Market rankings · Iowa
Car washes and detailers in Iowa
Markets across Iowa ranked by the Groundwork market score for car washes and detailers, with competitor counts and household spending for each.
- Listings
- 671
- 152 chain locations (23%)
- Official establishments
- 302
- +17.1% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $1.5B
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs
- Listings per 10k households
- 5.1
- 34% above the U.S.
- Spending per listing
- $2.2M
- 12% below the U.S.
- Rank among states
- #45 of 51
- Market score 34 · Lower middle
A site report maps the car washes and detailers on map listings around any address in Iowa by name and distance, and the spending within reach.
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
As of September 2026, map listings count 671 car washes and detailers in Iowa. 152 of them (23%) are chain locations, against 23% across the U.S. That comes to 5.1 for every 10,000 households, 34% above the U.S. rate of 3.8.
Households in Iowa spend about $1.5B a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs, or $1,134 per household, 18% above the U.S. average. That is about $2.2M of household spending for each location on map listings, 12% below the U.S. figure of $2.5M. That spending covers all vehicle maintenance and repairs, which car washes and detailers share with other businesses in the trade.
In 2023, official counts showed 302 businesses with payroll in Iowa classed as car washes, up 17.1% from 2019. That is one for every 4,357 households, against one for every 6,523 across the U.S. Across the U.S., the count rose 16.7% over the same years. Since fiscal 2022, 22 SBA-backed loans worth $14.4M have gone to businesses classed as car washes in Iowa.
Among the 50 states and DC, Iowa ranks #45 for car washes and detailers, with a Groundwork market score of 34 (lower middle). Of the 9 scored metro areas in or partly in Iowa, the Ames metro area scores highest (58). Of the 14 scored small-town markets in or partly in Iowa, the Pella area scores highest (68).
Every market in Iowa for car washes and detailers
Download the ranking (CSV)Numbered by Groundwork market score among the markets based in Iowa, highest first; the U.S. rank compares each market with every other of its kind. A metro area that crosses a state line is listed in each state it reaches, and numbered only in the state its page is under. How the score works.
Metro areas
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Ames, IA | 58 | 17 | 3.4 | $3.3M | +2.2% | #130 of 387 |
| Omaha, NE-IA | 58 | 165 | 4.2 | $2.6M | +4.2% | #133 of 387 |
| 2Iowa City, IA | 56 | 34 | 4.7 | $2.2M | +4.1% | #160 of 387 |
| 3Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA | 50 | 157 | 5.3 | $2.1M | +6.7% | #193 of 387 |
| 4Cedar Rapids, IA | 47 | 53 | 4.6 | $2.4M | +1.0% | #222 of 387 |
| 5Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA | 40 | 39 | 5.6 | $2M | +0.5% | #275 of 387 |
| 6Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL | 36 | 73 | 4.5 | $2.3M | −0.9% | #303 of 387 |
| 7Dubuque, IA | 32 | 22 | 5.4 | $2M | +0.1% | #329 of 387 |
| 8Sioux City, IA-NE-SD | 28 | 38 | 6.9 | $1.7M | +1.0% | #348 of 387 |
Small-town markets
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Pella, IA | 68 | 8 | 6.0 | $2.1M | +2.3% | #87 of 441 |
| 2Clinton, IA | 56 | 10 | 5.1 | $2.2M | −0.9% | #167 of 441 |
| 3Spirit Lake, IA | 50 | 5 | 5.7 | $2.1M | +1.7% | #220 of 441 |
