Groundwork

Auto · Small-town market · Iowa

Auto repair shops in the Muscatine, IA area

Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for auto repair shops in the Muscatine, IA area, set against other small-town markets and the U.S.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 55 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #223 of 538 scored small-town markets
#7 of 15 scored small-town markets based in Iowa

Listings
47
5 chain locations (11%)
Official establishments
15
Businesses with payroll, 2023
Household spending a year
$19.6M
On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $1,132 a household
Spending per listing
$418K
6% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
27.1
26% above the U.S.
Population, 2025
41,853
−3.0% since 2020

See the auto repair shops around any address in the Muscatine area

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 the Muscatine area. 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

As of September 2026, map listings count 47 auto repair shops in the Muscatine area. Of those, 5 are chain locations, or 11%, against 16% across the U.S. That is 27.1 per 10,000 households, 26% above the U.S. rate of 21.5.

Households in the Muscatine area spend about $19.6M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs, or $1,132 per household, 18% above the U.S. average. That is about $418K of household spending for each shop on map listings, 6% below the U.S. figure of $445K. That spending covers all vehicle maintenance and repairs, which auto repair shops share with other businesses in the trade.

Official counts show 15 businesses with payroll classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in the Muscatine area in 2023. That is one for every 1,156 households, against one for every 955 across the U.S. Another 29 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $392K has gone to businesses classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in the Muscatine area.

Population estimates put the population change in the Muscatine area from 2020 to 2025 at −3.0%, against +3.1% for the U.S. For auto repair shops, the Muscatine area has a Groundwork market score of 55 (upper middle): #223 of 538 scored small-town markets and #7 of 15 scored small-town markets based in Iowa.

How the Muscatine area 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 Muscatine, IA area compared with Iowa and the U.S.
MeasureMuscatine areaIowaU.S.
Listings per 10k households27.124.121.5
Spending per listing$418K$470K$445K
Households per official establishment1,156766955
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023n/a−1.3%+2.1%
Population growth, 2020–2025−3.0%+1.5%+3.1%
Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs$1,132$1,134$958
Median household income$69,396$75,059$80,734
Groundwork market score5546

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
15
Employees, 2023
67
Annual payroll, 2023
$3.4M
One-person businesses, 2023
29Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
475 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
44The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
1
Amount
$392K

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in the Muscatine area, 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 the Muscatine area

Population, 2025 estimate
41,853−3.0% since 2020
Households
17,345
Median age
39.9
Homes lived in by their owners
74%
Vehicles per household
2.0
Land area
437 sq. mi.
People per square mile
97
Median household income
$69,396+18.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$86,373
Median home value
$182,100
Jobs located here
21,008
Daytime population
43,232Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in the Muscatine area?

These figures cover the whole small-town market. 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 the Muscatine area. 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 small-town markets in Iowa for auto repair shops, numbered among those based in Iowa, with the Muscatine area marked.

Top small-town markets in Iowa

Small-town markets in Iowa ranked for auto repair shops by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Pella, IA792821.0$603K+2.3%#25 of 538
2Storm Lake, IA751519.9$597K−1.7%#42 of 538
3Spirit Lake, IA701921.5$558K+1.7%#75 of 538
4Marshalltown, IA703421.9$536K−0.5%#76 of 538
5Spencer, IA641723.3$452K−0.8%#122 of 538
6Le Mars, IA552726.2$481K0.0%#217 of 538
7Muscatine, IA554727.1$418K−3.0%#223 of 538
8Ottumwa, IA504431.4$343K−0.3%#288 of 538
9Fort Madison, IA494531.4$364K−3.6%#294 of 538
10Oskaloosa, IA472528.6$422K−1.2%#310 of 538

Other business types in the Muscatine area

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

Questions

How many auto repair shops are in the Muscatine, IA area?

The Muscatine area has 47 auto repair shops on map listings as of September 2026. 5 of them (11%) 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 list 29 one-person businesses without payroll.

How much do households in the Muscatine, IA area spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?

About $19.6M a year, or $1,132 per household. That is 18% above the U.S. average (an index of 118, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 47 auto repair shops on map listings, it comes to $418K per shop. The spending figure covers all vehicle maintenance and repairs, not only auto repair shops. It is estimated from the incomes of the 17,345 households in the Muscatine area and national spending patterns by income.

How does the Muscatine, IA area compare with the U.S. for auto repair shops?

The Muscatine area has 27.1 auto repair shops per 10,000 households, 26% above the U.S. rate of 21.5. Spending per shop is $418K, 6% below the U.S. figure of $445K. At the national ratio of auto repair shops to household spending, the Muscatine area would have about 44, against 47 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,156 households, against one for every 955 across the U.S.

How fast is the Muscatine, IA area growing?

Population estimates put the Muscatine area at 41,853 people in 2025, down 3.0% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 17,345 households. The median household income in the Muscatine area is $69,396 a year, 14% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 18.7% from the 2015–2019 survey, 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. A small-town market is a town of 10,000 to 50,000 people and the county or counties tied to it by commuting. 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. The Muscatine area scores 55 for auto repair shops (upper middle), #223 of 538 scored small-town markets.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Muscatine area. 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 the Muscatine area

Screening a site or an acquisition in the Muscatine area?

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 the Muscatine area. 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.