Clothing and laundry · Metro area · Iowa
Laundromats in the Ames, IA metro area
The laundromats in the Ames, IA metro area, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other metro areas.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 56 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #144 of 364 scored metro areas
#4 of 7 scored metro areas based in Iowa
- Listings
- 7
- 0 chain locations (0%)
- Official establishments
- n/a
- Fewer than 3, or not published
- Household spending a year
- $98.1M
- On clothing, shoes and related services · $1,968 a household
- Spending per listing
- $14M
- 12% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 1.4
- 13% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 128,090
- +2.2% since 2020
See the laundromats around any address in the Ames metro area
The site report maps the laundromats 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 Ames metro 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
At $1,968 per household (4% below the U.S. average), households in the Ames metro area spend about $98.1M a year on clothing, shoes and related services. That is about $14M of household spending for each laundromat on map listings, 12% above the U.S. figure of $12.5M. The spending figure covers all clothing, shoes and related services, not only laundromats.
There are 7 laundromats on map listings in the Ames metro area as of September 2026. None of them are chain locations, against 19% across the U.S. That comes to 1.4 for every 10,000 households, 13% below the U.S. rate of 1.6.
Official counts don’t publish a figure for coin-operated laundries in the Ames metro area, since they leave out counts under 3. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $674K has gone to businesses classed as coin-operated laundries in the Ames metro area.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of the Ames metro area grew 2.2%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Ames metro area scores 56 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for laundromats, ranking #144 of 364 scored metro areas and #4 of 7 scored metro areas based in Iowa.
How the Ames metro area compares
The same measures for Iowa and the whole U.S. Spending per listing divides a year of household spending on all clothing, shoes and related services by the laundromats 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 | Ames metro area | Iowa | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 1.4 | 1.6 | 1.6 |
| Spending per listing | $14M | $11.9M | $12.5M |
| Households per official establishment | n/a | 28,602 | 11,865 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | −11.5% | +3.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.2% | +1.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on clothing, shoes and related services | $1,968 | $1,967 | $2,055 |
| Median household income | $73,127 | $75,059 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 56 | 51 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- n/a
- Employees, 2023
- n/a
- Annual payroll, 2023
- n/a
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 70 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 8The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $674K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as coin-operated laundries in the Ames metro 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 Ames metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 128,090+2.2% since 2020
- Households
- 49,840
- Median age
- 35.1
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 61%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 1,143 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 111
- Median household income
- $73,127+24.8% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $97,543
- Median home value
- $246,300
- Jobs located here
- 57,558
- Daytime population
- 130,790Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Ames metro area?
These figures cover the whole metro area. A site report draws rings around one address and counts what’s inside them: households, spending, jobs, and the laundromats on map listings by name and distance.
Or open the report at the center of the Ames metro area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardLaundromats across Iowa
Every Iowa market ranked →The highest-scoring metro areas in Iowa for laundromats, numbered among those based in Iowa (a market based in another state is listed without a number), with the Ames metro area marked.
Top metro areas in Iowa
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Omaha, NE-IA | 77 | 42 | 1.1 | $19.7M | +4.2% | #29 of 364 |
| 1Iowa City, IA | 72 | 9 | 1.2 | $16.4M | +4.1% | #53 of 364 |
| 2Des Moines-West Des Moines, IA | 71 | 47 | 1.6 | $13.4M | +6.7% | #61 of 364 |
| 3Cedar Rapids, IA | 59 | 19 | 1.7 | $12.1M | +1.0% | #119 of 364 |
| 4Ames, IA | 56 | 7 | 1.4 | $14M | +2.2% | #144 of 364 |
| 5Davenport-Moline-Rock Island, IA-IL | 54 | 23 | 1.4 | $13.7M | −0.9% | #157 of 364 |
| 6Waterloo-Cedar Falls, IA | 34 | 12 | 1.7 | $11M | +0.5% | #276 of 364 |
| 7Sioux City, IA-NE-SD | 34 | 19 | 3.4 | $5.6M | +1.0% | #280 of 364 |
Other business types in the Ames metro 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
- Clothing, shoes and laundry68
- Clothing and shoe stores60
- Laundromats56
- Dry cleaners54
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many laundromats are in the Ames, IA metro area?
As of September 2026, map listings count 7 laundromats in the Ames metro area. None of them are chain locations. The listings count laundromats. No official count is published for coin-operated laundries in the Ames metro area: counts under 3 are left out.
How much do households in the Ames, IA metro area spend on clothing, shoes and related services?
About $98.1M a year, or $1,968 per household. That is 4% below the U.S. average (an index of 96, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 7 laundromats on map listings, it comes to $14M per laundromat. That spending covers all clothing, shoes and related services, which laundromats share with other businesses in the trade. It is estimated from the incomes of the 49,840 households in the Ames metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Ames, IA metro area compare with the U.S. for laundromats?
The Ames metro area has 1.4 laundromats per 10,000 households, 13% below the U.S. rate of 1.6. Spending per laundromat is $14M, 12% above the U.S. figure of $12.5M. At the U.S. ratio of laundromats to household spending, the Ames metro area would have about 8, against 7 on map listings.
How fast is the Ames, IA metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Ames metro area at 128,090 people in 2025, up 2.2% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 49,840 households. Median household income in the Ames metro area is $73,127, 9% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 24.8%, 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. The Ames metro area scores 56 for laundromats (upper middle), #144 of 364 scored metro areas.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Ames metro area. It maps the laundromats 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 laundromats · All 56 business types in the Ames metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Ames metro 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 Ames metro 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.