Auto · Small-town market · Iowa
Auto repair and car care businesses in the Fort Dodge, IA area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for auto repair and car care businesses in the Fort Dodge, IA area, set against other small-town markets and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 33 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #427 of 538 scored small-town markets
#14 of 15 scored small-town markets based in Iowa
- Listings
- 80
- 18 chain locations (23%)
- Official establishments
- 38
- +52.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $16.8M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $1,095 a household
- Spending per listing
- $210K
- 22% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 52.0
- 46% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 36,838
- −0.4% since 2020
See the auto repair and car care businesses around any address in the Fort Dodge 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 Fort Dodge 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
For auto repair and car care businesses, the Fort Dodge area has a Groundwork market score of 33 (lower middle): #427 of 538 scored small-town markets and #14 of 15 scored small-town markets based in Iowa. That puts it in the bottom quarter of small-town markets.
Map listings as of September 2026 show 80 auto repair and car care businesses in the Fort Dodge area. Of those, 18 are chain locations, or 23%, against 24% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 52.0, 46% above the U.S. rate of 35.7.
At $1,095 per household (14% above the U.S. average), households in the Fort Dodge area spend about $16.8M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs. That works out to $210K per business, 22% below the U.S. figure of $269K.
Official counts show 38 businesses with payroll classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in the Fort Dodge area in 2023, up 52.0% from 2019. That is one for every 405 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of the Fort Dodge area declined 0.4%, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How the Fort Dodge 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 | Fort Dodge area | Iowa | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 52.0 | 41.8 | 35.7 |
| Spending per listing | $210K | $271K | $269K |
| Households per official establishment | 405 | 558 | 681 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +52.0% | +0.9% | +4.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −0.4% | +1.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $1,095 | $1,134 | $958 |
| Median household income | $68,975 | $75,059 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 33 | 42 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 38+52.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 195
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $8.9M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 43Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 8018 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 63The 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 the Fort Dodge 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 Fort Dodge area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 36,838−0.4% since 2020
- Households
- 15,375
- Median age
- 39.6
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 70%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 716 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 52
- Median household income
- $68,975+45.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $83,997
- Median home value
- $153,800
- Jobs located here
- 17,395
- Daytime population
- 38,670Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Fort Dodge 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 Fort Dodge 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 Fort Dodge 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 |
| 14Fort Dodge, IA | 33 | 80 | 52.0 | $210K | −0.4% | #427 of 538 |
Other business types in the Fort Dodge 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 care33
- Auto repair shops36
- Collision repair and body shops58
- Car washes and detailing38
- Tire shops39
- Oil change and quick lube
- Gas stations40
- Insurance agencies19
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 Fort Dodge, IA area?
There are 80 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings in the Fort Dodge area as of September 2026. 18 of them (23%) are chain locations. The listings count repair shops, body shops, tire shops, car washes, oil change and parts stores. Official counts show 38 businesses with payroll classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in 2023, up 52.0% from 2019. Another 43 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in the Fort Dodge, IA area spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $16.8M a year, or $1,095 per household. That is 14% above the U.S. average (an index of 114, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 80 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings, it comes to $210K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 15,375 households in the Fort Dodge area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Fort Dodge, IA area compare with the U.S. for auto repair and car care businesses?
The Fort Dodge area has 52.0 auto repair and car care businesses per 10,000 households, 46% above the U.S. rate of 35.7. Spending per business is $210K, 22% below the U.S. figure of $269K. At the national ratio of auto repair and car care businesses to household spending, the Fort Dodge area would have about 63, against 80 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 405 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. The official count rose 52.0% from 2019 to 2023, against +4.1% for the U.S.
How fast is the Fort Dodge, IA area growing?
Population estimates put the Fort Dodge area at 36,838 people in 2025, down 0.4% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 15,375 households. Median household income in the Fort Dodge area is $68,975, 15% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 45.3%, 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 Fort Dodge area scores 33 for auto repair and car care businesses (lower middle), #427 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 Fort Dodge 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 Fort Dodge area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Fort Dodge 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 Fort Dodge 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.