Auto · County · Iowa
Auto repair shops in Buchanan County, IA
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for auto repair shops in Buchanan County, IA, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 72 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #290 of 2,378 scored counties
#4 of 72 scored counties in Iowa
- Listings
- 18
- 1 chain location (6%)
- Official establishments
- 8
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $10.4M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $1,258 a household
- Spending per listing
- $577K
- 30% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 21.8
- In line with the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 20,883
- +1.3% since 2020
See the auto repair shops around any address in Buchanan 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 Buchanan 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
Households in Buchanan County spend about $10.4M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs, or $1,258 per household, 31% above the U.S. average. That is about $577K of household spending for each shop on map listings, 30% above the U.S. figure of $445K. The spending figure covers all vehicle maintenance and repairs, not only auto repair shops.
Buchanan County has 18 auto repair shops on map listings as of September 2026. One of them (6%) is a chain location, against 16% across the U.S. That is 21.8 per 10,000 households, in line with the U.S. rate of 21.5.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in Buchanan County was 8 in 2023. That is one for every 1,032 households, against one for every 955 across the U.S. Another 24 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
Population estimates put the population change in Buchanan County from 2020 to 2025 at +1.3%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). Buchanan County scores 72 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for auto repair shops, ranking #290 of 2,378 scored counties and #4 of 72 scored counties in Iowa. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How Buchanan 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.
| Measure | Buchanan County | Iowa | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 21.8 | 24.1 | 21.5 |
| Spending per listing | $577K | $470K | $445K |
| Households per official establishment | 1,032 | 766 | 955 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | −1.3% | +2.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +1.3% | +1.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $1,258 | $1,134 | $958 |
| Median household income | $78,236 | $75,059 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 72 | 46 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 10 → 8
- Employees, 2023
- 26
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $1.3M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 24Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 181 chain location
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 23The 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 mechanical, body and glass repair in Buchanan 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 Buchanan County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 20,883+1.3% since 2020
- Households
- 8,252
- Median age
- 40.9
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 82%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.2
- Land area
- 571 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 36
- Median household income
- $78,236+20.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $89,957
- Median home value
- $176,000
- Jobs located here
- 6,604
- Daytime population
- 17,376Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Buchanan 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 Buchanan County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardAuto 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 Buchanan County marked.
Top counties in Iowa
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Dallas County, IA | 95 | 53 | 12.5 | $964K | +17.8% | #5 of 2,378 |
| 2Tama County, IA | 78 | 11 | 16.4 | $738K | −1.5% | #150 of 2,378 |
| 3Johnson County, IA | 75 | 100 | 15.8 | $647K | +4.6% | #211 of 2,378 |
| 4Buchanan County, IA | 72 | 18 | 21.8 | $577K | +1.3% | #290 of 2,378 |
| 5Marion County, IA | 71 | 28 | 21.0 | $603K | +2.3% | #309 of 2,378 |
| 6Polk County, IA | 70 | 404 | 19.7 | $549K | +4.8% | #347 of 2,378 |
| 7Buena Vista County, IA | 69 | 15 | 19.9 | $597K | −1.7% | #372 of 2,378 |
| 8Grundy County, IA | 69 | 13 | 25.4 | $499K | +0.2% | #389 of 2,378 |
| 9Bremer County, IA | 68 | 19 | 19.6 | $626K | +1.1% | #412 of 2,378 |
| 10Story County, IA | 66 | 78 | 20.0 | $537K | +2.7% | #495 of 2,378 |
Other business types in Buchanan County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
Auto
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 shops are in Buchanan County, IA?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 18 auto repair shops in Buchanan County. One of them (6%) is a chain location. The listings count general, specialty, body and glass repair shops. Official counts show 8 businesses with payroll classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in 2023. Official counts list 24 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Buchanan County, IA spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $10.4M a year, or $1,258 per household. That is 31% above the U.S. average (an index of 131, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 18 auto repair shops on map listings, it comes to $577K 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 8,252 households in Buchanan County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Buchanan County, IA compare with the U.S. for auto repair shops?
Buchanan County has 21.8 auto repair shops per 10,000 households, in line with the U.S. rate of 21.5. Spending per shop is $577K, 30% above the U.S. figure of $445K. At the U.S. ratio of auto repair shops to household spending, Buchanan County would have about 23, against 18 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,032 households, against one for every 955 across the U.S.
How fast is Buchanan County, IA growing?
Population estimates put Buchanan County at 20,883 people in 2025, up 1.3% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 8,252 households. Median household income in Buchanan County is $78,236, 3% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 20.7%, 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. Buchanan County scores 72 for auto repair shops (upper middle), #290 of 2,378 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Buchanan 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 Buchanan County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Buchanan 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 Buchanan 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.