Groundwork

Health care · County · Iowa

Optometrists and eye clinics in Des Moines County, IA

How Des Moines 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 21 out of 100: Low

Ranked #1,193 of 1,302 scored counties
#25 of 27 scored counties in Iowa

Listings
11
2 chain locations (18%)
Official establishments
6
Businesses with payroll, 2023
Household spending a year
$22.1M
On medical and dental services · $1,287 a household
Spending per listing
$2M
36% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
6.4
56% above the U.S.
Population, 2025
38,077
−2.0% since 2020

See the optometrists and eye clinics around any address in Des Moines 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 Des Moines County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Survey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure

What this means

Des Moines County scores 21 (low) on the Groundwork market score for optometrists and eye clinics, ranking #1,193 of 1,302 scored counties and #25 of 27 scored counties in Iowa. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.

At $1,287 per household (in line with the U.S. average), households in Des Moines County spend about $22.1M a year on medical and dental services. That works out to $2M per practice, 36% below the U.S. figure of $3.1M. The spending figure covers all medical and dental services, not only optometrists and eye clinics.

There are 11 optometrists and eye clinics on map listings in Des Moines County as of September 2026. Of those, 2 are chain locations, or 18%, against 20% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 6.4, 56% above the U.S. rate of 4.1.

Official counts show 6 businesses with payroll classed as offices of optometrists in Des Moines County in 2023. That is one for every 2,863 households, against one for every 5,742 across the U.S. Population estimates put the population change in Des Moines County from 2020 to 2025 at −2.0%, against +3.1% for the U.S.

How Des Moines 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.

Optometrists and eye care in Des Moines County, IA compared with Iowa and the U.S.
MeasureDes Moines CountyIowaU.S.
Listings per 10k households6.44.14.1
Spending per listing$2M$3.5M$3.1M
Households per official establishment2,8634,2585,742
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023n/a−1.6%+0.2%
Population growth, 2020–2025−2.0%+1.5%+3.1%
Spending per household on medical and dental services$1,287$1,412$1,288
Median household income$62,928$75,059$80,734
Groundwork market score2151

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
6 → 6
Employees, 2023
47
Annual payroll, 2023
$1.8M
One-person businesses, 2023
Not publishedNot published for this business type
Map listings, September 2026
112 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
7The 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 Des Moines 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 Des Moines County

Population, 2025 estimate
38,077−2.0% since 2020
Households
17,178
Median age
42.1
Homes lived in by their owners
75%
Vehicles per household
1.9
Land area
416 sq. mi.
People per square mile
92
Median household income
$62,928+22.8% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$80,523
Median home value
$136,500
Jobs located here
19,578
Daytime population
39,488Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Des Moines 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 Des Moines County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Optometrists 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 Des Moines County marked.

Top counties in Iowa

Counties in Iowa ranked for optometrists and eye clinics by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Story County, IA75143.6$3.9M+2.7%#125 of 1,302
2Warren County, IA6894.4$3.6M+9.0%#237 of 1,302
3Scott County, IA65273.7$3.9M+0.4%#298 of 1,302
4Marshall County, IA6453.2$4.2M−0.5%#317 of 1,302
5Dallas County, IA64225.2$3.3M+17.8%#327 of 1,302
6Marion County, IA6253.8$3.8M+2.3%#365 of 1,302
7Clinton County, IA6273.6$3.8M−0.9%#366 of 1,302
8Polk County, IA591105.4$2.8M+4.8%#454 of 1,302
9Linn County, IA58414.3$3.4M+0.7%#467 of 1,302
10Black Hawk County, IA58224.0$3.3M+0.4%#469 of 1,302
25Des Moines County, IA21116.4$2M−2.0%#1,193 of 1,302

Other business types in Des Moines County

Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.

Questions

How many optometrists and eye clinics are in Des Moines County, IA?

As of September 2026, map listings count 11 optometrists and eye clinics in Des Moines County. 2 of them (18%) are chain locations. The listings count optometrists and eye clinics. Official counts show 6 businesses with payroll classed as offices of optometrists in 2023.

How much do households in Des Moines County, IA spend on medical and dental services?

About $22.1M a year, or $1,287 per household. That is in line with the U.S. average (an index of 100, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 11 optometrists and eye clinics on map listings, it comes to $2M per practice. That spending covers all medical and dental services, which optometrists and eye clinics share with other businesses in the trade. It is estimated from the incomes of the 17,178 households in Des Moines County and national spending patterns by income.

How does Des Moines County, IA compare with the U.S. for optometrists and eye clinics?

Des Moines County has 6.4 optometrists and eye clinics per 10,000 households, 56% above the U.S. rate of 4.1. Spending per practice is $2M, 36% below the U.S. figure of $3.1M. At the U.S. ratio of optometrists and eye clinics to household spending, Des Moines County would have about 7, against 11 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 2,863 households, against one for every 5,742 across the U.S.

How fast is Des Moines County, IA growing?

Population estimates put Des Moines County at 38,077 people in 2025, down 2.0% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 17,178 households. Median household income in Des Moines County is $62,928, 22% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 22.8%, 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. Des Moines County scores 21 for optometrists and eye clinics (low), #1,193 of 1,302 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Des Moines 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 Des Moines County

Screening a site or an acquisition in Des Moines 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 Des Moines 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.