Market rankings · Iowa

Home inspectors in Iowa

Markets across Iowa ranked by the Groundwork market score for home inspectors, with competitor counts and household spending for each.

Listings: 70; 6 chain locations (9%)
Official establishments: 48; −7.7% since 2019
Household spending a year: $18.4B; On rent and homeowner costs
Listings per 10k households: 0.5; 17% below the U.S.
Housing spending per listing (U.S. = 100): 100; In line with the U.S.
Rank among states: #26 of 50; Market score 49 · Lower middle

A site report maps the home inspectors on map listings around any address in Iowa by name and distance, and the spending within reach.

Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

Survey 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 70 home inspectors in Iowa. Chain locations make up 9% of them, against 3% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 0.5, 17% below the U.S. rate of 0.6.

Household spending on rent and homeowner costs in Iowa comes to about $18.4B a year: $14,016 per household, 16% below the U.S. average. Housing spending per business is in line with the U.S. figure. That figure is all rent and homeowner costs, used as a measure of housing demand; it is not money home inspectors take in.

The official count of businesses with payroll classed as building inspection services in Iowa was 48 in 2023, down 7.7% from 2019. That is one for every 27,411 households, against one for every 17,237 across the U.S. Across the U.S., the count rose 6.5% over the same years.

Among 50 states, Iowa ranks #26 for home inspectors, with a Groundwork market score of 49 (lower middle). Of the 6 scored metro areas in or partly in Iowa, the Davenport-Moline-Rock Island metro area scores highest (61). Among 3 scored counties, Johnson County scores highest (50).

Every market in Iowa for home inspectors

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

Metro areas reaching Iowa, ranked for home inspectors by Groundwork market score
Market	Score	Listings	Per 10k households	Housing spending per listing (U.S. = 100)	Population growth	U.S. rank
1Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL	61	5	0.3	171	−0.9%	#59 of 243
Omaha, NE-IA	61	23	0.6	96	+4.2%	#65 of 243
2Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA	55	19	0.6	88	+6.7%	#94 of 243
3Iowa City, IA	54	5	0.7	79	+4.1%	#106 of 243
4Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA	27	5	0.7	72	+0.5%	#226 of 243
5Cedar Rapids, IA	27	10	0.9	62	+1.0%	#228 of 243
Sioux City, IA-NE-SD	Not scored	4	0.7	73	+1.0%
Ames, IA	Not scored	0	0.0	n/a	+2.2%
Dubuque, IA	Not scored	2	0.5	110	+0.1%

Small-town markets

Small-town markets reaching Iowa, ranked for home inspectors by Groundwork market score
Market	Score	Listings	Per 10k households	Housing spending per listing (U.S. = 100)	Population growth
Mason City, IA	Not scored	0	0.0	n/a	−1.5%
Clinton, IA	Not scored	0	0.0	n/a	−0.9%
Burlington, IA-IL	Not scored	4	2.0	24	−2.5%
Muscatine, IA	Not scored	1	0.6	89	−3.0%
Marshalltown, IA	Not scored	1	0.6	79	−0.5%
Fort Dodge, IA	Not scored	1	0.7	77	−0.4%
Ottumwa, IA	Not scored	0	0.0	n/a	−0.3%
Pella, IA	Not scored	1	0.8	72	+2.3%
Fort Madison, IA	Not scored	2	1.4	35	−3.6%
Le Mars, IA	Not scored	0	0.0	n/a	0.0%
Oskaloosa, IA	Not scored	1	1.1	44	−1.2%
Storm Lake, IA	Not scored	0	0.0	n/a	−1.7%
Carroll, IA	Not scored	1	1.1	46	−2.0%
Spirit Lake, IA	Not scored	0	0.0	n/a	+1.7%
Spencer, IA	Not scored	0	0.0	n/a	−0.8%

