Auto · County · Iowa
Auto repair and car care businesses in Polk County, IA
The auto repair and car care businesses in Polk County, IA, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 68 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #435 of 2,401 scored counties
#6 of 72 scored counties in Iowa
- Listings
- 707
- 234 chain locations (33%)
- Official establishments
- 292
- +2.1% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $221.6M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $1,079 a household
- Spending per listing
- $313K
- 17% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 34.4
- 4% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 516,546
- +4.8% since 2020
See the auto repair and car care businesses around any address in Polk 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 Polk 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
At $1,079 per household (13% above the U.S. average), households in Polk County spend about $221.6M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs. Spread across 707 auto repair and car care businesses, that is $313K per business, 17% above the U.S. figure of $269K.
Polk County has 707 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 33% of them, against 24% across the U.S. That comes to 34.4 for every 10,000 households, 4% below the U.S. rate of 35.7.
In 2023, official counts showed 292 businesses with payroll in Polk County classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers, up 2.1% from 2019. That is one for every 703 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. Another 287 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 12 SBA-backed loans worth $2.6M have gone to businesses classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in Polk County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Polk County grew 4.8%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for auto repair and car care businesses in Polk County is 68 (upper middle), #435 of 2,401 scored counties and #6 of 72 scored counties in Iowa. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How Polk 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 | Polk County | Iowa | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 34.4 | 41.8 | 35.7 |
| Spending per listing | $313K | $271K | $269K |
| Households per official establishment | 703 | 558 | 681 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +2.1% | +0.9% | +4.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +4.8% | +1.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $1,079 | $1,134 | $958 |
| Median household income | $83,576 | $75,059 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 68 | 42 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 286 → 292+2.1% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 2,229
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $115.6M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 287Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 707234 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 825The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 12
- Amount
- $2.6M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in Polk 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 Polk County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 516,546+4.8% since 2020
- Households
- 205,358
- Median age
- 37.1
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 67%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 573 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 879
- Median household income
- $83,576+23.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $109,398
- Median home value
- $262,100
- Jobs located here
- 309,340
- Daytime population
- 566,731Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Polk 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 Polk 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 Polk 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 |
Other business types in Polk 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 care68
- Auto repair shops70
- Collision repair and body shops76
- Car washes and detailing48
- Tire shops66
- Oil change and quick lube80
- Gas stations71
- Insurance agencies23
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 Polk County, IA?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 707 auto repair and car care businesses in Polk County. 234 of them (33%) are chain locations. The listings count repair shops, body shops, tire shops, car washes, oil change and parts stores. Official counts show 292 businesses with payroll classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in 2023, up 2.1% from 2019. Official counts list 287 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Polk County, IA spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $221.6M a year, or $1,079 per household. That is 13% above the U.S. average (an index of 113, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 707 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings, it comes to $313K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 205,358 households in Polk County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Polk County, IA compare with the U.S. for auto repair and car care businesses?
Polk County has 34.4 auto repair and car care businesses per 10,000 households, 4% below the U.S. rate of 35.7. Spending per business is $313K, 17% above the U.S. figure of $269K. At the U.S. ratio of auto repair and car care businesses to household spending, Polk County would have about 825, against 707 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 703 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. The official count rose 2.1% from 2019 to 2023, against +4.1% for the U.S.
How fast is Polk County, IA growing?
Population estimates put Polk County at 516,546 people in 2025, up 4.8% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 205,358 households. The median household income in Polk County is $83,576 a year, 4% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 23.6% 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. Polk County scores 68 for auto repair and car care businesses (upper middle), #435 of 2,401 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Polk 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 Polk County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Polk 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 Polk 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.