Auto · Metro area · Iowa
Auto repair and car care businesses in the Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA metro area
The auto repair and car care businesses in the Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA metro area, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other metro areas.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 55 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #159 of 387 scored metro areas
#4 of 8 scored metro areas based in Iowa
- Listings
- 262
- 57 chain locations (22%)
- Official establishments
- 107
- −4.5% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $76.6M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $1,104 a household
- Spending per listing
- $292K
- 9% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 37.8
- 6% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 169,189
- +0.5% since 2020
See the auto repair and car care businesses around any address in the Waterloo-Cedar Falls 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 Waterloo-Cedar Falls 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 Waterloo-Cedar Falls metro area spend about $76.6M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs, or $1,104 per household, 15% above the U.S. average. Spread across 262 auto repair and car care businesses, that is $292K per business, 9% above the U.S. figure of $269K.
There are 262 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings in the Waterloo-Cedar Falls metro area as of September 2026. Of those, 57 are chain locations, or 22%, against 24% across the U.S. That comes to 37.8 for every 10,000 households, 6% above the U.S. rate of 35.7.
In 2023, official counts showed 107 businesses with payroll in the Waterloo-Cedar Falls metro area classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers, down 4.5% from 2019. That is one for every 649 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. Official counts list 156 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 5 SBA-backed loans worth $4.7M have gone to businesses classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in the Waterloo-Cedar Falls metro area.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of the Waterloo-Cedar Falls metro area grew 0.5%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for auto repair and car care businesses in the Waterloo-Cedar Falls metro area is 55 (upper middle), #159 of 387 scored metro areas and #4 of 8 scored metro areas based in Iowa.
How the Waterloo-Cedar Falls 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 | Waterloo-Cedar Falls metro area | Iowa | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 37.8 | 41.8 | 35.7 |
| Spending per listing | $292K | $271K | $269K |
| Households per official establishment | 649 | 558 | 681 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −4.5% | +0.9% | +4.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +0.5% | +1.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $1,104 | $1,134 | $958 |
| Median household income | $70,811 | $75,059 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 55 | 42 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 107−4.5% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 637
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $28M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 156Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 26257 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 285The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 5
- Amount
- $4.7M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in the Waterloo-Cedar Falls 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 Waterloo-Cedar Falls metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 169,189+0.5% since 2020
- Households
- 69,396
- Median age
- 37.8
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 69%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 1,503 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 112
- Median household income
- $70,811+23.2% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $92,709
- Median home value
- $194,800
- Jobs located here
- 88,619
- Daytime population
- 179,403Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Waterloo-Cedar Falls 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 Waterloo-Cedar Falls 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 Waterloo-Cedar Falls 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 Waterloo-Cedar Falls 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 care55
- Auto repair shops58
- Collision repair and body shops51
- Car washes and detailing40
- Tire shops59
- Oil change and quick lube
- Gas stations57
- Insurance agencies22
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 Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA metro area?
As of September 2026, map listings count 262 auto repair and car care businesses in the Waterloo-Cedar Falls metro area. 57 of them (22%) are chain locations. The listings count repair shops, body shops, tire shops, car washes, oil change and parts stores. Official counts show 107 businesses with payroll classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in 2023, down 4.5% from 2019. Official counts also show 156 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA metro area spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $76.6M a year, or $1,104 per household. That is 15% above the U.S. average (an index of 115, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 262 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings, it comes to $292K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 69,396 households in the Waterloo-Cedar Falls metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA metro area compare with the U.S. for auto repair and car care businesses?
The Waterloo-Cedar Falls metro area has 37.8 auto repair and car care businesses per 10,000 households, 6% above the U.S. rate of 35.7. Spending per business is $292K, 9% above the U.S. figure of $269K. At the U.S. ratio of auto repair and car care businesses to household spending, the Waterloo-Cedar Falls metro area would have about 285, against 262 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 649 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. The official count fell 4.5% from 2019 to 2023, against +4.1% for the U.S.
How fast is the Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Waterloo-Cedar Falls metro area at 169,189 people in 2025, up 0.5% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 69,396 households. The median household income in the Waterloo-Cedar Falls metro area is $70,811 a year, 12% 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 Waterloo-Cedar Falls metro area scores 55 for auto repair and car care businesses (upper middle), #159 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 Waterloo-Cedar Falls 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 Waterloo-Cedar Falls metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Waterloo-Cedar Falls 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 Waterloo-Cedar Falls 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.