Iowa Business by the Numbers: 2026 Company Breakdown
Iowa has 453,687 business records in Factur’s directory — the 32nd-most of any U.S. state, or 0.7% of the national total. Des Moines leads its cities with 8.3% of the state’s records, Industrial & mechanical is the largest sector at 25.8%, and Iowa ranks 32nd for large employers (500+ employees).
Data as of July 2026. The figures come from Factur’s U.S. business directory, spanning 11 Iowa cities and 8 industry sectors. They count records, not unique companies: one company can have more than one record (see the methodology). Every number links to the browsable list behind it. Journalists and researchers are welcome to cite these figures with a link back to this page.
Key findings
- Iowa ranks 32nd nationally with 453,687 business records — 0.7% of all 64,799,929 U.S. records in the directory.
- A national-average share of large employers. Iowa is 32nd for records of companies with 500+ employees (765), with 16.9 per 10,000 records against 14.0 nationally (14th of 52 states).
- Iowa has more food & beverage than the U.S. mix:Food & Beverage is 5.9% of the state’s records against 1.4% nationally (4.1×).
- Des Moines is the state’s largest business hub, with 8.3% of all Iowa records.
- Business is concentrated in a few metros: Des Moines, Cedar Rapids and West Des Moines together hold 16.1% of the state’s records.
How Iowa ranks nationally
Iowa and its closest neighbours by total business records. Select a state to open its own study.
Top Iowa cities by number of business records
These 10 cities account for 30.5% of all records in Iowa. Select any city to browse its full company list.
Iowa businesses by industry
Every record is classified by its primary industry using NAICS/SIC codes; the shares are of all Iowa records. Select a sector to see those Iowa companies.
What sets Iowa apart
Sectors that make up a bigger share of Iowa’s records than of the U.S. as a whole. A ratio of 2.0× means the sector is twice as common here as nationally. Select a sector to browse it.
Iowa businesses by size
Most records in every state are small businesses. In Iowa, 1.51% of records with a known size have 51 or more employees, against 1.77% nationally. 167 records belong to companies with $1 billion or more in revenue.
| Employees | Records | Iowa | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1-50 | 442,109 | 98.49% | 98.23% |
| 51-200 | 4,729 | 1.05% | 1.37% |
| 201-1000 | 1,731 | 0.39% | 0.33% |
| 1001-5000 | 243 | 0.05% | 0.05% |
| 5001+ | 76 | 0.02% | 0.02% |
What the numbers show
Iowa’s 453,687 records place it 32nd nationally, 0.7% of the U.S. total, and 32nd for large employers. Activity clusters in its largest metros — Des Moines, Cedar Rapids and West Des Moines alone account for 16.1% of the state’s records — and the state leans toward food & beverage compared with the rest of the country. For buyers and sellers, that means the deepest pools of suppliers sit in a handful of cities and sectors; the charts above link straight into each so you can shortlist by capability and region.
Frequently asked questions
How many businesses are in Iowa?
Factur’s directory has 453,687 business records for Iowa, the 32nd-most of any U.S. state. That counts records rather than unique companies: a company can have more than one record, so the number of distinct businesses is lower.
How many large companies are in Iowa?
765 Iowa records belong to companies with 500 or more employees, 32nd among U.S. states, or 16.9 per 10,000 records against 14.0 nationally. Large companies often have several records (one per department or location), so this overstates the number of distinct large employers.
Which Iowa city has the most businesses?
Des Moines has the most, with 8.3% of the state’s records.
What is the largest industry in Iowa?
Industrial & mechanical is the largest sector, at 25.8% of Iowa records. Compared with the U.S. mix, Iowa has proportionally more food & beverage.
Where does this data come from?
From Factur’s U.S. business directory as of July 2026, classified by city and by primary industry using NAICS/SIC codes. Every figure on this page links to the list behind it.
Cite this data
Free to use with attribution — please credit Factur and link back to this page.
Factur. (2026). Iowa Business by the Numbers: 2026 Company Breakdown. data.facturmfg.com. https://data.facturmfg.com/insights/iowa<a href="https://data.facturmfg.com/insights/iowa">Iowa Business by the Numbers: 2026 Company Breakdown</a> — data by FacturMethodology
Figures count records in Factur’s U.S. business directory as of July 2026, classified by city and primary industry using NAICS/SIC codes. Records cover manufacturers, suppliers and businesses of all sizes. They are not a count of unique companies: one company can have several records (for example one per department or location), and some records are duplicates. That affects large companies most, so treat raw totals as an upper bound and rely on the ranks, shares and comparisons, which it affects much less. These are directory totals, not official census figures. Percentages are computed against the Iowa directory total; size shares use records with a known employee count. Data compiled by Factur, a sales and marketing firm for B2B manufacturers.
Looking for a specific industry in Iowa? Browse the Iowa directory → or contact us for a custom data pull.