Health care · County · Iowa
Optometrists and eye clinics in Clay County, IA
How Clay County, IA compares with other counties and the U.S. for optometrists and eye clinics: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 19 out of 100: Low
Ranked #1,214 of 1,302 scored counties
#26 of 27 scored counties in Iowa
- Listings
- 7
- 2 chain locations (29%)
- Official establishments
- 4
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $9.6M
- On medical and dental services · $1,321 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.4M
- 56% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 9.6
- 2.3 times the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 16,202
- −0.8% since 2020
See the optometrists and eye clinics around any address in Clay County
The site report maps the optometrists and eye clinics 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 Clay 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
The Groundwork market score for optometrists and eye clinics in Clay County is 19 (low), #1,214 of 1,302 scored counties and #26 of 27 scored counties in Iowa. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
As of September 2026, map listings count 7 optometrists and eye clinics in Clay County. Of those, 2 are chain locations, or 29%, against 20% across the U.S. That comes to 9.6 for every 10,000 households, 2.3 times the U.S. rate of 4.1.
At $1,321 per household (3% above the U.S. average), households in Clay County spend about $9.6M a year on medical and dental services. Spread across 7 optometrists and eye clinics, that is $1.4M per practice, 56% below the U.S. figure of $3.1M. That spending covers all medical and dental services, which optometrists and eye clinics share with other businesses in the trade.
Official counts show 4 businesses with payroll classed as offices of optometrists in Clay County in 2023. That is one for every 1,821 households, against one for every 5,742 across the U.S. Population estimates put the population change in Clay County from 2020 to 2025 at −0.8%, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How Clay County compares
The same measures for Iowa and the whole U.S. Spending per listing divides a year of household spending on all medical and dental services by the optometrists and eye clinics 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 | Clay County | Iowa | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 9.6 | 4.1 | 4.1 |
| Spending per listing | $1.4M | $3.5M | $3.1M |
| Households per official establishment | 1,821 | 4,258 | 5,742 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | −1.6% | +0.2% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −0.8% | +1.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on medical and dental services | $1,321 | $1,412 | $1,288 |
| Median household income | $65,428 | $75,059 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 19 | 51 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 4 → 4
- Employees, 2023
- 18
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $842K
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 72 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 3The 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 offices of optometrists in Clay 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 Clay County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 16,202−0.8% since 2020
- Households
- 7,282
- Median age
- 43.1
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 73%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 567 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 29
- Median household income
- $65,428+29.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $83,614
- Median home value
- $178,600
- Jobs located here
- 8,325
- Daytime population
- 16,701Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Clay 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 optometrists and eye clinics on map listings by name and distance.
Or open the report at the center of Clay County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardOptometrists and eye care across Iowa
Every Iowa market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Iowa for optometrists and eye clinics, numbered among those based in Iowa, with Clay County marked.
Top counties in Iowa
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Story County, IA | 75 | 14 | 3.6 | $3.9M | +2.7% | #125 of 1,302 |
| 2Warren County, IA | 68 | 9 | 4.4 | $3.6M | +9.0% | #237 of 1,302 |
| 3Scott County, IA | 65 | 27 | 3.7 | $3.9M | +0.4% | #298 of 1,302 |
| 4Marshall County, IA | 64 | 5 | 3.2 | $4.2M | −0.5% | #317 of 1,302 |
| 5Dallas County, IA | 64 | 22 | 5.2 | $3.3M | +17.8% | #327 of 1,302 |
| 6Marion County, IA | 62 | 5 | 3.8 | $3.8M | +2.3% | #365 of 1,302 |
| 7Clinton County, IA | 62 | 7 | 3.6 | $3.8M | −0.9% | #366 of 1,302 |
| 8Polk County, IA | 59 | 110 | 5.4 | $2.8M | +4.8% | #454 of 1,302 |
| 9Linn County, IA | 58 | 41 | 4.3 | $3.4M | +0.7% | #467 of 1,302 |
| 10Black Hawk County, IA | 58 | 22 | 4.0 | $3.3M | +0.4% | #469 of 1,302 |
| 26Clay County, IA | 19 | 7 | 9.6 | $1.4M | −0.8% | #1,214 of 1,302 |
Other business types in Clay 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 optometrists and eye clinics are in Clay County, IA?
Clay County has 7 optometrists and eye clinics on map listings as of September 2026. 2 of them (29%) are chain locations. The listings count optometrists and eye clinics. Official counts show 4 businesses with payroll classed as offices of optometrists in 2023.
How much do households in Clay County, IA spend on medical and dental services?
About $9.6M a year, or $1,321 per household. That is 3% above the U.S. average (an index of 103, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 7 optometrists and eye clinics on map listings, it comes to $1.4M per practice. The spending figure covers all medical and dental services, not only optometrists and eye clinics. It is estimated from the incomes of the 7,282 households in Clay County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Clay County, IA compare with the U.S. for optometrists and eye clinics?
Clay County has 9.6 optometrists and eye clinics per 10,000 households, 2.3 times the U.S. rate of 4.1. Spending per practice is $1.4M, 56% below the U.S. figure of $3.1M. At the national ratio of optometrists and eye clinics to household spending, Clay County would have about 3, against 7 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,821 households, against one for every 5,742 across the U.S.
How fast is Clay County, IA growing?
Population estimates put Clay County at 16,202 people in 2025, down 0.8% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 7,282 households. The median household income in Clay County is $65,428 a year, 19% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 29.5% 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. Clay County scores 19 for optometrists and eye clinics (low), #1,214 of 1,302 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Clay County. It maps the optometrists and eye clinics 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 optometrists and eye clinics · All 56 business types in Clay County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Clay 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 Clay 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.