Auto · Metro area · Iowa
Auto repair and car care businesses in the Cedar Rapids, IA metro area
How the Cedar Rapids, IA metro area compares with other metro areas and the U.S. for auto repair and car care businesses: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 53 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #179 of 387 scored metro areas
#5 of 8 scored metro areas based in Iowa
- Listings
- 435
- 109 chain locations (25%)
- Official establishments
- 200
- +5.3% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $128.4M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $1,127 a household
- Spending per listing
- $295K
- 10% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 38.2
- 7% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 279,285
- +1.0% since 2020
See the auto repair and car care businesses around any address in the Cedar Rapids metro area
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 the Cedar Rapids metro area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardSurvey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure
What this means
At $1,127 per household (18% above the U.S. average), households in the Cedar Rapids metro area spend about $128.4M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs. That works out to $295K per business, 10% above the U.S. figure of $269K.
There are 435 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings in the Cedar Rapids metro area as of September 2026. 109 of them (25%) are chain locations, against 24% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 38.2, 7% above the U.S. rate of 35.7.
Official counts show 200 businesses with payroll classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in the Cedar Rapids metro area in 2023, up 5.3% from 2019. That is one for every 570 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. Another 212 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 5 SBA-backed loans worth $732K have gone to businesses classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in the Cedar Rapids metro area.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of the Cedar Rapids metro area grew 1.0%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). For auto repair and car care businesses, the Cedar Rapids metro area has a Groundwork market score of 53 (upper middle): #179 of 387 scored metro areas and #5 of 8 scored metro areas based in Iowa.
How the Cedar Rapids metro area 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.
| Measure | Cedar Rapids metro area | Iowa | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 38.2 | 41.8 | 35.7 |
| Spending per listing | $295K | $271K | $269K |
| Households per official establishment | 570 | 558 | 681 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +5.3% | +0.9% | +4.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +1.0% | +1.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $1,127 | $1,134 | $958 |
| Median household income | $78,080 | $75,059 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 53 | 42 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 200+5.3% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,249
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $63M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 212Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 435109 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 478The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 5
- Amount
- $732K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in the Cedar Rapids metro area, 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 the Cedar Rapids metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 279,285+1.0% since 2020
- Households
- 114,000
- Median age
- 40.4
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 75%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 2,009 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 138
- Median household income
- $78,080+20.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $102,989
- Median home value
- $211,500
- Jobs located here
- 142,164
- Daytime population
- 283,130Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Cedar Rapids metro area?
These figures cover the whole metro area. 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 the Cedar Rapids metro area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardAuto repair and car care across Iowa
Every Iowa market ranked →The highest-scoring metro areas in Iowa for auto repair and car care businesses, numbered among those based in Iowa (a market based in another state is listed without a number), with the Cedar Rapids metro area marked.
Top metro areas in Iowa
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA | 76 | 1,040 | 35.3 | $319K | +6.7% | #23 of 387 |
| 2Iowa City, IA | 74 | 230 | 31.8 | $327K | +4.1% | #33 of 387 |
| Omaha, NE-IA | 70 | 1,321 | 33.9 | $326K | +4.2% | #52 of 387 |
| 3Ames, IA | 62 | 177 | 35.5 | $314K | +2.2% | #101 of 387 |
| 4Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA | 55 | 262 | 37.8 | $292K | +0.5% | #159 of 387 |
| 5Cedar Rapids, IA | 53 | 435 | 38.2 | $295K | +1.0% | #179 of 387 |
| 6Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL | 49 | 580 | 35.9 | $289K | −0.9% | #208 of 387 |
| 7Sioux City, IA-NE-SD | 47 | 225 | 40.6 | $284K | +1.0% | #225 of 387 |
| 8Dubuque, IA | 40 | 165 | 40.3 | $269K | +0.1% | #270 of 387 |
Other business types in the Cedar Rapids metro area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
Auto
- Auto repair and car care53
- Auto repair shops52
- Collision repair and body shops51
- Car washes and detailing47
- Tire shops55
- Oil change and quick lube78
- Gas stations53
- Insurance agencies25
Beauty and personal care
Fitness and classes
Health care
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many auto repair and car care businesses are in the Cedar Rapids, IA metro area?
As of September 2026, map listings count 435 auto repair and car care businesses in the Cedar Rapids metro area. 109 of them (25%) are chain locations. The listings count repair shops, body shops, tire shops, car washes, oil change and parts stores. Official counts show 200 businesses with payroll classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in 2023, up 5.3% from 2019. Official counts list 212 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Cedar Rapids, IA metro area spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $128.4M a year, or $1,127 per household. That is 18% above the U.S. average (an index of 118, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 435 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings, it comes to $295K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 114,000 households in the Cedar Rapids metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Cedar Rapids, IA metro area compare with the U.S. for auto repair and car care businesses?
The Cedar Rapids metro area has 38.2 auto repair and car care businesses per 10,000 households, 7% above the U.S. rate of 35.7. Spending per business is $295K, 10% above the U.S. figure of $269K. At the U.S. ratio of auto repair and car care businesses to household spending, the Cedar Rapids metro area would have about 478, against 435 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 570 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. The official count rose 5.3% from 2019 to 2023, against +4.1% for the U.S.
How fast is the Cedar Rapids, IA metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Cedar Rapids metro area at 279,285 people in 2025, up 1.0% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 114,000 households. The median household income in the Cedar Rapids metro area is $78,080 a year, 3% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 20.7% 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. The Cedar Rapids metro area scores 53 for auto repair and car care businesses (upper middle), #179 of 387 scored metro areas.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Cedar Rapids metro area. 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 the Cedar Rapids metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Cedar Rapids metro area?
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 the Cedar Rapids metro area. 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.