Auto · Metro area · Iowa
Auto repair and car care businesses in the Dubuque, IA metro area
The auto repair and car care businesses in the Dubuque, IA metro area, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other metro areas.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 40 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #270 of 387 scored metro areas
#8 of 8 scored metro areas based in Iowa
- Listings
- 165
- 35 chain locations (21%)
- Official establishments
- 85
- −5.6% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $44.3M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $1,081 a household
- Spending per listing
- $269K
- In line with the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 40.3
- 13% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 99,381
- +0.1% since 2020
See the auto repair and car care businesses around any address in the Dubuque 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 Dubuque 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
Households in the Dubuque metro area spend about $44.3M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs, or $1,081 per household, 13% above the U.S. average. Spread across 165 auto repair and car care businesses, that is $269K per business, in line with the U.S. figure of $269K.
The Dubuque metro area has 165 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings as of September 2026. Of those, 35 are chain locations, or 21%, against 24% across the U.S. That is 40.3 per 10,000 households, 13% 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 the Dubuque metro area was 85 in 2023, down 5.6% from 2019. That is one for every 482 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. Another 72 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 4 SBA-backed loans worth $1.1M have gone to businesses classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in the Dubuque metro area.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of the Dubuque metro area grew 0.1%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Dubuque metro area scores 40 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for auto repair and car care businesses, ranking #270 of 387 scored metro areas and #8 of 8 scored metro areas based in Iowa.
How the Dubuque 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 | Dubuque metro area | Iowa | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 40.3 | 41.8 | 35.7 |
| Spending per listing | $269K | $271K | $269K |
| Households per official establishment | 482 | 558 | 681 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −5.6% | +0.9% | +4.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +0.1% | +1.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $1,081 | $1,134 | $958 |
| Median household income | $77,630 | $75,059 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 40 | 42 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 85−5.6% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 576
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $22.1M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 72Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 16535 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 165The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 4
- Amount
- $1.1M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in the Dubuque 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 Dubuque metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 99,381+0.1% since 2020
- Households
- 40,989
- Median age
- 39.9
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 73%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 608 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 163
- Median household income
- $77,630+23.2% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $100,177
- Median home value
- $237,300
- Jobs located here
- 58,941
- Daytime population
- 105,695Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Dubuque 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 Dubuque 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 Dubuque 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 Dubuque 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 care40
- Auto repair shops37
- Collision repair and body shops36
- Car washes and detailing32
- Tire shops55
- Oil change and quick lube
- Gas stations31
- Insurance agencies16
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 Dubuque, IA metro area?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 165 auto repair and car care businesses in the Dubuque metro area. 35 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 85 businesses with payroll classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in 2023, down 5.6% from 2019. Official counts list 72 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Dubuque, IA metro area spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $44.3M a year, or $1,081 per household. That is 13% above the U.S. average (an index of 113, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 165 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings, it comes to $269K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 40,989 households in the Dubuque metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Dubuque, IA metro area compare with the U.S. for auto repair and car care businesses?
The Dubuque metro area has 40.3 auto repair and car care businesses per 10,000 households, 13% above the U.S. rate of 35.7. Spending per business is $269K, in line with the U.S. figure of $269K. The count on map listings matches the U.S. ratio of auto repair and car care businesses to household spending. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 482 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. The official count fell 5.6% from 2019 to 2023, against +4.1% for the U.S.
How fast is the Dubuque, IA metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Dubuque metro area at 99,381 people in 2025, up 0.1% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 40,989 households. The median household income in the Dubuque metro area is $77,630 a year, 4% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 23.2% 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 Dubuque metro area scores 40 for auto repair and car care businesses (lower middle), #270 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 Dubuque 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 Dubuque metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Dubuque 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 Dubuque 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.