Counties

Counties in Iowa, ranked for home inspectors by Groundwork market score
Market	Score	Listings	Per 10k households	Housing spending per listing (U.S. = 100)	Population growth	U.S. rank
1Johnson County, IA	50	5	0.8	69	+4.6%	#200 of 415
2Polk County, IA	45	16	0.8	72	+4.8%	#243 of 415
3Linn County, IA	31	9	0.9	58	+0.7%	#352 of 415
Scott County, IA	Not scored	3	0.4	133	+0.4%
Black Hawk County, IA	Not scored	4	0.7	70	+0.4%
Dallas County, IA	Not scored	1	0.2	264	+17.8%
Woodbury County, IA	Not scored	4	1.0	53	+0.7%
Story County, IA	Not scored	0	0.0	n/a	+2.7%
Dubuque County, IA	Not scored	2	0.5	110	+0.1%
Pottawattamie County, IA	Not scored	2	0.5	98	−0.7%
Warren County, IA	Not scored	0	0.0	n/a	+9.0%
Clinton County, IA	Not scored	0	0.0	n/a	−0.9%
Cerro Gordo County, IA	Not scored	0	0.0	n/a	−1.5%
Muscatine County, IA	Not scored	1	0.6	89	−3.0%
Marshall County, IA	Not scored	1	0.6	79	−0.5%
Des Moines County, IA	Not scored	4	2.3	21	−2.0%
Jasper County, IA	Not scored	1	0.7	78	+0.9%
Webster County, IA	Not scored	1	0.7	77	−0.4%
Sioux County, IA	Not scored	1	0.8	71	+2.5%
Wapello County, IA	Not scored	0	0.0	n/a	−0.3%
Marion County, IA	Not scored	1	0.8	72	+2.3%
Lee County, IA	Not scored	2	1.4	35	−3.6%
Boone County, IA	Not scored	0	0.0	n/a	+0.4%
Plymouth County, IA	Not scored	0	0.0	n/a	0.0%
Benton County, IA	Not scored	0	0.0	n/a	+1.8%

Show all 99 counties

Counties in Iowa, ranked for home inspectors by Groundwork market score, continued
Market	Score	Listings	Per 10k households	Housing spending per listing (U.S. = 100)	Population growth
Bremer County, IA	Not scored	0	0.0	n/a	+1.1%
Washington County, IA	Not scored	0	0.0	n/a	+0.6%
Mahaska County, IA	Not scored	1	1.1	44	−1.2%
Jones County, IA	Not scored	1	1.2	43	+2.9%
Buena Vista County, IA	Not scored	0	0.0	n/a	−1.7%
Buchanan County, IA	Not scored	0	0.0	n/a	+1.3%
Carroll County, IA	Not scored	1	1.1	46	−2.0%
Henry County, IA	Not scored	0	0.0	n/a	−5.4%
Winneshiek County, IA	Not scored	1	1.2	43	−1.6%
Jackson County, IA	Not scored	0	0.0	n/a	−0.8%
Fayette County, IA	Not scored	0	0.0	n/a	−2.1%
Poweshiek County, IA	Not scored	1	1.3	40	−1.4%
Cedar County, IA	Not scored	0	0.0	n/a	−0.7%
Dickinson County, IA	Not scored	0	0.0	n/a	+1.7%
Delaware County, IA	Not scored	0	0.0	n/a	+1.3%
Clayton County, IA	Not scored	0	0.0	n/a	−1.1%
Madison County, IA	Not scored	1	1.5	38	+3.8%
Tama County, IA	Not scored	0	0.0	n/a	−1.5%
Hardin County, IA	Not scored	1	1.4	35	−2.2%
Iowa County, IA	Not scored	0	0.0	n/a	−1.0%
Clay County, IA	Not scored	0	0.0	n/a	−0.8%
Crawford County, IA	Not scored	1	1.6	32	−1.5%
Jefferson County, IA	Not scored	0	0.0	n/a	−2.5%
Floyd County, IA	Not scored	0	0.0	n/a	−4.4%
Page County, IA	Not scored	0	0.0	n/a	−2.3%
Hamilton County, IA	Not scored	0	0.0	n/a	−0.5%
Harrison County, IA	Not scored	0	0.0	n/a	+0.4%
Mills County, IA	Not scored	0	0.0	n/a	+2.6%
Kossuth County, IA	Not scored	0	0.0	n/a	−3.2%
Butler County, IA	Not scored	0	0.0	n/a	−2.0%
O’Brien County, IA	Not scored	0	0.0	n/a	+0.5%
Allamakee County, IA	Not scored	0	0.0	n/a	+1.2%
Cass County, IA	Not scored	1	1.7	29	−1.2%
Wright County, IA	Not scored	0	0.0	n/a	−0.9%
Grundy County, IA	Not scored	1	2.0	28	+0.2%
Appanoose County, IA	Not scored	0	0.0	n/a	−1.7%
Lyon County, IA	Not scored	0	0.0	n/a	+3.6%
Union County, IA	Not scored	0	0.0	n/a	−2.5%
Chickasaw County, IA	Not scored	0	0.0	n/a	−2.8%
Shelby County, IA	Not scored	0	0.0	n/a	−0.2%
Cherokee County, IA	Not scored	0	0.0	n/a	−2.4%
Guthrie County, IA	Not scored	0	0.0	n/a	+1.6%
Louisa County, IA	Not scored	0	0.0	n/a	−3.7%
Hancock County, IA	Not scored	0	0.0	n/a	−2.2%
Winnebago County, IA	Not scored	0	0.0	n/a	−3.8%
Mitchell County, IA	Not scored	0	0.0	n/a	+0.6%
Montgomery County, IA	Not scored	0	0.0	n/a	−3.2%
Franklin County, IA	Not scored	0	0.0	n/a	−1.2%
Keokuk County, IA	Not scored	1	2.5	20	−2.0%
Calhoun County, IA	Not scored	0	0.0	n/a	−3.4%
Sac County, IA	Not scored	0	0.0	n/a	−2.7%
Clarke County, IA	Not scored	0	0.0	n/a	−1.6%
Humboldt County, IA	Not scored	0	0.0	n/a	−2.0%
Howard County, IA	Not scored	0	0.0	n/a	−0.8%
Emmet County, IA	Not scored	0	0.0	n/a	−2.5%
Davis County, IA	Not scored	0	0.0	n/a	+1.3%
Palo Alto County, IA	Not scored	0	0.0	n/a	−1.0%
Lucas County, IA	Not scored	0	0.0	n/a	+2.6%
Greene County, IA	Not scored	1	2.5	20	−1.0%
Monona County, IA	Not scored	0	0.0	n/a	−2.4%
Decatur County, IA	Not scored	0	0.0	n/a	−0.9%
Monroe County, IA	Not scored	0	0.0	n/a	−2.5%
Adair County, IA	Not scored	0	0.0	n/a	−1.3%
Worth County, IA	Not scored	0	0.0	n/a	−1.3%
Van Buren County, IA	Not scored	0	0.0	n/a	−1.2%
Pocahontas County, IA	Not scored	0	0.0	n/a	−3.5%
Ida County, IA	Not scored	0	0.0	n/a	−3.4%
Wayne County, IA	Not scored	0	0.0	n/a	+3.6%
Fremont County, IA	Not scored	0	0.0	n/a	−0.8%
Osceola County, IA	Not scored	0	0.0	n/a	−3.6%
Taylor County, IA	Not scored	0	0.0	n/a	−0.5%
Audubon County, IA	Not scored	0	0.0	n/a	−3.0%
Ringgold County, IA	Not scored	0	0.0	n/a	0.0%
Adams County, IA	Not scored	0	0.0	n/a	−2.5%

