Auto · County · Iowa
Auto repair shops in Tama County, IA
The auto repair shops in Tama County, IA, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 78 out of 100: High
Ranked #150 of 2,378 scored counties
#2 of 72 scored counties in Iowa
- Listings
- 11
- 0 chain locations (0%)
- Official establishments
- 3
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $8.1M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $1,208 a household
- Spending per listing
- $738K
- 66% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 16.4
- 24% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 16,796
- −1.5% since 2020
See the auto repair shops around any address in Tama 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 Tama 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
Tama County scores 78 (high) on the Groundwork market score for auto repair shops, ranking #150 of 2,378 scored counties and #2 of 72 scored counties in Iowa. That puts it in the top 10% of counties for auto repair shops.
Map listings as of September 2026 show 11 auto repair shops in Tama County. None of them are chain locations, against 16% across the U.S. That comes to 16.4 for every 10,000 households, 24% below the U.S. rate of 21.5.
Households in Tama County spend about $8.1M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs, or $1,208 per household, 26% above the U.S. average. That works out to $738K per shop, 66% 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.
Official counts show 3 businesses with payroll classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in Tama County in 2023. That is one for every 2,240 households, against one for every 955 across the U.S. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Tama County declined 1.5%, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How Tama 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 | Tama County | Iowa | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 16.4 | 24.1 | 21.5 |
| Spending per listing | $738K | $470K | $445K |
| Households per official establishment | 2,240 | 766 | 955 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | −1.3% | +2.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −1.5% | +1.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $1,208 | $1,134 | $958 |
| Median household income | $70,781 | $75,059 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 78 | 46 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 3 → 3
- Employees, 2023
- 11
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $350K
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 16Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 110 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 18The 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 Tama 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 Tama County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 16,796−1.5% since 2020
- Households
- 6,720
- Median age
- 42.0
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 76%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.2
- Land area
- 721 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 23
- Median household income
- $70,781+26.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $83,931
- Median home value
- $148,600
- Jobs located here
- 4,985
- Daytime population
- 13,338Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Tama 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 Tama 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 Tama 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 Tama 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 Tama County, IA?
There are 11 auto repair shops on map listings in Tama County as of September 2026. None of them are chain locations. The listings count general, specialty, body and glass repair shops. Official counts show 3 businesses with payroll classed as mechanical, body and glass repair in 2023. Official counts list 16 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Tama County, IA spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $8.1M a year, or $1,208 per household. That is 26% above the U.S. average (an index of 126, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 11 auto repair shops on map listings, it comes to $738K per shop. The spending figure covers all vehicle maintenance and repairs, not only auto repair shops. It is estimated from the incomes of the 6,720 households in Tama County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Tama County, IA compare with the U.S. for auto repair shops?
Tama County has 16.4 auto repair shops per 10,000 households, 24% below the U.S. rate of 21.5. Spending per shop is $738K, 66% above the U.S. figure of $445K. At the national ratio of auto repair shops to household spending, Tama County would have about 18, against 11 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,240 households, against one for every 955 across the U.S.
How fast is Tama County, IA growing?
Population estimates put Tama County at 16,796 people in 2025, down 1.5% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 6,720 households. The median household income in Tama County is $70,781 a year, 12% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 26.3% 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. Tama County scores 78 for auto repair shops (high), #150 of 2,378 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Tama 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 Tama County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Tama 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 Tama 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.