Groundwork

County profile · Iowa

Wayne County, IA market data

How Wayne County compares with other counties for 56 business types: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.

Population, 2025
6,738
+3.6% since 2020
Households
2,565
Median household income
$61,964
Median home value
$111,300
Jobs located here
2,068
Market scores
Not scored
Counties under 10,000 people aren’t given a market score, since a few businesses can swing their figures.

A site report maps the competitors on map listings around any address in Wayne County by name and distance, and the households and spending within reach. Or open the report at the center of Wayne County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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

Wayne County has an estimated 6,738 people and 2,565 households. Population estimates put the population change in Wayne County from 2020 to 2025 at +3.6%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). Median household income in Wayne County is $61,964, 23% below the U.S. median of $80,734.

Relative to the U.S., household spending in Wayne County runs highest on vehicle maintenance and repairs (an index of 120, where 100 is the U.S. average) and lowest on child care and other personal services (59).

Counties under 10,000 people aren’t given a market score, since a few businesses can swing their figures.

Against the U.S., map listings per household run highest for auto repair and car care businesses (2.1 times the U.S. rate) and lowest for sit-down restaurants (30% below the U.S. rate).

All 56 business types in Wayne County

Counties under 10,000 people aren’t given a market score, since a few businesses can swing their figures. Spending per listing divides a whole spending line (all vehicle repairs, all eating out) by one type’s listings: the demand for each competitor, not a business’s revenue. Compare it across markets with its index, where 100 is the U.S. figure for the same type; the real estate types, whose line is all housing costs, show the index only. How the score works.

Every business type in Wayne County, IA, listings, listings per 10,000 households, spending per listing and official establishments
Business typeListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingSpending per listing vs. U.S. (100)Official establishments
Restaurants and cafes2181.9$431K1168
Auto repair and car care1974.1$156K5810
Sit-down restaurants1142.9$823K1244
Auto repair shops1039.0$296K667
Salons, barbers and spas1039.0$234K110Under 3
Grocery and convenience stores831.2$1.8M543
Coffee shops and cafes727.3$1.3M35Under 3
Hair salons727.3$334K78Under 3
Pizza727.3$1.3M253
Doctors, dentists and clinics623.4$567K372Under 3
Pet businesses519.5$390K44Under 3
Clothing and shoe stores415.6$1.2M92Under 3
Clothing, shoes and laundry415.6$1.2M133Under 3
Gas stations415.6$1.9M796
Real estate415.6Index only195Under 3
Real estate agents and brokers415.6Index only155Under 3
Car washes and detailing311.7$985K39Under 3
Convenience stores311.7$4.9M62Under 3
Gyms, studios and classes311.7$655K99Under 3
Home repair trades311.7$2.2M893
Bakeries and dessert shops27.8$4.5MToo fewUnder 3
Funeral homes27.8$227KToo fewUnder 3
Grocery stores27.8$7.3MToo fewUnder 3
Gyms27.8$982KToo fewUnder 3
HVAC and plumbing27.8$3.3MToo few3
Insurance agencies27.8$2.3MToo few4
Primary care and pediatrics27.8$1.7MToo fewUnder 3
Tire shops27.8$1.5MToo fewUnder 3
Barbershops13.9$2.3MToo fewUnder 3
Child care and preschools13.9$872KToo few3
Collision repair and body shops13.9$3MToo fewUnder 3
Dentists and orthodontists13.9$3.4MToo fewUnder 3
Martial arts and dance studios13.9$2MToo fewUnder 3
Nail salons13.9$2.3MToo fewUnder 3
Pet grooming and boarding13.9$1.9MToo fewUnder 3
Physical therapy13.9$3.4MToo fewUnder 3
Roofing and gutters13.9$6.5MToo fewUnder 3
Spas and skin care13.9$2.3MToo fewUnder 3
Veterinarians13.9$1.9MToo fewUnder 3
Chiropractors00.0None listedNone listedUnder 3
Dry cleaners00.0None listedNone listedUnder 3
Electricians00.0None listedNone listedUnder 3
Fast food and sandwich shops00.0None listedNone listed3
Home inspectors00.0None listedNone listedUnder 3
House cleaning00.0None listedNone listedUnder 3
Landscaping and lawn care00.0None listedNone listedUnder 3
Laundromats00.0None listedNone listedUnder 3
Lawn, cleaning and pest control00.0None listedNone listedUnder 3
Mortgage brokers and lenders00.0None listedNone listedUnder 3
Oil change and quick lube00.0None listedNone listedUnder 3
Optometrists and eye care00.0None listedNone listedUnder 3
Pest control00.0None listedNone listedUnder 3
Pet stores00.0None listedNone listedUnder 3
Property management00.0None listedNone listedUnder 3
Urgent care and walk-in clinics00.0None listedNone listedUnder 3
Yoga, Pilates and fitness studios00.0None listedNone listedUnder 3

