Auto · Small-town market · Iowa
Auto repair and car care businesses in the Clinton, IA area
How the Clinton, IA area compares with other small-town markets 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 42 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #348 of 538 scored small-town markets
#12 of 15 scored small-town markets based in Iowa
- Listings
- 94
- 20 chain locations (21%)
- Official establishments
- 40
- +5.3% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $22M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $1,126 a household
- Spending per listing
- $234K
- 13% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 48.2
- 35% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 46,002
- −0.9% since 2020
See the auto repair and car care businesses around any address in the Clinton 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 Clinton 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
As of September 2026, map listings count 94 auto repair and car care businesses in the Clinton area. 20 of them (21%) are chain locations, against 24% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 48.2, 35% above the U.S. rate of 35.7.
Households in the Clinton area spend about $22M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs, or $1,126 per household, 18% above the U.S. average. That works out to $234K per business, 13% below the U.S. figure of $269K.
In 2023, official counts showed 40 businesses with payroll in the Clinton area classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers, up 5.3% from 2019. That is one for every 488 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. Official counts list 48 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 4 SBA-backed loans worth $1.6M have gone to businesses classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in the Clinton area.
Population estimates put the population change in the Clinton area from 2020 to 2025 at −0.9%, against +3.1% for the U.S. The Clinton area scores 42 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for auto repair and car care businesses, ranking #348 of 538 scored small-town markets and #12 of 15 scored small-town markets based in Iowa.
How the Clinton 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 | Clinton area | Iowa | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 48.2 | 41.8 | 35.7 |
| Spending per listing | $234K | $271K | $269K |
| Households per official establishment | 488 | 558 | 681 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +5.3% | +0.9% | +4.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −0.9% | +1.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $1,126 | $1,134 | $958 |
| Median household income | $66,981 | $75,059 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 42 | 42 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 40+5.3% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 188
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $7.9M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 48Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 9420 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 82The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 4
- Amount
- $1.6M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in the Clinton 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 Clinton area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 46,002−0.9% since 2020
- Households
- 19,506
- Median age
- 42.8
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 75%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 695 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 67
- Median household income
- $66,981+29.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $88,373
- Median home value
- $160,600
- Jobs located here
- 19,215
- Daytime population
- 42,953Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Clinton area?
These figures cover the whole small-town market. 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 Clinton 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 small-town markets in Iowa for auto repair and car care businesses, numbered among those based in Iowa, with the Clinton area marked.
Top small-town markets in Iowa
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Storm Lake, IA | 71 | 33 | 43.7 | $272K | −1.7% | #76 of 538 |
| 2Pella, IA | 69 | 63 | 47.3 | $268K | +2.3% | #92 of 538 |
| 3Spirit Lake, IA | 66 | 36 | 40.7 | $294K | +1.7% | #115 of 538 |
| 4Marshalltown, IA | 66 | 67 | 43.2 | $272K | −0.5% | #117 of 538 |
| 5Muscatine, IA | 60 | 72 | 41.5 | $273K | −3.0% | #182 of 538 |
| 6Spencer, IA | 53 | 35 | 48.1 | $220K | −0.8% | #243 of 538 |
| 7Burlington, IA-IL | 50 | 80 | 40.2 | $267K | −2.5% | #269 of 538 |
| 8Le Mars, IA | 49 | 53 | 51.4 | $245K | 0.0% | #281 of 538 |
| 9Ottumwa, IA | 47 | 79 | 56.4 | $191K | −0.3% | #310 of 538 |
| 10Oskaloosa, IA | 45 | 42 | 48.0 | $251K | −1.2% | #318 of 538 |
| 12Clinton, IA | 42 | 94 | 48.2 | $234K | −0.9% | #348 of 538 |
Other business types in the Clinton 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 care42
- Auto repair shops43
- Collision repair and body shops44
- Car washes and detailing56
- Tire shops67
- Oil change and quick lube
- Gas stations61
- Insurance agencies21
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 Clinton, IA area?
The Clinton area has 94 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings as of September 2026. 20 of them (21%) are chain locations. The listings count repair shops, body shops, tire shops, car washes, oil change and parts stores. Official counts show 40 businesses with payroll classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in 2023, up 5.3% from 2019. Official counts also show 48 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Clinton, IA area spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $22M a year, or $1,126 per household. That is 18% above the U.S. average (an index of 118, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 94 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings, it comes to $234K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 19,506 households in the Clinton area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Clinton, IA area compare with the U.S. for auto repair and car care businesses?
The Clinton area has 48.2 auto repair and car care businesses per 10,000 households, 35% above the U.S. rate of 35.7. Spending per business is $234K, 13% below the U.S. figure of $269K. At the national ratio of auto repair and car care businesses to household spending, the Clinton area would have about 82, against 94 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 488 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 Clinton, IA area growing?
Population estimates put the Clinton area at 46,002 people in 2025, down 0.9% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 19,506 households. Median household income in the Clinton area is $66,981, 17% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 29.6%, 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. A small-town market is a town of 10,000 to 50,000 people and the county or counties tied to it by commuting. 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 Clinton area scores 42 for auto repair and car care businesses (lower middle), #348 of 538 scored small-town markets.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Clinton 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 Clinton area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Clinton 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 Clinton 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.