Bars and taverns in Iowa: 811 locations, -3.7% jobs
Official counts for bars and taverns in Iowa, 2026 Q1: how many there are, whether they are adding jobs, what they pay, and how Iowa compares with the other states. From the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the Census Bureau, refreshed each quarter.
Iowa against the country · 2026 Q1
| Iowa | United States | |
|---|---|---|
| Bars and taverns with employees | 811 | 41,912 |
| Per 100,000 residents | 25 | 12.3 |
| Jobs | 5,876 | 395,676 |
| Jobs, year over year | -3.7% | -2.0% |
| Locations, year over year | -3.9% | -0.6% |
| Average weekly wage | $291 | $515 |
| Rank among states, density | 7 of 49 | |
| Rank among states, job growth | 29 of 49 |
What the numbers say
Iowa has 811 bars and taverns with payroll, employing 5,876 people. At 25 per 100,000 residents the market is denser than the country as a whole, number 7 among the 49 states with published data. Jobs fell 3.7% over the year, against -2.0% nationally.
Average pay at bars and taverns in Iowa is $291 a week, 43% below the national figure of $515. Budget labor from this number, not from a national guide.
Over five years, from 2021 to 2025, the number of bars and taverns in Iowa moved -11.1%, from 956 to 850.
Bars and taverns in Iowa, annual average
- 2021956
- 2022949
- 2023905
- 2024881
- 2025850
Jobs at bars and taverns in Iowa
- 20216,159
- 20226,488
- 20236,499
- 20246,464
- 20256,203
What counts as "bars and taverns" here
Drinking places that serve alcoholic beverages for on-site consumption: bars, taverns, pubs, nightclubs and cocktail lounges. Food may be served but drinks are the main line. The code is NAICS 722410. BLS counts establishments that report payroll, so a one-person business with no employees is not in these figures; in trades with many solo operators the true number of businesses is higher.
Before you open one in Iowa
A statewide figure tells you which way the wind blows. It does not tell you whether the corner you are looking at has the households, the income and the gap in competition to support one more. A counts the bars and taverns within reach of one address in Iowa, reads the county trend from the same BLS table, and scores the plan. The saturation check does a city-level version for free.
Questions people ask
How many bars and taverns are there in Iowa?
BLS counted 811 bars and taverns with employees in Iowa in 2026 Q1, employing 5,876 people. Owner-only businesses with no payroll are not in that count. That is 25 per 100,000 residents, against 12.3 nationally.
Are bars and taverns growing in Iowa?
Not at the moment. Jobs at bars and taverns in Iowa changed -3.7% over the year to 2026 Q1, and the number of locations changed -3.9%. That ranks Iowa 29 of 49 states for job growth in this business type. Over five years the location count moved -11.1%.
Is Iowa a crowded market for bars and taverns?
Iowa has 25 bars and taverns per 100,000 residents, denser than the country as a whole, ranking 7 of 49 states. Density is a statewide average; a Neur report counts the competitors around one address.
Bars and taverns in every state
Densest first. The number is bars and taverns per 100,000 residents in 2026 Q1.
Other business types in Iowa
Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Quarterly Census of Employment and Wages, private sector, NAICS 722410, 2026 Q1 (quarterly) and annual averages (five-year series); U.S. Census Bureau, American Community Survey 1-year population estimates. This page is generated from those feeds and rewritten when a new quarter publishes. All 14 business types in Iowa · Growth ranking for Iowa · Bars and taverns by state