Groundwork

Auto · County · Iowa

Auto repair and car care businesses in Clinton County, IA

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

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 36 out of 100: Lower middle

Ranked #1,801 of 2,401 scored counties
#55 of 72 scored counties 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 Clinton 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 Clinton County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Survey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure

What this means

Households in Clinton County spend about $22M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs, or $1,126 per household, 18% above the U.S. average. Spread across 94 auto repair and car care businesses, that is $234K per business, 13% below the U.S. figure of $269K.

Clinton County has 94 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 21% of them, against 24% across the U.S. That comes to 48.2 for every 10,000 households, 35% above the U.S. rate of 35.7.

The official count of businesses with payroll classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in Clinton County was 40 in 2023, up 5.3% from 2019. That is one for every 488 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. Official counts also show 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 Clinton County.

Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Clinton County declined 0.9%, against +3.1% for the U.S. Clinton County scores 36 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for auto repair and car care businesses, ranking #1,801 of 2,401 scored counties and #55 of 72 scored counties in Iowa.

How Clinton 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 Clinton County, IA compared with Iowa and the U.S.
MeasureClinton CountyIowaU.S.
Listings per 10k households48.241.835.7
Spending per listing$234K$271K$269K
Households per official establishment488558681
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 score3642

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
38 → 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 Clinton 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 Clinton County

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 Clinton 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 Clinton 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 Clinton 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
55Clinton County, IA369448.2$234K−0.9%#1,801 of 2,401

Other business types in Clinton 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 Clinton County, IA?

Map listings as of September 2026 show 94 auto repair and car care businesses in Clinton County. 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. Another 48 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.

How much do households in Clinton County, IA 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 Clinton County and national spending patterns by income.

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

Clinton County 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 U.S. ratio of auto repair and car care businesses to household spending, Clinton County 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 Clinton County, IA growing?

Population estimates put Clinton County at 46,002 people in 2025, down 0.9% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 19,506 households. The median household income in Clinton County is $66,981 a year, 17% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 29.6% 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. Clinton County scores 36 for auto repair and car care businesses (lower middle), #1,801 of 2,401 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

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

Screening a site or an acquisition in Clinton 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 Clinton 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.