Groundwork

Clothing and laundry · Small-town market · Iowa

Laundromats in the Fort Dodge, IA area

The laundromats in the Fort Dodge, IA area, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other small-town markets.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 35 out of 100: Lower middle

Ranked #115 of 150 scored small-town markets
#1 of 2 scored small-town markets based in Iowa

Listings
5
1 chain location (20%)
Official establishments
n/a
Fewer than 3, or not published
Household spending a year
$27.8M
On clothing, shoes and related services · $1,808 a household
Spending per listing
$5.6M
56% below the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
3.3
2.1 times the U.S.
Population, 2025
36,838
−0.4% since 2020

See the laundromats around any address in the Fort Dodge 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 Fort Dodge area. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

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Survey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure

What this means

For laundromats, the Fort Dodge area has a Groundwork market score of 35 (lower middle): #115 of 150 scored small-town markets and #1 of 2 scored small-town markets based in Iowa. That puts it in the bottom quarter of small-town markets.

At $1,808 per household (12% below the U.S. average), households in the Fort Dodge area spend about $27.8M a year on clothing, shoes and related services. That is about $5.6M of household spending for each laundromat on map listings, 56% below the U.S. figure of $12.5M. The spending figure covers all clothing, shoes and related services, not only laundromats.

There are 5 laundromats on map listings in the Fort Dodge area as of September 2026. One of them (20%) is a chain location, against 19% across the U.S. That is 3.3 per 10,000 households, 2.1 times the U.S. rate of 1.6.

Official counts don’t publish a figure for coin-operated laundries in the Fort Dodge area, since they leave out counts under 3. Population estimates show the Fort Dodge area declined 0.4% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S.

How the Fort Dodge 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.

Laundromats in Fort Dodge, IA area compared with Iowa and the U.S.
MeasureFort Dodge areaIowaU.S.
Listings per 10k households3.31.61.6
Spending per listing$5.6M$11.9M$12.5M
Households per official establishmentn/a28,60211,865
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023n/a−11.5%+3.0%
Population growth, 2020–2025−0.4%+1.5%+3.1%
Spending per household on clothing, shoes and related services$1,808$1,967$2,055
Median household income$68,975$75,059$80,734
Groundwork market score3551

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
51 chain location
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
2The 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 coin-operated laundries in the Fort Dodge 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 Fort Dodge area

Population, 2025 estimate
36,838−0.4% since 2020
Households
15,375
Median age
39.6
Homes lived in by their owners
70%
Vehicles per household
1.9
Land area
716 sq. mi.
People per square mile
52
Median household income
$68,975+45.3% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$83,997
Median home value
$153,800
Jobs located here
17,395
Daytime population
38,670Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in the Fort Dodge 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 laundromats on map listings by name and distance.

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

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Laundromats across Iowa

Every Iowa market ranked →

The highest-scoring small-town markets in Iowa for laundromats, numbered among those based in Iowa, with the Fort Dodge area marked.

Top small-town markets in Iowa

Small-town markets in Iowa ranked for laundromats by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Fort Dodge, IA3553.3$5.6M−0.4%#115 of 150
2Muscatine, IA2863.5$5.4M−3.0%#132 of 150

Other business types in the Fort Dodge area

Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.

Questions

How many laundromats are in the Fort Dodge, IA area?

As of September 2026, map listings count 5 laundromats in the Fort Dodge area. One of them (20%) is a chain location. The listings count laundromats. No official count is published for coin-operated laundries in the Fort Dodge area: counts under 3 are left out.

How much do households in the Fort Dodge, IA area spend on clothing, shoes and related services?

About $27.8M a year, or $1,808 per household. That is 12% below the U.S. average (an index of 88, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 5 laundromats on map listings, it comes to $5.6M 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 15,375 households in the Fort Dodge area and national spending patterns by income.

How does the Fort Dodge, IA area compare with the U.S. for laundromats?

The Fort Dodge area has 3.3 laundromats per 10,000 households, 2.1 times the U.S. rate of 1.6. Spending per laundromat is $5.6M, 56% below the U.S. figure of $12.5M. At the U.S. ratio of laundromats to household spending, the Fort Dodge area would have about 2, against 5 on map listings.

How fast is the Fort Dodge, IA area growing?

Population estimates put the Fort Dodge area at 36,838 people in 2025, down 0.4% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 15,375 households. Median household income in the Fort Dodge area is $68,975, 15% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 45.3%, 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 Fort Dodge area scores 35 for laundromats (lower middle), #115 of 150 scored small-town markets.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Fort Dodge 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 Fort Dodge area

Screening a site or an acquisition in the Fort Dodge 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 Fort Dodge 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.