Auto · Small-town market · Iowa
Auto repair and car care businesses in the Mason City, IA area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for auto repair and car care businesses in the Mason City, IA area, set against other small-town markets and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 36 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #409 of 538 scored small-town markets
#13 of 15 scored small-town markets based in Iowa
- Listings
- 114
- 37 chain locations (32%)
- Official establishments
- 45
- −15.4% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $24.9M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $1,096 a household
- Spending per listing
- $218K
- 19% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 50.2
- 41% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 49,710
- −1.5% since 2020
See the auto repair and car care businesses around any address in the Mason City 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 Mason City 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
The Mason City area scores 36 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for auto repair and car care businesses, ranking #409 of 538 scored small-town markets and #13 of 15 scored small-town markets based in Iowa. That puts it in the bottom quarter of small-town markets.
Household spending on vehicle maintenance and repairs in the Mason City area comes to about $24.9M a year: $1,096 per household, 14% above the U.S. average. That is about $218K of household spending for each business on map listings, 19% below the U.S. figure of $269K.
The Mason City area has 114 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 32% of them, against 24% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 50.2, 41% above the U.S. rate of 35.7.
In 2023, official counts showed 45 businesses with payroll in the Mason City area classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers, down 15.4% from 2019. That is one for every 505 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $230K have gone to businesses classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in the Mason City area. Population estimates show the Mason City area declined 1.5% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How the Mason City 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 | Mason City area | Iowa | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 50.2 | 41.8 | 35.7 |
| Spending per listing | $218K | $271K | $269K |
| Households per official establishment | 505 | 558 | 681 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −15.4% | +0.9% | +4.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −1.5% | +1.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $1,096 | $1,134 | $958 |
| Median household income | $68,926 | $75,059 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 36 | 42 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 45−15.4% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 268
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $12M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 55Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 11437 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 93The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 2
- Amount
- $230K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in the Mason City 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 Mason City area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 49,710−1.5% since 2020
- Households
- 22,716
- Median age
- 45.5
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 72%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 968 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 52
- Median household income
- $68,926+26.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $91,964
- Median home value
- $162,900
- Jobs located here
- 24,592
- Daytime population
- 51,205Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Mason City 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 Mason City 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 Mason City 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 |
| 13Mason City, IA | 36 | 114 | 50.2 | $218K | −1.5% | #409 of 538 |
Other business types in the Mason City 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 care36
- Auto repair shops38
- Collision repair and body shops36
- Car washes and detailing44
- Tire shops45
- Oil change and quick lube
- Gas stations56
- Insurance agencies17
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 Mason City, IA area?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 114 auto repair and car care businesses in the Mason City area. 37 of them (32%) are chain locations. The listings count repair shops, body shops, tire shops, car washes, oil change and parts stores. Official counts show 45 businesses with payroll classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in 2023, down 15.4% from 2019. Another 55 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in the Mason City, IA area spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $24.9M a year, or $1,096 per household. That is 14% above the U.S. average (an index of 114, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 114 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings, it comes to $218K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 22,716 households in the Mason City area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Mason City, IA area compare with the U.S. for auto repair and car care businesses?
The Mason City area has 50.2 auto repair and car care businesses per 10,000 households, 41% above the U.S. rate of 35.7. Spending per business is $218K, 19% below the U.S. figure of $269K. At the U.S. ratio of auto repair and car care businesses to household spending, the Mason City area would have about 93, against 114 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 505 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. The official count fell 15.4% from 2019 to 2023, against +4.1% for the U.S.
How fast is the Mason City, IA area growing?
Population estimates put the Mason City area at 49,710 people in 2025, down 1.5% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 22,716 households. The median household income in the Mason City area is $68,926 a year, 15% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 26.7% 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. 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 Mason City area scores 36 for auto repair and car care businesses (lower middle), #409 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 Mason City 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 Mason City area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Mason City 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 Mason City 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.