Groundwork

Auto · County · Iowa

Auto repair and car care businesses in Webster County, IA

The auto repair and car care businesses in Webster County, IA, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 28 out of 100: Lower middle

Ranked #2,084 of 2,401 scored counties
#65 of 72 scored counties 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 Webster 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 Webster County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Survey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure

What this means

Webster County scores 28 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for auto repair and car care businesses, ranking #2,084 of 2,401 scored counties and #65 of 72 scored counties in Iowa. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.

As of September 2026, map listings count 80 auto repair and car care businesses in Webster County. Of those, 18 are chain locations, or 23%, against 24% across the U.S. That is 52.0 per 10,000 households, 46% above the U.S. rate of 35.7.

Household spending on vehicle maintenance and repairs in Webster County comes to about $16.8M a year: $1,095 per household, 14% above the U.S. average. That is about $210K of household spending for each business on map listings, 22% below the U.S. figure of $269K.

In 2023, official counts showed 38 businesses with payroll in Webster County classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers, 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 Webster County declined 0.4%, against +3.1% for the U.S.

How Webster 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.

Auto repair and car care in Webster County, IA compared with Iowa and the U.S.
MeasureWebster CountyIowaU.S.
Listings per 10k households52.041.835.7
Spending per listing$210K$271K$269K
Households per official establishment405558681
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 score2842

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
25 → 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 Webster 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 Webster County

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 Webster 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 Webster County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Auto 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 Webster County marked.

Top counties in Iowa

Counties in Iowa ranked for auto repair and car care businesses by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Dallas County, IA9311727.5$437K+17.8%#9 of 2,401
2Johnson County, IA7517527.6$370K+4.6%#228 of 2,401
3Buchanan County, IA753340.0$314K+1.3%#236 of 2,401
4Tama County, IA742435.7$338K−1.5%#254 of 2,401
5Warren County, IA728440.6$310K+9.0%#316 of 2,401
6Polk County, IA6870734.4$313K+4.8%#435 of 2,401
7Bremer County, IA653738.1$321K+1.1%#532 of 2,401
8Harrison County, IA642846.0$279K+0.4%#594 of 2,401
9Story County, IA6313534.7$310K+2.7%#625 of 2,401
10Buena Vista County, IA623343.7$272K−1.7%#676 of 2,401
65Webster County, IA288052.0$210K−0.4%#2,084 of 2,401

Other business types in Webster County

Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.

Questions

How many auto repair and car care businesses are in Webster County, IA?

Webster County has 80 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings 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. Official counts list 43 one-person businesses without payroll.

How much do households in Webster County, IA 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 Webster County and national spending patterns by income.

How does Webster County, IA compare with the U.S. for auto repair and car care businesses?

Webster County 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, Webster County 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 Webster County, IA growing?

Population estimates put Webster County 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 Webster County 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. 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. Webster County scores 28 for auto repair and car care businesses (lower middle), #2,084 of 2,401 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Webster 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 Webster County

Screening a site or an acquisition in Webster 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 Webster 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.