Auto · County · Iowa
Auto repair shops in Polk County, IA
How Polk 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 70 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #347 of 2,378 scored counties
#6 of 72 scored counties in Iowa
- Listings
- 404
- 101 chain locations (25%)
- Official establishments
- 197
- +1.6% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $221.6M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $1,079 a household
- Spending per listing
- $549K
- 23% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 19.7
- 8% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 516,546
- +4.8% since 2020
See the auto repair shops around any address in Polk 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 Polk 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
Map listings as of September 2026 show 404 auto repair shops in Polk County. 101 of them (25%) are chain locations, against 16% across the U.S. That is 19.7 per 10,000 households, 8% below the U.S. rate of 21.5.
At $1,079 per household (13% above the U.S. average), households in Polk County spend about $221.6M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs. Spread across 404 auto repair shops, that is $549K per shop, 23% above 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.
In 2023, official counts showed 197 businesses with payroll in Polk County classed as mechanical, body and glass repair, up 1.6% from 2019. That is one for every 1,042 households, against one for every 955 across the U.S. Another 203 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 8 SBA-backed loans worth $1.9M have gone to businesses classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in Polk County.
Population estimates show Polk County grew 4.8% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). For auto repair shops, Polk County has a Groundwork market score of 70 (upper middle): #347 of 2,378 scored counties and #6 of 72 scored counties in Iowa. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
How Polk 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 | Polk County | Iowa | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 19.7 | 24.1 | 21.5 |
| Spending per listing | $549K | $470K | $445K |
| Households per official establishment | 1,042 | 766 | 955 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +1.6% | −1.3% | +2.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +4.8% | +1.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $1,079 | $1,134 | $958 |
| Median household income | $83,576 | $75,059 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 70 | 46 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 194 → 197+1.6% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,301
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $77.5M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 203Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 404101 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 499The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 8
- Amount
- $1.9M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in Polk 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 Polk County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 516,546+4.8% since 2020
- Households
- 205,358
- Median age
- 37.1
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 67%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 573 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 879
- Median household income
- $83,576+23.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $109,398
- Median home value
- $262,100
- Jobs located here
- 309,340
- Daytime population
- 566,731Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Polk 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 Polk 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 Polk 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 Polk 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 Polk County, IA?
There are 404 auto repair shops on map listings in Polk County as of September 2026. 101 of them (25%) are chain locations. The listings count general, specialty, body and glass repair shops. Official counts show 197 businesses with payroll classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in 2023, up 1.6% from 2019. Official counts list 203 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Polk County, IA spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $221.6M a year, or $1,079 per household. That is 13% above the U.S. average (an index of 113, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 404 auto repair shops on map listings, it comes to $549K per shop. The spending figure covers all vehicle maintenance and repairs, not only auto repair shops. It is estimated from the incomes of the 205,358 households in Polk County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Polk County, IA compare with the U.S. for auto repair shops?
Polk County has 19.7 auto repair shops per 10,000 households, 8% below the U.S. rate of 21.5. Spending per shop is $549K, 23% above the U.S. figure of $445K. At the national ratio of auto repair shops to household spending, Polk County would have about 499, against 404 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,042 households, against one for every 955 across the U.S. The official count rose 1.6% from 2019 to 2023, against +2.1% for the U.S.
How fast is Polk County, IA growing?
Population estimates put Polk County at 516,546 people in 2025, up 4.8% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 205,358 households. The median household income in Polk County is $83,576 a year, 4% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 23.6% 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. 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. Polk County scores 70 for auto repair shops (upper middle), #347 of 2,378 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Polk 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 Polk County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Polk 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 Polk 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.