Auto · County · Iowa
Auto repair shops in O’Brien County, IA
The auto repair shops in O’Brien County, IA, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 43 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,518 of 2,378 scored counties
#39 of 72 scored counties in Iowa
- Listings
- 16
- 0 chain locations (0%)
- Official establishments
- 21
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $7.1M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $1,225 a household
- Spending per listing
- $445K
- In line with the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 27.5
- 28% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 14,220
- +0.5% since 2020
See the auto repair shops around any address in O’Brien 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 O’Brien 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
Household spending on vehicle maintenance and repairs in O’Brien County comes to about $7.1M a year: $1,225 per household, 28% above the U.S. average. That works out to $445K per shop, in line with the U.S. figure of $445K. The spending figure covers all vehicle maintenance and repairs, not only auto repair shops.
There are 16 auto repair shops on map listings in O’Brien County as of September 2026. None of them are chain locations, against 16% across the U.S. That is 27.5 per 10,000 households, 28% above the U.S. rate of 21.5.
In 2023, official counts showed 21 businesses with payroll in O’Brien County classed as mechanical, body and glass repair. That is one for every 277 households, against one for every 955 across the U.S. Another 5 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of O’Brien County grew 0.5%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). O’Brien County scores 43 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for auto repair shops, ranking #1,518 of 2,378 scored counties and #39 of 72 scored counties in Iowa.
How O’Brien 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 | O’Brien County | Iowa | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 27.5 | 24.1 | 21.5 |
| Spending per listing | $445K | $470K | $445K |
| Households per official establishment | 277 | 766 | 955 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | −1.3% | +2.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +0.5% | +1.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $1,225 | $1,134 | $958 |
| Median household income | $68,356 | $75,059 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 43 | 46 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 18 → 21
- Employees, 2023
- 59
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $2.6M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 5Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 160 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 O’Brien 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 O’Brien County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 14,220+0.5% since 2020
- Households
- 5,809
- Median age
- 40.9
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 76%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.2
- Land area
- 573 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 25
- Median household income
- $68,356+27.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $84,439
- Median home value
- $173,100
- Jobs located here
- 6,296
- Daytime population
- 12,761Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in O’Brien 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 O’Brien 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 O’Brien 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 |
| 39O’Brien County, IA | 43 | 16 | 27.5 | $445K | +0.5% | #1,518 of 2,378 |
Other business types in O’Brien 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 O’Brien County, IA?
As of September 2026, map listings count 16 auto repair shops in O’Brien 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. Official counts list 5 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in O’Brien County, IA spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $7.1M a year, or $1,225 per household. That is 28% above the U.S. average (an index of 128, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 16 auto repair shops on map listings, it comes to $445K 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 5,809 households in O’Brien County and national spending patterns by income.
How does O’Brien County, IA compare with the U.S. for auto repair shops?
O’Brien County has 27.5 auto repair shops per 10,000 households, 28% above the U.S. rate of 21.5. Spending per shop is $445K, in line with 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 277 households, against one for every 955 across the U.S.
How fast is O’Brien County, IA growing?
Population estimates put O’Brien County at 14,220 people in 2025, up 0.5% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 5,809 households. Median household income in O’Brien County is $68,356, 15% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 27.3%, 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. O’Brien County scores 43 for auto repair shops (lower middle), #1,518 of 2,378 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in O’Brien 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 O’Brien County
Screening a site or an acquisition in O’Brien 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 O’Brien 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.