Groundwork

Auto · County · Iowa

Auto repair shops in Benton County, IA

How Benton County, IA compares with other counties and the U.S. for auto repair shops: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 52 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #1,114 of 2,378 scored counties
#29 of 72 scored counties in Iowa

Listings
32
0 chain locations (0%)
Official establishments
15
Businesses with payroll, 2023
Household spending a year
$14M
On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $1,372 a household
Spending per listing
$437K
2% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
31.4
46% above the U.S.
Population, 2025
26,004
+1.8% since 2020

See the auto repair shops around any address in Benton County

The site report maps the auto repair shops 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 Benton County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

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

What this means

At $1,372 per household (43% above the U.S. average), households in Benton County spend about $14M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs. That is about $437K of household spending for each shop on map listings, 2% below the U.S. figure of $445K. The spending figure covers all vehicle maintenance and repairs, not only auto repair shops.

Benton County has 32 auto repair shops on map listings as of September 2026. None of them are chain locations, against 16% across the U.S. That comes to 31.4 for every 10,000 households, 46% above the U.S. rate of 21.5.

Official counts show 15 businesses with payroll classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in Benton County in 2023. That is one for every 680 households, against one for every 955 across the U.S. Official counts list 37 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $40K has gone to businesses classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in Benton County.

Population estimates put the population change in Benton County from 2020 to 2025 at +1.8%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). For auto repair shops, Benton County has a Groundwork market score of 52 (upper middle): #1,114 of 2,378 scored counties and #29 of 72 scored counties in Iowa.

How Benton 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 shops 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 shops in Benton County, IA compared with Iowa and the U.S.
MeasureBenton CountyIowaU.S.
Listings per 10k households31.424.121.5
Spending per listing$437K$470K$445K
Households per official establishment680766955
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023n/a−1.3%+2.1%
Population growth, 2020–2025+1.8%+1.5%+3.1%
Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs$1,372$1,134$958
Median household income$86,962$75,059$80,734
Groundwork market score5246

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
15 → 15
Employees, 2023
43
Annual payroll, 2023
$1.6M
One-person businesses, 2023
37Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
320 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
32The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
1
Amount
$40K

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in Benton 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 Benton County

Population, 2025 estimate
26,004+1.8% since 2020
Households
10,202
Median age
43.4
Homes lived in by their owners
85%
Vehicles per household
2.4
Land area
716 sq. mi.
People per square mile
36
Median household income
$86,962+28.4% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$101,158
Median home value
$208,200
Jobs located here
5,505
Daytime population
17,562Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Benton 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 shops on map listings by name and distance.

Or open the report at the center of Benton County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

Auto repair shops across Iowa

Every Iowa market ranked →

The highest-scoring counties in Iowa for auto repair shops, numbered among those based in Iowa, with Benton County marked.

Top counties in Iowa

Counties in Iowa ranked for auto repair shops by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Dallas County, IA955312.5$964K+17.8%#5 of 2,378
2Tama County, IA781116.4$738K−1.5%#150 of 2,378
3Johnson County, IA7510015.8$647K+4.6%#211 of 2,378
4Buchanan County, IA721821.8$577K+1.3%#290 of 2,378
5Marion County, IA712821.0$603K+2.3%#309 of 2,378
6Polk County, IA7040419.7$549K+4.8%#347 of 2,378
7Buena Vista County, IA691519.9$597K−1.7%#372 of 2,378
8Grundy County, IA691325.4$499K+0.2%#389 of 2,378
9Bremer County, IA681919.6$626K+1.1%#412 of 2,378
10Story County, IA667820.0$537K+2.7%#495 of 2,378
29Benton County, IA523231.4$437K+1.8%#1,114 of 2,378

Other business types in Benton County

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

Questions

How many auto repair shops are in Benton County, IA?

Map listings as of September 2026 show 32 auto repair shops in Benton County. None of them are chain locations. The listings count general, specialty, body and glass repair shops. Official counts show 15 businesses with payroll classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in 2023. Official counts also show 37 one-person businesses without payroll.

How much do households in Benton County, IA spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?

About $14M a year, or $1,372 per household. That is 43% above the U.S. average (an index of 143, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 32 auto repair shops on map listings, it comes to $437K per shop. That spending covers all vehicle maintenance and repairs, which auto repair shops share with other businesses in the trade. It is estimated from the incomes of the 10,202 households in Benton County and national spending patterns by income.

How does Benton County, IA compare with the U.S. for auto repair shops?

Benton County has 31.4 auto repair shops per 10,000 households, 46% above the U.S. rate of 21.5. Spending per shop is $437K, 2% below the U.S. figure of $445K. The count on map listings matches the U.S. ratio of auto repair shops to household spending. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 680 households, against one for every 955 across the U.S.

How fast is Benton County, IA growing?

Population estimates put Benton County at 26,004 people in 2025, up 1.8% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 10,202 households. Median household income in Benton County is $86,962, 8% above the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 28.4%, 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. Benton County scores 52 for auto repair shops (upper middle), #1,114 of 2,378 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Benton County. It maps the auto repair shops 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 shops · All 56 business types in Benton County

Screening a site or an acquisition in Benton 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 Benton 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.