Clothing and laundry · County · Iowa
Laundromats in Polk County, IA
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for laundromats in Polk County, IA, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 67 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #194 of 785 scored counties
#2 of 9 scored counties in Iowa
- Listings
- 35
- 21 chain locations (60%)
- Official establishments
- 11
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $432.5M
- On clothing, shoes and related services · $2,106 a household
- Spending per listing
- $12.4M
- In line with the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 1.7
- 6% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 516,546
- +4.8% since 2020
See the laundromats around any address in Polk County
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 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
As of September 2026, map listings count 35 laundromats in Polk County. 21 of them (60%) are chain locations, against 19% across the U.S. That is 1.7 per 10,000 households, 6% above the U.S. rate of 1.6.
Household spending on clothing, shoes and related services in Polk County comes to about $432.5M a year: $2,106 per household, 2% above the U.S. average. That works out to $12.4M per laundromat, in line with the U.S. figure of $12.5M. That spending covers all clothing, shoes and related services, which laundromats share with other businesses in the trade.
In 2023, official counts showed 11 businesses with payroll in Polk County classed as coin-operated laundries. That is one for every 18,669 households, against one for every 11,865 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $352K has gone to businesses classed as coin-operated laundries in Polk County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Polk County grew 4.8%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). Polk County scores 67 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for laundromats, ranking #194 of 785 scored counties and #2 of 9 scored counties in Iowa. That puts it in the top quarter of counties.
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 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 | Polk County | Iowa | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 1.7 | 1.6 | 1.6 |
| Spending per listing | $12.4M | $11.9M | $12.5M |
| Households per official establishment | 18,669 | 28,602 | 11,865 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | −11.5% | +3.0% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +4.8% | +1.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on clothing, shoes and related services | $2,106 | $1,967 | $2,055 |
| Median household income | $83,576 | $75,059 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 67 | 51 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 12 → 11
- Employees, 2023
- 59
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $984K
- One-person businesses, 2023
- Not publishedNot published for this business type
- Map listings, September 2026
- 3521 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 35The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $352K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as coin-operated laundries 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 laundromats 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 cardLaundromats across Iowa
Every Iowa market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Iowa for laundromats, 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Johnson County, IA | 73 | 8 | 1.3 | $16.2M | +4.6% | #130 of 785 |
| 2Polk County, IA | 67 | 35 | 1.7 | $12.4M | +4.8% | #194 of 785 |
| 3Scott County, IA | 62 | 9 | 1.2 | $16.5M | +0.4% | #237 of 785 |
| 4Linn County, IA | 60 | 16 | 1.7 | $12.1M | +0.7% | #266 of 785 |
| 5Black Hawk County, IA | 33 | 11 | 2.0 | $9.3M | +0.4% | #576 of 785 |
| 6Woodbury County, IA | 27 | 12 | 2.9 | $6.4M | +0.7% | #655 of 785 |
| 7Jasper County, IA | 26 | 5 | 3.3 | $5.7M | +0.9% | #665 of 785 |
| 8Webster County, IA | 18 | 5 | 3.3 | $5.6M | −0.4% | #721 of 785 |
| 9Muscatine County, IA | 15 | 6 | 3.5 | $5.4M | −3.0% | #747 of 785 |
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
- Clothing, shoes and laundry54
- Clothing and shoe stores55
- Laundromats67
- Dry cleaners63
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many laundromats are in Polk County, IA?
Polk County has 35 laundromats on map listings as of September 2026. 21 of them (60%) are chain locations. The listings count laundromats. Official counts show 11 businesses with payroll classed as coin-operated laundries in 2023.
How much do households in Polk County, IA spend on clothing, shoes and related services?
About $432.5M a year, or $2,106 per household. That is 2% above the U.S. average (an index of 102, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 35 laundromats on map listings, it comes to $12.4M per laundromat. The spending figure covers all clothing, shoes and related services, not only laundromats. 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 laundromats?
Polk County has 1.7 laundromats per 10,000 households, 6% above the U.S. rate of 1.6. Spending per laundromat is $12.4M, in line with the U.S. figure of $12.5M. The count on map listings matches the U.S. ratio of laundromats to household spending. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 18,669 households, against one for every 11,865 across 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 67 for laundromats (upper middle), #194 of 785 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 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 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.