| 4Burlington, IA-IL | 47 | 7 | 3.5 | $3.1M | −2.5% | #239 of 441 |
| 5Muscatine, IA | 45 | 8 | 4.6 | $2.5M | −3.0% | #256 of 441 |
| 6Mason City, IA | 44 | 11 | 4.8 | $2.3M | −1.5% | #266 of 441 |
| 7Oskaloosa, IA | 43 | 5 | 5.7 | $2.1M | −1.2% | #278 of 441 |
| 8Fort Madison, IA | 43 | 8 | 5.6 | $2M | −3.6% | #281 of 441 |
| 9Fort Dodge, IA | 38 | 11 | 7.2 | $1.5M | −0.4% | #320 of 441 |
| 10Storm Lake, IA | 36 | 6 | 8.0 | $1.5M | −1.7% | #335 of 441 |
| 11Ottumwa, IA | 34 | 10 | 7.1 | $1.5M | −0.3% | #347 of 441 |
| 12Le Mars, IA | 33 | 11 | 10.7 | $1.2M | 0.0% | #356 of 441 |
| 13Marshalltown, IA | 30 | 14 | 9.0 | $1.3M | −0.5% | #382 of 441 |
| 14Carroll, IA | 17 | 10 | 11.4 | $952K | −2.0% | #422 of 441 |
| Spencer, IA | Not scored | 2 | 2.7 | $3.8M | −0.8% |
Counties
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Warren County, IA | 96 | 5 | 2.4 | $5.2M | +9.0% | #1 of 1,451 |
| 2Marion County, IA | 60 | 8 | 6.0 | $2.1M | +2.3% | #474 of 1,451 |
| 3Story County, IA | 59 | 15 | 3.9 | $2.8M | +2.7% | #481 of 1,451 |
| 4Johnson County, IA | 59 | 30 | 4.7 | $2.2M | +4.6% | #501 of 1,451 |
| 5Dallas County, IA | 59 | 27 | 6.4 | $1.9M | +17.8% | #505 of 1,451 |
| 6Jasper County, IA | 58 | 5 | 3.3 | $3.6M | +0.9% | #507 of 1,451 |
| 7Sioux County, IA | 51 | 7 | 5.5 | $2.4M | +2.5% | #700 of 1,451 |
| 8Clinton County, IA | 51 | 10 | 5.1 | $2.2M | −0.9% | #707 of 1,451 |
| 9Polk County, IA | 48 | 112 | 5.5 | $2M | +4.8% | #785 of 1,451 |
| 10Des Moines County, IA | 45 | 6 | 3.5 | $3M | −2.0% | #843 of 1,451 |
| 11Black Hawk County, IA | 45 | 28 | 5.1 | $2.1M | +0.4% | #855 of 1,451 |
| 12Linn County, IA | 43 | 48 | 5.0 | $2.2M | +0.7% | #903 of 1,451 |
| 13Dickinson County, IA | 43 | 5 | 5.7 | $2.1M | +1.7% | #905 of 1,451 |
| 14Bremer County, IA | 41 | 8 | 8.2 | $1.5M | +1.1% | #971 of 1,451 |
| 15Muscatine County, IA | 40 | 8 | 4.6 | $2.5M | −3.0% | #978 of 1,451 |
| 16Mahaska County, IA | 38 | 5 | 5.7 | $2.1M | −1.2% | #1,027 of 1,451 |
| 17Lee County, IA | 38 | 8 | 5.6 | $2M | −3.6% | #1,034 of 1,451 |
| 18Dubuque County, IA | 38 | 22 | 5.4 | $2M | +0.1% | #1,037 of 1,451 |
| 19Pottawattamie County, IA | 38 | 21 | 5.6 | $2M | −0.7% | #1,038 of 1,451 |
| 20Scott County, IA | 36 | 37 | 5.1 | $2.1M | +0.4% | #1,080 of 1,451 |
| 21Crawford County, IA | 35 | 5 | 7.9 | $1.5M | −1.5% | #1,107 of 1,451 |
| 22O’Brien County, IA | 35 | 8 | 13.8 | $890K | +0.5% | #1,108 of 1,451 |
| 23Webster County, IA | 34 | 11 | 7.2 | $1.5M | −0.4% | #1,129 of 1,451 |
| 24Buena Vista County, IA | 32 | 6 | 8.0 | $1.5M | −1.7% | #1,182 of 1,451 |
| 25Cerro Gordo County, IA | 31 | 10 | 5.1 | $2.1M | −1.5% | #1,184 of 1,451 |
Show all 99 counties
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 26Woodbury County, IA | 31 | 26 | 6.4 | $1.7M | +0.7% | #1,189 of 1,451 |
| 27Wapello County, IA | 31 | 10 | 7.1 | $1.5M | −0.3% | #1,198 of 1,451 |
| 28Hardin County, IA | 30 | 5 | 7.1 | $1.6M | −2.2% | #1,213 of 1,451 |
| 29Delaware County, IA | 30 | 7 | 9.5 | $1.3M | +1.3% | #1,221 of 1,451 |
| 30Plymouth County, IA | 29 | 11 | 10.7 | $1.2M | 0.0% | #1,244 of 1,451 |
| 31Marshall County, IA | 26 | 14 | 9.0 | $1.3M | −0.5% | #1,294 of 1,451 |
| 32Carroll County, IA | 17 | 10 | 11.4 | $952K | −2.0% | #1,387 of 1,451 |
| Boone County, IA | Not scored | 2 | 1.8 | $6.9M | +0.4% | |
| Benton County, IA | Not scored | 3 | 2.9 | $4.7M | +1.8% | |
| Washington County, IA | Not scored | 4 | 4.5 | $2.6M | +0.6% | |
| Jones County, IA | Not scored | 2 | 2.4 | $4.9M | +2.9% | |
