Auto · Metro area · Iowa
Collision repair and body shops in the Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA metro area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for collision repair and body shops in the Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA metro area, set against other metro areas and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 51 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #191 of 381 scored metro areas
#3 of 8 scored metro areas based in Iowa
- Listings
- 22
- 1 chain location (5%)
- Official establishments
- 19
- −18.2% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $76.6M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $1,104 a household
- Spending per listing
- $3.5M
- 13% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 3.2
- 3% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 169,189
- +0.5% since 2020
See the collision repair and body shops around any address in the Waterloo-Cedar Falls metro 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 Waterloo-Cedar Falls metro 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
Map listings as of September 2026 show 22 collision repair and body shops in the Waterloo-Cedar Falls metro area. One of them (5%) is a chain location, against 14% across the U.S. That comes to 3.2 for every 10,000 households, 3% above the U.S. rate of 3.1.
Households in the Waterloo-Cedar Falls metro area spend about $76.6M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs, or $1,104 per household, 15% above the U.S. average. That works out to $3.5M per shop, 13% above the U.S. figure of $3.1M. That spending covers all vehicle maintenance and repairs, which collision repair and body shops share with other businesses in the trade.
In 2023, official counts showed 19 businesses with payroll in the Waterloo-Cedar Falls metro area classed as automotive body, paint and interior repair, down 18.2% from 2019. That is one for every 3,652 households, against one for every 3,689 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $779K has gone to businesses classed as automotive body, paint and interior repair in the Waterloo-Cedar Falls metro area.
Population estimates show the Waterloo-Cedar Falls metro area grew 0.5% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). For collision repair and body shops, the Waterloo-Cedar Falls metro area has a Groundwork market score of 51 (upper middle): #191 of 381 scored metro areas and #3 of 8 scored metro areas based in Iowa.
How the Waterloo-Cedar Falls metro 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 | Waterloo-Cedar Falls metro area | Iowa | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 3.2 | 3.9 | 3.1 |
| Spending per listing | $3.5M | $2.9M | $3.1M |
| Households per official establishment | 3,652 | 2,805 | 3,689 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −18.2% | −6.0% | −0.8% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +0.5% | +1.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $1,104 | $1,134 | $958 |
| Median household income | $70,811 | $75,059 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 51 | 36 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 19−18.2% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 117
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $6.2M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 221 chain location
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 25The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $779K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as automotive body, paint and interior repair in the Waterloo-Cedar Falls metro 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 Waterloo-Cedar Falls metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 169,189+0.5% since 2020
- Households
- 69,396
- Median age
- 37.8
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 69%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 1,503 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 112
- Median household income
- $70,811+23.2% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $92,709
- Median home value
- $194,800
- Jobs located here
- 88,619
- Daytime population
- 179,403Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Waterloo-Cedar Falls metro area?
These figures cover the whole metro area. 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 Waterloo-Cedar Falls metro 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 metro areas in Iowa for collision repair and body shops, numbered among those based in Iowa (a market based in another state is listed without a number), with the Waterloo-Cedar Falls metro area marked.
Top metro areas in Iowa
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA | 72 | 83 | 2.8 | $4M | +6.7% | #48 of 381 |
| 2Ames, IA | 59 | 14 | 2.8 | $4M | +2.2% | #134 of 381 |
| 3Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA | 51 | 22 | 3.2 | $3.5M | +0.5% | #191 of 381 |
| 4Cedar Rapids, IA | 51 | 38 | 3.3 | $3.4M | +1.0% | #192 of 381 |
| Omaha, NE-IA | 49 | 139 | 3.6 | $3.1M | +4.2% | #209 of 381 |
| 5Iowa City, IA | 48 | 27 | 3.7 | $2.8M | +4.1% | #211 of 381 |
| 6Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL | 46 | 53 | 3.3 | $3.2M | −0.9% | #227 of 381 |
| 7Sioux City, IA-NE-SD | 38 | 21 | 3.8 | $3M | +1.0% | #274 of 381 |
| 8Dubuque, IA | 36 | 14 | 3.4 | $3.2M | +0.1% | #285 of 381 |
Other business types in the Waterloo-Cedar Falls metro 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 care55
- Auto repair shops58
- Collision repair and body shops51
- Car washes and detailing40
- Tire shops59
- Oil change and quick lube
- Gas stations57
- Insurance agencies22
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 Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA metro area?
There are 22 collision repair and body shops on map listings in the Waterloo-Cedar Falls metro area as of September 2026. One of them (5%) is a chain location. The listings count collision repair and auto body shops. Official counts show 19 businesses with payroll classed as automotive body, paint and interior repair in 2023, down 18.2% from 2019.
How much do households in the Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA metro area spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $76.6M a year, or $1,104 per household. That is 15% above the U.S. average (an index of 115, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 22 collision repair and body shops on map listings, it comes to $3.5M per shop. The spending figure covers all vehicle maintenance and repairs, not only collision repair and body shops. It is estimated from the incomes of the 69,396 households in the Waterloo-Cedar Falls metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA metro area compare with the U.S. for collision repair and body shops?
The Waterloo-Cedar Falls metro area has 3.2 collision repair and body shops per 10,000 households, 3% above the U.S. rate of 3.1. Spending per shop is $3.5M, 13% above the U.S. figure of $3.1M. At the national ratio of collision repair and body shops to household spending, the Waterloo-Cedar Falls metro area would have about 25, against 22 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 3,652 households, against one for every 3,689 across the U.S. The official count fell 18.2% from 2019 to 2023, against −0.8% for the U.S.
How fast is the Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Waterloo-Cedar Falls metro area at 169,189 people in 2025, up 0.5% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 69,396 households. The median household income in the Waterloo-Cedar Falls metro area is $70,811 a year, 12% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 23.2% 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. The Waterloo-Cedar Falls metro area scores 51 for collision repair and body shops (upper middle), #191 of 381 scored metro areas.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Waterloo-Cedar Falls metro 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 Waterloo-Cedar Falls metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Waterloo-Cedar Falls metro 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 Waterloo-Cedar Falls metro 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.