Household spending in Wayne County

What households here spend in a year on each line, in total and per household, with the index against the U.S. average (100).

Annual household spending in Wayne County, IA by line, per household, and against the U.S.
Spending lineA year, all householdsPer householdIndex vs. U.S. (100)
Vehicle maintenance and repairs$3M$1,152120
Gasoline and other fuels$7.5M$2,942113
Food away from home$9.1M$3,52987
Groceries$14.7M$5,71991
Personal care products and services$2.3M$91291
Child care and other personal services$872K$34059
Memberships, classes and admissions$2M$76678
Medical and dental services$3.4M$1,327103
Pets$1.9M$75984
Clothing, shoes and related services$4.7M$1,82189
Vehicle insurance$4.6M$1,80692
Home repairs, maintenance and insurance$6.5M$2,53784
Lawn care, cleaning and other household services$3M$1,15282
Rent and homeowner costs$33.8M$13,17179

Household spending is estimated from the incomes of the households in each neighborhood, using what households at each income spent nationally in 2024, adjusted for the region. It counts what residents spend, wherever they spend it.

Population and households in Wayne County

Population, 2025 estimate
6,738+3.6% since 2020
Households
2,565
Median age
41.1
Homes lived in by their owners
81%
Vehicles per household
2.1
Land area
526 sq. mi.
People per square mile
12
Median household income
$61,964
Average household income
$90,040
Median home value
$111,300
Jobs located here
2,068
Daytime population
5,905Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Wayne 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 competitors on map listings by name and distance, for any of the 56 business types.

Or open the report at the center of Wayne County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

Questions

How fast is Wayne County, IA growing?

Population estimates put Wayne County at 6,738 people in 2025, up 3.6% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 2,565 households.

How much do households in Wayne County, IA spend?

Households in Wayne County spend about $33.8M a year on rent and homeowner costs, $14.7M on groceries and $9.1M on food away from home. Set against the U.S., households in Wayne County spend the most on vehicle maintenance and repairs (an index of 120, where 100 is the U.S. average) and the least on child care and other personal services (59).

Which business types have the highest market scores in Wayne County, IA?

The score leaves out counties under 10,000 people, where a handful of businesses would swing it.

How does Wayne County, IA compare with the U.S.?

The median household income in Wayne County is $61,964 a year, 23% below the U.S. median of $80,734. The population rose 3.6% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S. The median home value is $111,300, against $332,700 for the U.S. For its number of households, Wayne County has the most map listings, relative to the U.S., for auto repair and car care businesses (2.1 times the U.S. rate) and the fewest for sit-down restaurants (30% below the U.S. rate).

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. Markets with fewer than 5 map listings of the type, and counties under 10,000 people, aren’t scored, since a few businesses can swing their figures.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Wayne County. It maps the competitors 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.

All markets in Iowa · Every U.S. market · How we measure

Screening a site or an acquisition in Wayne 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 Wayne 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.