Auto · County · Iowa
Insurance agencies in Polk County, IA
The insurance agencies in Polk County, IA, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 23 out of 100: Low
Ranked #2,022 of 2,272 scored counties
#38 of 71 scored counties in Iowa
- Listings
- 439
- 79 chain locations (18%)
- Official establishments
- 295
- −3.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $333.2M
- On vehicle insurance · $1,623 a household
- Spending per listing
- $759K
- 40% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 21.4
- 37% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 516,546
- +4.8% since 2020
See the insurance agencies around any address in Polk County
The site report maps the insurance agencies 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 Polk 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 insurance agencies in Polk County is 23 (low), #2,022 of 2,272 scored counties and #38 of 71 scored counties in Iowa. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
As of September 2026, map listings count 439 insurance agencies in Polk County. 79 of them (18%) are chain locations, against 21% across the U.S. That is 21.4 per 10,000 households, 37% above the U.S. rate of 15.6.
Household spending on vehicle insurance in Polk County comes to about $333.2M a year: $1,623 per household, 17% below the U.S. average. Spread across 439 insurance agencies, that is $759K per agency, 40% below the U.S. figure of $1.3M.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as insurance agencies and brokerages in Polk County was 295 in 2023, down 3.0% from 2019. That is one for every 696 households, against one for every 966 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 3 SBA-backed loans worth $1.7M have gone to businesses classed as insurance agencies and brokerages in Polk County. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Polk County grew 4.8%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Polk County compares
The same measures for Iowa and the whole U.S. Spending per listing divides a year of household spending on all vehicle insurance by the insurance agencies 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 | Polk County | Iowa | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 21.4 | 17.7 | 15.6 |
| Spending per listing | $759K | $984K | $1.3M |
| Households per official establishment | 696 | 660 | 966 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −3.0% | −5.7% | −1.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +4.8% | +1.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle insurance | $1,623 | $1,738 | $1,957 |
| Median household income | $83,576 | $75,059 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 23 | 20 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 304 → 295−3.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,934
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $157.2M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 43979 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 265The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 3
- Amount
- $1.7M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as insurance agencies and brokerages in Polk 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 Polk County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 516,546+4.8% since 2020
- Households
- 205,358
- Median age
- 37.1
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 67%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 573 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 879
- Median household income
- $83,576+23.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $109,398
- Median home value
- $262,100
- Jobs located here
- 309,340
- Daytime population
- 566,731Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Polk 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 insurance agencies on map listings by name and distance.
Or open the report at the center of Polk County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardInsurance agencies across Iowa
Every Iowa market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Iowa for insurance agencies, numbered among those based in Iowa, with Polk County marked.
Top counties in Iowa
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Warren County, IA | 53 | 25 | 12.1 | $1.6M | +9.0% | #1,014 of 2,272 |
| 2Marion County, IA | 52 | 20 | 15.0 | $1.3M | +2.3% | #1,055 of 2,272 |
| 3Johnson County, IA | 51 | 62 | 9.8 | $1.6M | +4.6% | #1,073 of 2,272 |
| 4Madison County, IA | 48 | 7 | 10.5 | $1.9M | +3.8% | #1,165 of 2,272 |
| 5Benton County, IA | 46 | 12 | 11.8 | $1.8M | +1.8% | #1,240 of 2,272 |
| 6Mills County, IA | 45 | 7 | 13.0 | $1.5M | +2.6% | #1,277 of 2,272 |
| 7Jasper County, IA | 44 | 22 | 14.7 | $1.3M | +0.9% | #1,329 of 2,272 |
| 8Grundy County, IA | 40 | 6 | 11.7 | $1.6M | +0.2% | #1,438 of 2,272 |
| 9Story County, IA | 40 | 50 | 12.9 | $1.3M | +2.7% | #1,457 of 2,272 |
| 10Boone County, IA | 38 | 14 | 12.8 | $1.5M | +0.4% | #1,522 of 2,272 |
| 38Polk County, IA | 23 | 439 | 21.4 | $759K | +4.8% | #2,022 of 2,272 |
Other business types in Polk 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 insurance agencies are in Polk County, IA?
Polk County has 439 insurance agencies on map listings as of September 2026. 79 of them (18%) are chain locations. The listings count insurance agencies. Official counts show 295 businesses with payroll classed as insurance agencies and brokerages in 2023, down 3.0% from 2019.
How much do households in Polk County, IA spend on vehicle insurance?
About $333.2M a year, or $1,623 per household. That is 17% below the U.S. average (an index of 83, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 439 insurance agencies on map listings, it comes to $759K per agency. It is estimated from the incomes of the 205,358 households in Polk County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Polk County, IA compare with the U.S. for insurance agencies?
Polk County has 21.4 insurance agencies per 10,000 households, 37% above the U.S. rate of 15.6. Spending per agency is $759K, 40% below the U.S. figure of $1.3M. At the national ratio of insurance agencies to household spending, Polk County would have about 265, against 439 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 696 households, against one for every 966 across the U.S. The official count fell 3.0% from 2019 to 2023, against −1.0% for the U.S.
How fast is Polk County, IA growing?
Population estimates put Polk County at 516,546 people in 2025, up 4.8% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 205,358 households. The median household income in Polk County is $83,576 a year, 4% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 23.6% 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. Polk County scores 23 for insurance agencies (low), #2,022 of 2,272 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Polk County. It maps the insurance agencies 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 insurance agencies · All 56 business types in Polk County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Polk 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 Polk 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.