Markets with fewer than 5 home inspectors on map listings, and counties under 10,000 people, aren’t scored; they’re listed last in each table.

Questions

How many home inspectors are in Iowa?

There are 70 home inspectors on map listings in Iowa as of September 2026. 6 of them (9%) are chain locations. The listings count home inspectors. Official counts show 48 businesses with payroll classed as building inspection services in 2023, down 7.7% from 2019.

How much do households in Iowa spend on rent and homeowner costs?

About $18.4B a year, or $14,016 per household. That is 16% below the U.S. average (an index of 84, where 100 is the U.S. average). For the 70 home inspectors on map listings, housing spending per business is in line with the U.S. figure. The spending figure is all rent and homeowner costs, a measure of housing demand, not money home inspectors take in. 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 home inspectors?

Iowa has 0.5 home inspectors per 10,000 households, 17% below the U.S. rate of 0.6. The index of housing spending per business is 100, where 100 is the U.S. The count on map listings matches the U.S. ratio of home inspectors to household spending. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 27,411 households, against one for every 17,237 across the U.S. The official count fell 7.7% from 2019 to 2023, against +6.5% for the U.S.

Which market in Iowa has the highest market score for home inspectors?

Among 6 scored metro areas in or partly in Iowa, the Davenport-Moline-Rock Island metro area scores highest, at 61 (upper middle). Among 3 scored counties in Iowa, Johnson County scores highest, at 50 (upper middle). 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 49 for home inspectors (lower middle), #26 of 50 scored states.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Iowa. It maps the home inspectors 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.

Real estate3,271 listings
Real estate agents and brokers2,671 listings
Property management267 listings
Mortgage brokers and lenders263 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.

Run a site report See plans