses to household spending, Bremer County would have about 44, against 37 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 648 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. The official count fell 25.0% from 2019 to 2023, against +4.1% for the U.S.

How fast is Bremer County, IA growing?

Population estimates put Bremer County at 25,296 people in 2025, up 1.1% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 9,716 households. Median household income in Bremer County is $86,784, 7% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 23.3%, 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. Bremer County scores 65 for auto repair and car care businesses (upper middle), #532 of 2,401 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Bremer County. It maps the auto repair and car care 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 auto repair and car care businesses · All 56 business types in Bremer County

Screening a site or an acquisition in Bremer 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 Bremer 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.