| Buchanan County, IA | Not scored | 3 | 3.6 | $3.5M | +1.3% | |
| Henry County, IA | Not scored | 3 | 3.9 | $2.9M | −5.4% | |
| Winneshiek County, IA | Not scored | 4 | 4.9 | $2.5M | −1.6% | |
| Jackson County, IA | Not scored | 2 | 2.4 | $5.2M | −0.8% | |
| Fayette County, IA | Not scored | 3 | 3.6 | $3.2M | −2.1% | |
| Poweshiek County, IA | Not scored | 2 | 2.6 | $4.3M | −1.4% | |
| Cedar County, IA | Not scored | 3 | 3.9 | $3.2M | −0.7% | |
| Clayton County, IA | Not scored | 1 | 1.3 | $8.6M | −1.1% | |
| Madison County, IA | Not scored | 4 | 6.0 | $2.2M | +3.8% | |
| Tama County, IA | Not scored | 1 | 1.5 | $8.1M | −1.5% | |
| Iowa County, IA | Not scored | 2 | 2.9 | $4.4M | −1.0% | |
| Clay County, IA | Not scored | 2 | 2.7 | $3.8M | −0.8% | |
| Jefferson County, IA | Not scored | 1 | 1.4 | $7M | −2.5% | |
| Floyd County, IA | Not scored | 2 | 3.1 | $3.9M | −4.4% | |
| Page County, IA | Not scored | 4 | 6.4 | $1.7M | −2.3% | |
| Hamilton County, IA | Not scored | 4 | 6.2 | $2M | −0.5% | |
| Harrison County, IA | Not scored | 2 | 3.3 | $3.9M | +0.4% | |
| Mills County, IA | Not scored | 2 | 3.7 | $3.6M | +2.6% | |
| Kossuth County, IA | Not scored | 3 | 4.6 | $2.6M | −3.2% | |
| Butler County, IA | Not scored | 0 | 0.0 | n/a | −2.0% | |
| Allamakee County, IA | Not scored | 1 | 1.7 | $7.4M | +1.2% | |
| Cass County, IA | Not scored | 3 | 5.1 | $2.2M | −1.2% | |
| Wright County, IA | Not scored | 1 | 1.9 | $6.4M | −0.9% | |
| Grundy County, IA | Not scored | 3 | 5.9 | $2.2M | +0.2% | |
| Appanoose County, IA | Not scored | 3 | 5.8 | $1.9M | −1.7% | |
| Lyon County, IA | Not scored | 2 | 4.5 | $3M | +3.6% | |
| Union County, IA | Not scored | 3 | 5.9 | $1.8M | −2.5% | |
| Chickasaw County, IA | Not scored | 0 | 0.0 | n/a | −2.8% | |
| Shelby County, IA | Not scored | 1 | 2.0 | $6.1M | −0.2% | |
| Cherokee County, IA | Not scored | 4 | 7.9 | $1.5M | −2.4% | |
| Guthrie County, IA | Not scored | 4 | 8.7 | $1.5M | +1.6% | |
| Louisa County, IA | Not scored | 2 | 4.7 | $2.8M | −3.7% | |
| Hancock County, IA | Not scored | 2 | 4.3 | $2.8M | −2.2% | |
| Winnebago County, IA | Not scored | 3 | 6.5 | $1.6M | −3.8% | |
| Mitchell County, IA | Not scored | 1 | 2.2 | $5.9M | +0.6% | |
| Montgomery County, IA | Not scored | 3 | 6.5 | $1.7M | −3.2% | |
| Franklin County, IA | Not scored | 4 | 9.5 | $1.2M | −1.2% | |
| Keokuk County, IA | Not scored | 0 | 0.0 | n/a | −2.0% | |
| Calhoun County, IA | Not scored | 0 | 0.0 | n/a | −3.4% | |
| Sac County, IA | Not scored | 2 | 4.6 | $2.5M | −2.7% | |
| Clarke County, IA | Not scored | 2 | 4.9 | $2.3M | −1.6% | |
| Humboldt County, IA | Not scored | 1 | 2.4 | $5.1M | −2.0% | |
| Howard County, IA | Not scored | 1 | 2.7 | $4.6M | −0.8% | |
| Emmet County, IA | Not scored | 3 | 7.4 | $1.5M | −2.5% | |
| Davis County, IA | Not scored | 1 | 3.1 | $4.1M | +1.3% | |
| Palo Alto County, IA | Not scored | 1 | 2.6 | $4.4M | −1.0% | |
| Lucas County, IA | Not scored | 1 | 2.7 | $4.3M | +2.6% | |
| Greene County, IA | Not scored | 2 | 5.1 | $2.2M | −1.0% | |
| Monona County, IA | Not scored | 1 | 2.6 | $4.8M | −2.4% | |
| Decatur County, IA | Not scored | 1 | 3.3 | $3.6M | −0.9% | |
| Monroe County, IA | Not scored | 2 | 6.5 | $2M | −2.5% | |
| Adair County, IA | Not scored | 4 | 12.4 | $1.1M | −1.3% | |
| Worth County, IA | Not scored | 1 | 3.1 | $4.3M | −1.3% | |
| Van Buren County, IA | Not scored | 0 | 0.0 | n/a | −1.2% | |
