Groundwork

Auto · County · Iowa

Auto repair shops in Cedar County, IA

The auto repair shops in Cedar County, IA, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 40 out of 100: Lower middle

Ranked #1,650 of 2,378 scored counties
#47 of 72 scored counties in Iowa

Listings
23
0 chain locations (0%)
Official establishments
21
Businesses with payroll, 2023
Household spending a year
$9.7M
On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $1,278 a household
Spending per listing
$423K
5% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
30.2
40% above the U.S.
Population, 2025
18,359
−0.7% since 2020

See the auto repair shops around any address in Cedar 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 Cedar 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

Household spending on vehicle maintenance and repairs in Cedar County comes to about $9.7M a year: $1,278 per household, 33% above the U.S. average. That works out to $423K per shop, 5% below the U.S. figure of $445K. The spending figure covers all vehicle maintenance and repairs, not only auto repair shops.

There are 23 auto repair shops on map listings in Cedar County as of September 2026. None of them are chain locations, against 16% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 30.2, 40% above the U.S. rate of 21.5.

In 2023, official counts showed 21 businesses with payroll in Cedar County classed as mechanical, body and glass repair. That is one for every 363 households, against one for every 955 across the U.S. Official counts also show 24 one-person businesses without payroll.

Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Cedar County declined 0.7%, against +3.1% for the U.S. The Groundwork market score for auto repair shops in Cedar County is 40 (lower middle), #1,650 of 2,378 scored counties and #47 of 72 scored counties in Iowa.

How Cedar 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 Cedar County, IA compared with Iowa and the U.S.
MeasureCedar CountyIowaU.S.
Listings per 10k households30.224.121.5
Spending per listing$423K$470K$445K
Households per official establishment363766955
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023n/a−1.3%+2.1%
Population growth, 2020–2025−0.7%+1.5%+3.1%
Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs$1,278$1,134$958
Median household income$80,602$75,059$80,734
Groundwork market score4046

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
15 → 21
Employees, 2023
62
Annual payroll, 2023
$2.5M
One-person businesses, 2023
24Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
230 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
22The 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 Cedar 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 Cedar County

Population, 2025 estimate
18,359−0.7% since 2020
Households
7,622
Median age
44.0
Homes lived in by their owners
81%
Vehicles per household
2.2
Land area
580 sq. mi.
People per square mile
32
Median household income
$80,602+18.9% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$97,864
Median home value
$211,300
Jobs located here
5,217
Daytime population
14,113Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Cedar 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 Cedar County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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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 Cedar 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
47Cedar County, IA402330.2$423K−0.7%#1,650 of 2,378

Other business types in Cedar County

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

Questions

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

As of September 2026, map listings count 23 auto repair shops in Cedar County. None of them are chain locations. The listings count general, specialty, body and glass repair shops. Official counts show 21 businesses with payroll classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in 2023. Another 24 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.

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

About $9.7M a year, or $1,278 per household. That is 33% above the U.S. average (an index of 133, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 23 auto repair shops on map listings, it comes to $423K 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 7,622 households in Cedar County and national spending patterns by income.

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

Cedar County has 30.2 auto repair shops per 10,000 households, 40% above the U.S. rate of 21.5. Spending per shop is $423K, 5% below the U.S. figure of $445K. At the U.S. ratio of auto repair shops to household spending, Cedar County would have about 22, against 23 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 363 households, against one for every 955 across the U.S.

How fast is Cedar County, IA growing?

Population estimates put Cedar County at 18,359 people in 2025, down 0.7% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 7,622 households. Median household income in Cedar County is $80,602, in line with the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 18.9%, 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. Cedar County scores 40 for auto repair shops (lower middle), #1,650 of 2,378 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

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

Screening a site or an acquisition in Cedar 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 Cedar 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.