Auto · Small-town market · Iowa
Insurance agencies in the Spirit Lake, IA area
How the Spirit Lake, IA area compares with other small-town markets and the U.S. for insurance agencies: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 34 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #406 of 537 scored small-town markets
#2 of 15 scored small-town markets based in Iowa
- Listings
- 13
- 2 chain locations (15%)
- Official establishments
- 16
- −20.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $16M
- On vehicle insurance · $1,814 a household
- Spending per listing
- $1.2M
- 2% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 14.7
- 6% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 18,077
- +1.7% since 2020
See the insurance agencies around any address in the Spirit Lake area
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 the Spirit Lake 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
The Spirit Lake area scores 34 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for insurance agencies, ranking #406 of 537 scored small-town markets and #2 of 15 scored small-town markets based in Iowa. That puts it in the bottom quarter of small-town markets.
As of September 2026, map listings count 13 insurance agencies in the Spirit Lake area. Of those, 2 are chain locations, or 15%, against 21% across the U.S. That comes to 14.7 for every 10,000 households, 6% below the U.S. rate of 15.6.
Households in the Spirit Lake area spend about $16M a year on vehicle insurance, or $1,814 per household, 7% below the U.S. average. Spread across 13 insurance agencies, that is $1.2M per agency, 2% below the U.S. figure of $1.3M.
Official counts show 16 businesses with payroll classed as insurance agencies and brokerages in the Spirit Lake area in 2023, down 20.0% from 2019. That is one for every 553 households, against one for every 966 across the U.S. Population estimates put the population change in the Spirit Lake area from 2020 to 2025 at +1.7%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How the Spirit Lake area 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 | Spirit Lake area | Iowa | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 14.7 | 17.7 | 15.6 |
| Spending per listing | $1.2M | $984K | $1.3M |
| Households per official establishment | 553 | 660 | 966 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −20.0% | −5.7% | −1.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +1.7% | +1.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle insurance | $1,814 | $1,738 | $1,957 |
| Median household income | $75,432 | $75,059 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 34 | 20 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 16−20.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 43
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $2.2M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 132 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 13The 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 insurance agencies and brokerages in the Spirit Lake 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 Spirit Lake area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 18,077+1.7% since 2020
- Households
- 8,845
- Median age
- 48.9
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 77%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 381 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 47
- Median household income
- $75,432+25.8% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $102,164
- Median home value
- $270,700
- Jobs located here
- 10,412
- Daytime population
- 20,071Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Spirit Lake area?
These figures cover the whole small-town market. 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 the Spirit Lake area. 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 small-town markets in Iowa for insurance agencies, numbered among those based in Iowa, with the Spirit Lake area marked.
Top small-town markets in Iowa
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Pella, IA | 59 | 20 | 15.0 | $1.3M | +2.3% | #197 of 537 |
| 2Spirit Lake, IA | 34 | 13 | 14.7 | $1.2M | +1.7% | #406 of 537 |
| 3Fort Madison, IA | 33 | 19 | 13.3 | $1.3M | −3.6% | #415 of 537 |
| 4Ottumwa, IA | 33 | 18 | 12.9 | $1.3M | −0.3% | #416 of 537 |
| 5Marshalltown, IA | 32 | 24 | 15.5 | $1.2M | −0.5% | #426 of 537 |
| 6Muscatine, IA | 26 | 28 | 16.1 | $1.1M | −3.0% | #456 of 537 |
| 7Le Mars, IA | 26 | 21 | 20.4 | $943K | 0.0% | #459 of 537 |
| 8Clinton, IA | 21 | 35 | 17.9 | $971K | −0.9% | #481 of 537 |
| 9Fort Dodge, IA | 19 | 27 | 17.6 | $975K | −0.4% | #492 of 537 |
| 10Oskaloosa, IA | 18 | 21 | 24.0 | $785K | −1.2% | #503 of 537 |
Other business types in the Spirit Lake area
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 the Spirit Lake, IA area?
The Spirit Lake area has 13 insurance agencies on map listings as of September 2026. 2 of them (15%) are chain locations. The listings count insurance agencies. Official counts show 16 businesses with payroll classed as insurance agencies and brokerages in 2023, down 20.0% from 2019.
How much do households in the Spirit Lake, IA area spend on vehicle insurance?
About $16M a year, or $1,814 per household. That is 7% below the U.S. average (an index of 93, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 13 insurance agencies on map listings, it comes to $1.2M per agency. It is estimated from the incomes of the 8,845 households in the Spirit Lake area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Spirit Lake, IA area compare with the U.S. for insurance agencies?
The Spirit Lake area has 14.7 insurance agencies per 10,000 households, 6% below the U.S. rate of 15.6. Spending per agency is $1.2M, 2% below the U.S. figure of $1.3M. The count on map listings matches the U.S. ratio of insurance agencies to household spending. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 553 households, against one for every 966 across the U.S. The official count fell 20.0% from 2019 to 2023, against −1.0% for the U.S.
How fast is the Spirit Lake, IA area growing?
Population estimates put the Spirit Lake area at 18,077 people in 2025, up 1.7% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 8,845 households. The median household income in the Spirit Lake area is $75,432 a year, 7% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 25.8% 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. A small-town market is a town of 10,000 to 50,000 people and the county or counties tied to it by commuting. 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 Spirit Lake area scores 34 for insurance agencies (lower middle), #406 of 537 scored small-town markets.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Spirit Lake area. 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 the Spirit Lake area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Spirit Lake 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 Spirit Lake 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.