Groundwork

Auto · County · Iowa

Auto repair shops in Jefferson County, IA

How Jefferson 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 29 out of 100: Lower middle

Ranked #2,046 of 2,378 scored counties
#66 of 72 scored counties in Iowa

Listings
19
2 chain locations (11%)
Official establishments
9
Businesses with payroll, 2023
Household spending a year
$7M
On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $1,006 a household
Spending per listing
$368K
17% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
27.3
27% above the U.S.
Population, 2025
15,291
−2.5% since 2020

See the auto repair shops around any address in Jefferson 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 Jefferson 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

Jefferson County scores 29 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for auto repair shops, ranking #2,046 of 2,378 scored counties and #66 of 72 scored counties in Iowa. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.

At $1,006 per household (5% above the U.S. average), households in Jefferson County spend about $7M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs. Spread across 19 auto repair shops, that is $368K per shop, 17% below the U.S. figure of $445K. The spending figure covers all vehicle maintenance and repairs, not only auto repair shops.

There are 19 auto repair shops on map listings in Jefferson County as of September 2026. Of those, 2 are chain locations, or 11%, against 16% across the U.S. That is 27.3 per 10,000 households, 27% above the U.S. rate of 21.5.

The official count of businesses with payroll classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in Jefferson County was 9 in 2023. That is one for every 772 households, against one for every 955 across the U.S. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Jefferson County declined 2.5%, against +3.1% for the U.S.

How Jefferson 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 Jefferson County, IA compared with Iowa and the U.S.
MeasureJefferson CountyIowaU.S.
Listings per 10k households27.324.121.5
Spending per listing$368K$470K$445K
Households per official establishment772766955
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023n/a−1.3%+2.1%
Population growth, 2020–2025−2.5%+1.5%+3.1%
Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs$1,006$1,134$958
Median household income$61,620$75,059$80,734
Groundwork market score2946

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
8 → 9
Employees, 2023
29
Annual payroll, 2023
$1.2M
One-person businesses, 2023
18Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
192 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
16The 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 Jefferson 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 Jefferson County

Population, 2025 estimate
15,291−2.5% since 2020
Households
6,952
Median age
44.2
Homes lived in by their owners
68%
Vehicles per household
1.8
Land area
436 sq. mi.
People per square mile
36
Median household income
$61,620+29.2% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$82,383
Median home value
$163,400
Jobs located here
7,562
Daytime population
16,437Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Jefferson 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 Jefferson 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 Jefferson 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
66Jefferson County, IA291927.3$368K−2.5%#2,046 of 2,378

Other business types in Jefferson County

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

Questions

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

As of September 2026, map listings count 19 auto repair shops in Jefferson County. 2 of them (11%) are chain locations. The listings count general, specialty, body and glass repair shops. Official counts show 9 businesses with payroll classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in 2023. Official counts list 18 one-person businesses without payroll.

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

About $7M a year, or $1,006 per household. That is 5% above the U.S. average (an index of 105, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 19 auto repair shops on map listings, it comes to $368K 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 6,952 households in Jefferson County and national spending patterns by income.

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

Jefferson County has 27.3 auto repair shops per 10,000 households, 27% above the U.S. rate of 21.5. Spending per shop is $368K, 17% below the U.S. figure of $445K. At the U.S. ratio of auto repair shops to household spending, Jefferson County would have about 16, against 19 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 772 households, against one for every 955 across the U.S.

How fast is Jefferson County, IA growing?

Population estimates put Jefferson County at 15,291 people in 2025, down 2.5% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 6,952 households. Median household income in Jefferson County is $61,620, 24% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 29.2%, 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. Jefferson County scores 29 for auto repair shops (lower middle), #2,046 of 2,378 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

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

Screening a site or an acquisition in Jefferson 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 Jefferson 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.