| Pocahontas County, IA | Not scored | 1 | 3.3 | $3.7M | −3.5% | |
| Ida County, IA | Not scored | 2 | 6.6 | $1.8M | −3.4% | |
| Wayne County, IA | Not scored | 3 | 11.7 | $985K | +3.6% | |
| Fremont County, IA | Not scored | 1 | 3.5 | $3.7M | −0.8% | |
| Osceola County, IA | Not scored | 0 | 0.0 | n/a | −3.6% | |
| Taylor County, IA | Not scored | 2 | 8.0 | $1.5M | −0.5% | |
| Audubon County, IA | Not scored | 1 | 3.9 | $2.9M | −3.0% | |
| Ringgold County, IA | Not scored | 0 | 0.0 | n/a | 0.0% | |
| Adams County, IA | Not scored | 1 | 6.5 | $1.9M | −2.5% |
Markets with fewer than 5 car washes and detailers on map listings, and counties under 10,000 people, aren’t scored; they’re listed last in each table.
Questions
How many car washes and detailers are in Iowa?
Iowa has 671 car washes and detailers on map listings as of September 2026. 152 of them (23%) are chain locations. The listings count car washes and detailers. Official counts show 302 businesses with payroll classed as car washes in 2023, up 17.1% from 2019.
How much do households in Iowa spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $1.5B a year, or $1,134 per household. That is 18% above the U.S. average (an index of 118, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 671 car washes and detailers on map listings, it comes to $2.2M per location. The spending figure covers all vehicle maintenance and repairs, not only car washes and detailers. It is estimated from the incomes of the 1,315,707 households in Iowa and national spending patterns by income.
How does Iowa compare with the U.S. for car washes and detailers?
Iowa has 5.1 car washes and detailers per 10,000 households, 34% above the U.S. rate of 3.8. Spending per location is $2.2M, 12% below the U.S. figure of $2.5M. At the national ratio of car washes and detailers to household spending, Iowa would have about 592, against 671 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 4,357 households, against one for every 6,523 across the U.S. The official count rose 17.1% from 2019 to 2023, against +16.7% for the U.S.
Which market in Iowa has the highest market score for car washes and detailers?
Among 9 scored metro areas in or partly in Iowa, the Ames metro area scores highest, at 58 (upper middle). Among 14 scored small-town markets in or partly in Iowa, the Pella area scores highest, at 68 (upper middle). Among 32 scored counties in Iowa, Warren County scores highest, at 96 (very high). Scores compare each market with others of its kind across the U.S.
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. Iowa scores 34 for car washes and detailers (lower middle), #45 of the 50 states and DC.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Iowa. It maps the car washes and detailers 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.
Car washes and detailing in other states
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Top markets for car washes and detailers across the U.S. · All business types in Iowa
Related business types in Iowa
- Auto repair and car care5,496 listings
- Auto repair shops3,172 listings
- Collision repair and body shops511 listings
- Tire shops578 listings
- Oil change and quick lube59 listings
- Gas stations1,367 listings
- Insurance agencies2,325 listings
Screening a site or an acquisition in Iowa?
A site report maps the competitors on map listings near an address and sizes the households and spending around it.
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.