Auto · Small-town market · Iowa
Auto repair shops in the Storm Lake, IA area
The auto repair shops in the Storm Lake, IA area, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other small-town markets.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 75 out of 100: High
Ranked #42 of 538 scored small-town markets
#2 of 15 scored small-town markets based in Iowa
- Listings
- 15
- 2 chain locations (13%)
- Official establishments
- 6
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $9M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $1,188 a household
- Spending per listing
- $597K
- 34% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 19.9
- 7% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 20,449
- −1.7% since 2020
See the auto repair shops around any address in the Storm Lake 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 Storm Lake area. 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
The Groundwork market score for auto repair shops in the Storm Lake area is 75 (high), #42 of 538 scored small-town markets and #2 of 15 scored small-town markets based in Iowa. That puts it in the top 10% of small-town markets for auto repair shops.
Households in the Storm Lake area spend about $9M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs, or $1,188 per household, 24% above the U.S. average. Spread across 15 auto repair shops, that is $597K per shop, 34% above the U.S. figure of $445K. The spending figure covers all vehicle maintenance and repairs, not only auto repair shops.
There are 15 auto repair shops on map listings in the Storm Lake area as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 13% of them, against 16% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 19.9, 7% below the U.S. rate of 21.5.
In 2023, official counts showed 6 businesses with payroll in the Storm Lake area classed as mechanical, body and glass repair. That is one for every 1,258 households, against one for every 955 across the U.S. Population estimates show the Storm Lake area declined 1.7% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How the Storm Lake 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.
| Measure | Storm Lake area | Iowa | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 19.9 | 24.1 | 21.5 |
| Spending per listing | $597K | $470K | $445K |
| Households per official establishment | 1,258 | 766 | 955 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | −1.3% | +2.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −1.7% | +1.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $1,188 | $1,134 | $958 |
| Median household income | $71,719 | $75,059 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 75 | 46 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 6
- Employees, 2023
- 38
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $2M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 24Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 152 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 20The 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 the Storm Lake 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 Storm Lake area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 20,449−1.7% since 2020
- Households
- 7,546
- Median age
- 36.5
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 73%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.1
- Land area
- 575 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 36
- Median household income
- $71,719+25.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $94,361
- Median home value
- $159,500
- Jobs located here
- 11,467
- Daytime population
- 22,374Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Storm Lake 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 Storm Lake area. 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 small-town markets in Iowa for auto repair shops, numbered among those based in Iowa, with the Storm Lake area marked.
Top small-town markets in Iowa
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Pella, IA | 79 | 28 | 21.0 | $603K | +2.3% | #25 of 538 |
| 2Storm Lake, IA | 75 | 15 | 19.9 | $597K | −1.7% | #42 of 538 |
| 3Spirit Lake, IA | 70 | 19 | 21.5 | $558K | +1.7% | #75 of 538 |
| 4Marshalltown, IA | 70 | 34 | 21.9 | $536K | −0.5% | #76 of 538 |
| 5Spencer, IA | 64 | 17 | 23.3 | $452K | −0.8% | #122 of 538 |
| 6Le Mars, IA | 55 | 27 | 26.2 | $481K | 0.0% | #217 of 538 |
| 7Muscatine, IA | 55 | 47 | 27.1 | $418K | −3.0% | #223 of 538 |
| 8Ottumwa, IA | 50 | 44 | 31.4 | $343K | −0.3% | #288 of 538 |
| 9Fort Madison, IA | 49 | 45 | 31.4 | $364K | −3.6% | #294 of 538 |
| 10Oskaloosa, IA | 47 | 25 | 28.6 | $422K | −1.2% | #310 of 538 |
Other business types in the Storm Lake area
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 the Storm Lake, IA area?
As of September 2026, map listings count 15 auto repair shops in the Storm Lake area. 2 of them (13%) are chain locations. The listings count general, specialty, body and glass repair shops. Official counts show 6 businesses with payroll classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in 2023. Official counts also show 24 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Storm Lake, IA area spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $9M a year, or $1,188 per household. That is 24% above the U.S. average (an index of 124, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 15 auto repair shops on map listings, it comes to $597K 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 7,546 households in the Storm Lake area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Storm Lake, IA area compare with the U.S. for auto repair shops?
The Storm Lake area has 19.9 auto repair shops per 10,000 households, 7% below the U.S. rate of 21.5. Spending per shop is $597K, 34% above the U.S. figure of $445K. At the U.S. ratio of auto repair shops to household spending, the Storm Lake area would have about 20, against 15 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,258 households, against one for every 955 across the U.S.
How fast is the Storm Lake, IA area growing?
Population estimates put the Storm Lake area at 20,449 people in 2025, down 1.7% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 7,546 households. Median household income in the Storm Lake area is $71,719, 11% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 25.6%, 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 Storm Lake area scores 75 for auto repair shops (high), #42 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 Storm Lake 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 Storm Lake area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Storm Lake 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 Storm Lake 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.