Groundwork

Auto · County · Indiana

Auto repair and car care businesses in Clay County, IN

The auto repair and car care businesses in Clay County, IN, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 60 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #756 of 2,401 scored counties
#49 of 86 scored counties in Indiana

Listings
45
12 chain locations (27%)
Official establishments
12
Businesses with payroll, 2023
Household spending a year
$12.1M
On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $1,144 a household
Spending per listing
$268K
In line with the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
42.7
20% above the U.S.
Population, 2025
26,410
−0.1% since 2020

See the auto repair and car care businesses around any address in Clay County

The site report maps the auto repair and car care businesses 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 Clay County. 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

Map listings as of September 2026 show 45 auto repair and car care businesses in Clay County. Of those, 12 are chain locations, or 27%, against 24% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 42.7, 20% above the U.S. rate of 35.7.

At $1,144 per household (19% above the U.S. average), households in Clay County spend about $12.1M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs. That is about $268K of household spending for each business on map listings, in line with the U.S. figure of $269K.

In 2023, official counts showed 12 businesses with payroll in Clay County classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers. That is one for every 879 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. Official counts also show 25 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $50K has gone to businesses classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in Clay County.

Population estimates put the population change in Clay County from 2020 to 2025 at −0.1%, against +3.1% for the U.S. The Groundwork market score for auto repair and car care businesses in Clay County is 60 (upper middle), #756 of 2,401 scored counties and #49 of 86 scored counties in Indiana.

How Clay County compares

The same measures for Indiana and the whole U.S. Spending per listing divides a year of household spending on all vehicle maintenance and repairs by the auto repair and car care businesses counted, so it measures the demand for each competitor, not any business’s revenue. Households per establishment does the same with the official count.

Auto repair and car care in Clay County, IN compared with Indiana and the U.S.
MeasureClay CountyIndianaU.S.
Listings per 10k households42.736.335.7
Spending per listing$268K$296K$269K
Households per official establishment879675681
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023n/a+3.9%+4.1%
Population growth, 2020–2025−0.1%+2.7%+3.1%
Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs$1,144$1,072$958
Median household income$70,010$71,957$80,734
Groundwork market score6061

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
15 → 12
Employees, 2023
33
Annual payroll, 2023
$1.2M
One-person businesses, 2023
25Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
4512 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
45The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
1
Amount
$50K

SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in Clay 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 Clay County

Population, 2025 estimate
26,410−0.1% since 2020
Households
10,549
Median age
41.4
Homes lived in by their owners
81%
Vehicles per household
2.0
Land area
358 sq. mi.
People per square mile
74
Median household income
$70,010+25.8% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$101,024
Median home value
$153,000
Jobs located here
7,738
Daytime population
24,011Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in Clay 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 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings by name and distance.

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

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Auto repair and car care across Indiana

Every Indiana market ranked →

The highest-scoring counties in Indiana for auto repair and car care businesses, numbered among those based in Indiana, with Clay County marked.

Top counties in Indiana

Counties in Indiana ranked for auto repair and car care businesses by Groundwork market score
MarketScoreListingsPer 10k householdsSpending per listingPopulation growthU.S. rank
1Hamilton County, IN9231222.7$544K+10.9%#11 of 2,401
2Brown County, IN9068.8$1.5M+1.9%#17 of 2,401
3Hancock County, IN879729.0$428K+13.5%#37 of 2,401
4Newton County, IN851119.2$618K+2.9%#49 of 2,401
5Spencer County, IN832530.9$423K+1.2%#82 of 2,401
6Washington County, IN813733.0$383K+0.5%#105 of 2,401
7Crawford County, IN801226.2$441K−0.2%#118 of 2,401
8Warrick County, IN808433.4$368K+4.4%#124 of 2,401
9Parke County, IN801829.3$366K+3.0%#125 of 2,401
10Boone County, IN8010536.5$338K+13.5%#130 of 2,401
49Clay County, IN604542.7$268K−0.1%#756 of 2,401

Other business types in Clay County

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

Questions

How many auto repair and car care businesses are in Clay County, IN?

There are 45 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings in Clay County as of September 2026. 12 of them (27%) are chain locations. The listings count repair shops, body shops, tire shops, car washes, oil change and parts stores. Official counts show 12 businesses with payroll classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in 2023. Another 25 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.

How much do households in Clay County, IN spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?

About $12.1M a year, or $1,144 per household. That is 19% above the U.S. average (an index of 119, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 45 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings, it comes to $268K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 10,549 households in Clay County and national spending patterns by income.

How does Clay County, IN compare with the U.S. for auto repair and car care businesses?

Clay County has 42.7 auto repair and car care businesses per 10,000 households, 20% above the U.S. rate of 35.7. Spending per business is $268K, in line with the U.S. figure of $269K. The count on map listings matches the U.S. ratio of auto repair and car care businesses to household spending. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 879 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S.

How fast is Clay County, IN growing?

Population estimates put Clay County at 26,410 people in 2025, down 0.1% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 10,549 households. Median household income in Clay County is $70,010, 13% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 25.8%, 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. Clay County scores 60 for auto repair and car care businesses (upper middle), #756 of 2,401 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Clay County. It maps the auto repair and car care businesses 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 auto repair and car care businesses · All 56 business types in Clay County

Screening a site or an acquisition in Clay 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 Clay 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.