Auto · Small-town market · Iowa
Collision repair and body shops in the Fort Dodge, IA area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for collision repair and body shops in the Fort Dodge, IA area, set against other small-town markets and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 58 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #125 of 387 scored small-town markets
#2 of 9 scored small-town markets based in Iowa
- Listings
- 5
- 1 chain location (20%)
- Official establishments
- 5
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $16.8M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $1,095 a household
- Spending per listing
- $3.4M
- 9% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 3.3
- 6% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 36,838
- −0.4% since 2020
See the collision repair and body shops around any address in the Fort Dodge area
The site report maps the collision repair and body 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 Fort Dodge 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
At $1,095 per household (14% above the U.S. average), households in the Fort Dodge area spend about $16.8M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs. That is about $3.4M of household spending for each shop on map listings, 9% above the U.S. figure of $3.1M. The spending figure covers all vehicle maintenance and repairs, not only collision repair and body shops.
There are 5 collision repair and body shops on map listings in the Fort Dodge area as of September 2026. One of them (20%) is a chain location, against 14% across the U.S. That comes to 3.3 for every 10,000 households, 6% above the U.S. rate of 3.1.
In 2023, official counts showed 5 businesses with payroll in the Fort Dodge area classed as automotive body, paint and interior repair. That is one for every 3,075 households, against one for every 3,689 across the U.S.
Population estimates show the Fort Dodge area declined 0.4% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S. The Fort Dodge area scores 58 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for collision repair and body shops, ranking #125 of 387 scored small-town markets and #2 of 9 scored small-town markets based in Iowa.
How the Fort Dodge 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 collision repair and body 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 | Fort Dodge area | Iowa | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 3.3 | 3.9 | 3.1 |
| Spending per listing | $3.4M | $2.9M | $3.1M |
| Households per official establishment | 3,075 | 2,805 | 3,689 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | −6.0% | −0.8% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −0.4% | +1.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $1,095 | $1,134 | $958 |
| Median household income | $68,975 | $75,059 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 58 | 36 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 5
- Employees, 2023
- 19
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $1.2M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 51 chain location
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 6The 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 automotive body, paint and interior repair in the Fort Dodge 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 Fort Dodge area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 36,838−0.4% since 2020
- Households
- 15,375
- Median age
- 39.6
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 70%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 716 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 52
- Median household income
- $68,975+45.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $83,997
- Median home value
- $153,800
- Jobs located here
- 17,395
- Daytime population
- 38,670Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Fort Dodge 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 collision repair and body shops on map listings by name and distance.
Or open the report at the center of the Fort Dodge area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardCollision repair and body shops across Iowa
Every Iowa market ranked →The highest-scoring small-town markets in Iowa for collision repair and body shops, numbered among those based in Iowa, with the Fort Dodge area marked.
Top small-town markets in Iowa
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Marshalltown, IA | 65 | 5 | 3.2 | $3.6M | −0.5% | #86 of 387 |
| 2Fort Dodge, IA | 58 | 5 | 3.3 | $3.4M | −0.4% | #125 of 387 |
| 3Ottumwa, IA | 55 | 6 | 4.3 | $2.5M | −0.3% | #153 of 387 |
| 4Le Mars, IA | 45 | 5 | 4.8 | $2.6M | 0.0% | #233 of 387 |
| 5Clinton, IA | 44 | 8 | 4.1 | $2.7M | −0.9% | #240 of 387 |
| 6Muscatine, IA | 41 | 8 | 4.6 | $2.5M | −3.0% | #263 of 387 |
| 7Mason City, IA | 36 | 12 | 5.3 | $2.1M | −1.5% | #298 of 387 |
| 8Burlington, IA-IL | 31 | 10 | 5.0 | $2.1M | −2.5% | #321 of 387 |
| 9Fort Madison, IA | 27 | 10 | 7.0 | $1.6M | −3.6% | #343 of 387 |
Other business types in the Fort Dodge area
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
Auto
- Auto repair and car care33
- Auto repair shops36
- Collision repair and body shops58
- Car washes and detailing38
- Tire shops39
- Oil change and quick lube
- Gas stations40
- Insurance agencies19
Beauty and personal care
Fitness and classes
Health care
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many collision repair and body shops are in the Fort Dodge, IA area?
As of September 2026, map listings count 5 collision repair and body shops in the Fort Dodge area. One of them (20%) is a chain location. The listings count collision repair and auto body shops. Official counts show 5 businesses with payroll classed as automotive body, paint and interior repair in 2023.
How much do households in the Fort Dodge, IA area spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $16.8M a year, or $1,095 per household. That is 14% above the U.S. average (an index of 114, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 5 collision repair and body shops on map listings, it comes to $3.4M per shop. That spending covers all vehicle maintenance and repairs, which collision repair and body shops share with other businesses in the trade. It is estimated from the incomes of the 15,375 households in the Fort Dodge area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Fort Dodge, IA area compare with the U.S. for collision repair and body shops?
The Fort Dodge area has 3.3 collision repair and body shops per 10,000 households, 6% above the U.S. rate of 3.1. Spending per shop is $3.4M, 9% above the U.S. figure of $3.1M. At the U.S. ratio of collision repair and body shops to household spending, the Fort Dodge area would have about 6, against 5 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 3,075 households, against one for every 3,689 across the U.S.
How fast is the Fort Dodge, IA area growing?
Population estimates put the Fort Dodge area at 36,838 people in 2025, down 0.4% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 15,375 households. Median household income in the Fort Dodge area is $68,975, 15% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 45.3%, 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. 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 Fort Dodge area scores 58 for collision repair and body shops (upper middle), #125 of 387 scored small-town markets.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Fort Dodge area. It maps the collision repair and body 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 collision repair and body shops · All 56 business types in the Fort Dodge area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Fort Dodge 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 Fort Dodge 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.