Groundwork

Auto · County · Iowa

Auto repair and car care businesses in Cass County, IA

The auto repair and car care businesses in Cass County, IA, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 20 out of 100: Low

Ranked #2,278 of 2,401 scored counties
#72 of 72 scored counties in Iowa

Listings
43
8 chain locations (19%)
Official establishments
18
Businesses with payroll, 2023
Household spending a year
$6.5M
On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $1,115 a household
Spending per listing
$152K
44% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
73.6
2.1 times the U.S.
Population, 2025
12,960
−1.2% since 2020

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

Cass County scores 20 (low) on the Groundwork market score for auto repair and car care businesses, ranking #2,278 of 2,401 scored counties and #72 of 72 scored counties in Iowa. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.

Household spending on vehicle maintenance and repairs in Cass County comes to about $6.5M a year: $1,115 per household, 16% above the U.S. average. That works out to $152K per business, 44% below the U.S. figure of $269K.

There are 43 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings in Cass County as of September 2026. Of those, 8 are chain locations, or 19%, against 24% across the U.S. That comes to 73.6 for every 10,000 households, 2.1 times the U.S. rate of 35.7.

In 2023, official counts showed 18 businesses with payroll in Cass County classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers. That is one for every 325 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Cass County declined 1.2%, against +3.1% for the U.S.

How Cass 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 Cass County, IA compared with Iowa and the U.S.
MeasureCass CountyIowaU.S.
Listings per 10k households73.641.835.7
Spending per listing$152K$271K$269K
Households per official establishment325558681
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023n/a+0.9%+4.1%
Population growth, 2020–2025−1.2%+1.5%+3.1%
Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs$1,115$1,134$958
Median household income$63,013$75,059$80,734
Groundwork market score2042

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
19 → 18
Employees, 2023
65
Annual payroll, 2023
$2.7M
One-person businesses, 2023
28Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
438 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
24The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
0
Amount
$0

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

Population, 2025 estimate
12,960−1.2% since 2020
Households
5,844
Median age
44.7
Homes lived in by their owners
72%
Vehicles per household
2.0
Land area
564 sq. mi.
People per square mile
23
Median household income
$63,013+25.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$84,546
Median home value
$150,300
Jobs located here
5,421
Daytime population
12,873Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Cass 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 Cass County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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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 Cass 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
72Cass County, IA204373.6$152K−1.2%#2,278 of 2,401

Other business types in Cass 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 Cass County, IA?

As of September 2026, map listings count 43 auto repair and car care businesses in Cass County. 8 of them (19%) are chain locations. The listings count repair shops, body shops, tire shops, car washes, oil change and parts stores. Official counts show 18 businesses with payroll classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in 2023. Official counts list 28 one-person businesses without payroll.

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

About $6.5M a year, or $1,115 per household. That is 16% above the U.S. average (an index of 116, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 43 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings, it comes to $152K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 5,844 households in Cass County and national spending patterns by income.

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

Cass County has 73.6 auto repair and car care businesses per 10,000 households, 2.1 times the U.S. rate of 35.7. Spending per business is $152K, 44% below the U.S. figure of $269K. At the U.S. ratio of auto repair and car care businesses to household spending, Cass County would have about 24, against 43 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 325 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S.

How fast is Cass County, IA growing?

Population estimates put Cass County at 12,960 people in 2025, down 1.2% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 5,844 households. The median household income in Cass County is $63,013 a year, 22% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 25.6% 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. Cass County scores 20 for auto repair and car care businesses (low), #2,278 of 2,401 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Cass 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 Cass County

Screening a site or an acquisition in Cass 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 Cass 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.