B2B cold email software in Iowa
Verified federal data on the Iowa business market, plus outreach guides for its largest cities and service industries. Acqro researches every company on your list and writes each email from what it finds.
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How many businesses are in Iowa?
Iowa had 83,321 business establishments in 2023, ranking 31st among the 50 states and DC, with 22,973 of them employing 10 to 249 people. Source: U.S. Census Bureau County Business Patterns. Acqro is AI cold email software that researches each of those companies before writing to them.
The Iowa B2B market in numbers
- Business establishments
- 83,321−0.3% vs 2022Census CBP 2023
- Firms with 10–249 employees
- 22,973Census CBP 2023
- Paid employees
- 1,415,652Census CBP 2023
- Average annual pay
- $56,344Census CBP 2023
- Professional services firms
- 6,474Census CBP 2023, NAICS 54
- Share of US establishments
- 1.0%Census CBP 2023
71.6% of establishments in Iowa have fewer than 10 employees, below the 73.0% share for the United States. The 22,973 establishments with 10 to 249 employees are where most B2B lists should start: large enough to have a budget and a defined buyer, small enough that an owner or department head still makes the call and reads their own email.
By employment, the largest sectors are manufacturing (15.8% of jobs) and health care and social assistance (15.6% of jobs). Relative to the national mix, manufacturing (15.8% locally against 8.8% nationally) and finance and insurance (7.2% locally against 5.0% nationally) stand out, which makes them natural first segments for outbound.
The number of establishments changed by −0.3% between 2022 and 2023, slower than the +0.8% change for the United States. New and growing businesses are the accounts most likely to be choosing vendors for the first time, so pair that list with research on hiring, new locations and leadership changes before writing a single email.
Largest industries in Iowa
Sectors ranked by paid employment, compared with the national mix.
| Sector | Establishments | Employees | Avg. annual pay | Share of jobs | US share |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Manufacturing | 3,418 | 224,293 | $69,570 | 15.8% | 8.8% |
| Health care and social assistance | 9,092 | 220,971 | $55,437 | 15.6% | 15.8% |
| Retail trade | 10,970 | 187,097 | $31,444 | 13.2% | 11.5% |
| Accommodation and food services | 7,512 | 123,699 | $21,118 | 8.7% | 10.4% |
| Finance and insurance | 5,833 | 101,557 | $94,393 | 7.2% | 5.0% |
| Administrative, support and waste management services | 4,015 | 99,027 | $44,970 | 7.0% | 9.6% |
| Construction | 9,067 | 74,180 | $75,623 | 5.2% | 5.5% |
| Transportation and warehousing | 4,023 | 71,907 | $55,102 | 5.1% | 4.7% |
| Wholesale trade | 4,686 | 70,206 | $73,587 | 5.0% | 4.5% |
| Professional, scientific and technical services | 6,474 | 65,271 | $78,337 | 4.6% | 7.4% |
Where Iowa businesses are concentrated
Counties ranked by number of business establishments.
| County | Establishments | Share of state | Employees |
|---|---|---|---|
| Polk County | 13,890 | 16.7% | 295,413 |
| Linn County | 5,744 | 6.9% | 119,172 |
| Scott County | 4,525 | 5.4% | 86,426 |
| Johnson County | 3,490 | 4.2% | 68,965 |
| Black Hawk County | 3,105 | 3.7% | 63,693 |
| Dubuque County | 2,804 | 3.4% | 56,357 |
| Woodbury County | 2,622 | 3.1% | 46,810 |
| Dallas County | 2,521 | 3.0% | 46,640 |
| Story County | 2,162 | 2.6% | 33,500 |
| Pottawattamie County | 1,920 | 2.3% | 32,384 |
Cold email guides for Iowa cities
Each guide covers the county that contains the city.
| City | County | Establishments in county |
|---|---|---|
| Cedar Rapids | Linn County | 5,744 |
| Davenport | Scott County | 4,525 |
| Des Moines | Polk County | 13,890 |
| Sioux City | Woodbury County | 2,622 |
B2B service industries in Iowa
Establishment counts in Iowa for the service industries Acqro customers work in. Each links to an outreach guide.
| Industry | Census industry (NAICS) | Establishments |
|---|---|---|
| Commercial Insurance Brokers | Insurance Agencies and Brokerages | 1,993 |
| Law Firms | Offices of Lawyers | 1,212 |
| Commercial Real Estate Brokers | Offices of Real Estate Agents and Brokers | 1,195 |
| Commercial Cleaning Companies | Janitorial Services | 647 |
| Management Consultants | Administrative Management and General Management Consulting Services | 525 |
| CPA and Accounting Firms | Offices of Certified Public Accountants | 497 |
| Software Development Agencies | Custom Computer Programming Services | 356 |
| Staffing Agencies | Temporary Help Services | 325 |
| Financial Advisory Firms | Investment Advice | 292 |
| Healthtech Vendors | Computer Systems Design Services | 281 |
| SEO Agencies | Marketing Consulting Services | 256 |
| Commercial Waste Services | Solid Waste Collection | 176 |
| Logistics Providers | Freight Transportation Arrangement | 156 |
| Architecture Firms | Architectural Services | 118 |
| SaaS Companies | Software Publishers | 109 |
| Marketing Agencies | Advertising Agencies | 93 |
| Corporate Caterers | Caterers | 86 |
| Office Design Firms | Interior Design Services | 84 |
| HR Consultancies | Human Resources Consulting Services | 69 |
| Business Telecom and VoIP Providers | Telecommunications Resellers | 66 |
| Corporate Training Providers | Professional and Management Development Training | 53 |
| Video Production Companies | Motion Picture and Video Production | 53 |
| Executive Search Firms | Executive Search Services | 43 |
| Cybersecurity Firms | Other Computer Related Services | 42 |
| PR Agencies | Public Relations Agencies | 35 |
| Payroll Providers | Payroll Services | 35 |
| Event Management Companies | Convention and Trade Show Organizers | 34 |
| Merchant Services Providers | Financial Transactions Processing, Reserve, and Clearinghouse Activities | 27 |
| Managed Service Providers | Computer Facilities Management Services | 26 |
| Translation Services | Translation and Interpretation Services | 21 |
Cold email in Iowa, answered
How many businesses are in Iowa?
Iowa had 83,321 business establishments in 2023, employing 1,415,652 people. Source: U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2023.
What are the largest industries in Iowa?
By paid employment in 2023: manufacturing (15.8% of jobs), health care and social assistance (15.6% of jobs) and retail trade (13.2% of jobs). Source: U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2023.
Is cold email legal in the United States?
Yes. The federal CAN-SPAM Act permits commercial email to business contacts without prior consent, provided the message identifies the sender accurately, uses a truthful subject line, includes a valid physical postal address and a working opt-out, and honours opt-out requests promptly. CAN-SPAM applies in every state and preempts most state commercial email laws, except provisions aimed at falsity or deception. This is general information, not legal advice.
Explore related pages
Guides for Iowa
Other states
Sources and methodology
Every figure on this page comes from a federal statistical release and is shown with its source and reference year. Figures the agencies withhold or publish with high noise are left out rather than estimated. Page updated September 17, 2026.
- U.S. Census Bureau, County Business Patterns 2023 and 2022: establishments, paid employment for the pay period including March 12, annual payroll, and establishments by employment size. Industries use NAICS 2017 codes.
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