Auto · County · Iowa
Auto repair and car care businesses in Hardin County, IA
How Hardin County, IA compares with other counties 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 21 out of 100: Low
Ranked #2,261 of 2,401 scored counties
#71 of 72 scored counties in Iowa
- Listings
- 44
- 12 chain locations (27%)
- Official establishments
- 21
- 0.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $7.9M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $1,116 a household
- Spending per listing
- $178K
- 34% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 62.5
- 75% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 16,455
- −2.2% since 2020
See the auto repair and car care businesses around any address in Hardin 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 Hardin County. 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
Hardin County scores 21 (low) on the Groundwork market score for auto repair and car care businesses, ranking #2,261 of 2,401 scored counties and #71 of 72 scored counties in Iowa. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
Households in Hardin County spend about $7.9M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs, or $1,116 per household, 16% above the U.S. average. That is about $178K of household spending for each business on map listings, 34% below the U.S. figure of $269K.
There are 44 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings in Hardin County as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 27% of them, against 24% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 62.5, 75% 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 Hardin County was 21 in 2023, unchanged from 2019. That is one for every 335 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. Population estimates put the population change in Hardin County from 2020 to 2025 at −2.2%, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How Hardin 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.
| Measure | Hardin County | Iowa | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 62.5 | 41.8 | 35.7 |
| Spending per listing | $178K | $271K | $269K |
| Households per official establishment | 335 | 558 | 681 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | 0.0% | +0.9% | +4.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −2.2% | +1.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $1,116 | $1,134 | $958 |
| Median household income | $65,069 | $75,059 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 21 | 42 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 21 → 210.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 76
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $3.5M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 35Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 4412 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 29The 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 Hardin 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 Hardin County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 16,455−2.2% since 2020
- Households
- 7,038
- Median age
- 44.4
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 74%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 569 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 29
- Median household income
- $65,069+20.1% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $79,622
- Median home value
- $122,500
- Jobs located here
- 6,424
- Daytime population
- 15,239Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Hardin 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 Hardin County. 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 counties in Iowa for auto repair and car care businesses, numbered among those based in Iowa, with Hardin County marked.
Top counties in Iowa
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Dallas County, IA | 93 | 117 | 27.5 | $437K | +17.8% | #9 of 2,401 |
| 2Johnson County, IA | 75 | 175 | 27.6 | $370K | +4.6% | #228 of 2,401 |
| 3Buchanan County, IA | 75 | 33 | 40.0 | $314K | +1.3% | #236 of 2,401 |
| 4Tama County, IA | 74 | 24 | 35.7 | $338K | −1.5% | #254 of 2,401 |
| 5Warren County, IA | 72 | 84 | 40.6 | $310K | +9.0% | #316 of 2,401 |
| 6Polk County, IA | 68 | 707 | 34.4 | $313K | +4.8% | #435 of 2,401 |
| 7Bremer County, IA | 65 | 37 | 38.1 | $321K | +1.1% | #532 of 2,401 |
| 8Harrison County, IA | 64 | 28 | 46.0 | $279K | +0.4% | #594 of 2,401 |
| 9Story County, IA | 63 | 135 | 34.7 | $310K | +2.7% | #625 of 2,401 |
| 10Buena Vista County, IA | 62 | 33 | 43.7 | $272K | −1.7% | #676 of 2,401 |
| 71Hardin County, IA | 21 | 44 | 62.5 | $178K | −2.2% | #2,261 of 2,401 |
Other business types in Hardin County
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 care21
- Auto repair shops21
- Collision repair and body shops
- Car washes and detailing30
- Tire shops27
- Oil change and quick lube
- Gas stations46
- 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 Hardin County, IA?
As of September 2026, map listings count 44 auto repair and car care businesses in Hardin County. 12 of them (27%) are chain locations. The listings count repair shops, body shops, tire shops, car washes, oil change and parts stores. Official counts show 21 businesses with payroll classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in 2023, unchanged from 2019. Official counts also show 35 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Hardin County, IA spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $7.9M a year, or $1,116 per household. That is 16% above the U.S. average (an index of 116, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 44 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings, it comes to $178K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 7,038 households in Hardin County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Hardin County, IA compare with the U.S. for auto repair and car care businesses?
Hardin County has 62.5 auto repair and car care businesses per 10,000 households, 75% above the U.S. rate of 35.7. Spending per business is $178K, 34% below the U.S. figure of $269K. At the U.S. ratio of auto repair and car care businesses to household spending, Hardin County would have about 29, against 44 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 335 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. The official count held level from 2019 to 2023, against +4.1% for the U.S.
How fast is Hardin County, IA growing?
Population estimates put Hardin County at 16,455 people in 2025, down 2.2% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 7,038 households. The median household income in Hardin County is $65,069 a year, 19% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 20.1% 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. Hardin County scores 21 for auto repair and car care businesses (low), #2,261 of 2,401 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Hardin 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 Hardin County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Hardin 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 Hardin 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.