Auto · County · Indiana
Auto repair and car care businesses in Elkhart County, IN
The auto repair and car care businesses in Elkhart County, IN, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 24 out of 100: Low
Ranked #2,197 of 2,401 scored counties
#86 of 86 scored counties in Indiana
- Listings
- 423
- 92 chain locations (22%)
- Official establishments
- 188
- +3.9% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $75.5M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $1,044 a household
- Spending per listing
- $178K
- 34% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 58.5
- 64% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 208,774
- +0.9% since 2020
See the auto repair and car care businesses around any address in Elkhart 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 Elkhart 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
Elkhart County scores 24 (low) on the Groundwork market score for auto repair and car care businesses, ranking #2,197 of 2,401 scored counties and #86 of 86 scored counties in Indiana. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
Household spending on vehicle maintenance and repairs in Elkhart County comes to about $75.5M a year: $1,044 per household, 9% above the U.S. average. That is about $178K of household spending for each business on map listings, 34% below the U.S. figure of $269K.
There are 423 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings in Elkhart County as of September 2026. Of those, 92 are chain locations, or 22%, against 24% across the U.S. That is 58.5 per 10,000 households, 64% above the U.S. rate of 35.7.
Official counts show 188 businesses with payroll classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in Elkhart County in 2023, up 3.9% from 2019. That is one for every 385 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 8 SBA-backed loans worth $1.6M have gone to businesses classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in Elkhart County. Population estimates put the population change in Elkhart County from 2020 to 2025 at +0.9%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Elkhart 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.
| Measure | Elkhart County | Indiana | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 58.5 | 36.3 | 35.7 |
| Spending per listing | $178K | $296K | $269K |
| Households per official establishment | 385 | 675 | 681 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +3.9% | +3.9% | +4.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +0.9% | +2.7% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $1,044 | $1,072 | $958 |
| Median household income | $68,561 | $71,957 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 24 | 61 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 181 → 188+3.9% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,621
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $89.3M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 227Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 42392 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 281The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 8
- Amount
- $1.6M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in Elkhart 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 Elkhart County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 208,774+0.9% since 2020
- Households
- 72,309
- Median age
- 36.7
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 72%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 463 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 447
- Median household income
- $68,561+20.2% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $89,471
- Median home value
- $210,400
- Jobs located here
- 133,676
- Daytime population
- 244,683Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Elkhart 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 Elkhart County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.
Free10 actions over 3 days, no cardAuto 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 Elkhart County marked.
Top counties in Indiana
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Hamilton County, IN | 92 | 312 | 22.7 | $544K | +10.9% | #11 of 2,401 |
| 2Brown County, IN | 90 | 6 | 8.8 | $1.5M | +1.9% | #17 of 2,401 |
| 3Hancock County, IN | 87 | 97 | 29.0 | $428K | +13.5% | #37 of 2,401 |
| 4Newton County, IN | 85 | 11 | 19.2 | $618K | +2.9% | #49 of 2,401 |
| 5Spencer County, IN | 83 | 25 | 30.9 | $423K | +1.2% | #82 of 2,401 |
| 6Washington County, IN | 81 | 37 | 33.0 | $383K | +0.5% | #105 of 2,401 |
| 7Crawford County, IN | 80 | 12 | 26.2 | $441K | −0.2% | #118 of 2,401 |
| 8Warrick County, IN | 80 | 84 | 33.4 | $368K | +4.4% | #124 of 2,401 |
| 9Parke County, IN | 80 | 18 | 29.3 | $366K | +3.0% | #125 of 2,401 |
| 10Boone County, IN | 80 | 105 | 36.5 | $338K | +13.5% | #130 of 2,401 |
| 86Elkhart County, IN | 24 | 423 | 58.5 | $178K | +0.9% | #2,197 of 2,401 |
Other business types in Elkhart County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
Auto
- Auto repair and car care24
- Auto repair shops27
- Collision repair and body shops33
- Car washes and detailing32
- Tire shops42
- Oil change and quick lube55
- Gas stations34
- Insurance agencies42
Beauty and personal care
Fitness and classes
Health care
Child care
Clothing and laundry
Home services
Real estate
Funeral services
Questions
How many auto repair and car care businesses are in Elkhart County, IN?
As of September 2026, map listings count 423 auto repair and car care businesses in Elkhart County. 92 of them (22%) are chain locations. The listings count repair shops, body shops, tire shops, car washes, oil change and parts stores. Official counts show 188 businesses with payroll classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in 2023, up 3.9% from 2019. Another 227 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Elkhart County, IN spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $75.5M a year, or $1,044 per household. That is 9% above the U.S. average (an index of 109, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 423 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings, it comes to $178K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 72,309 households in Elkhart County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Elkhart County, IN compare with the U.S. for auto repair and car care businesses?
Elkhart County has 58.5 auto repair and car care businesses per 10,000 households, 64% above the U.S. rate of 35.7. Spending per business is $178K, 34% below the U.S. figure of $269K. At the U.S. ratio of auto repair and car care businesses to household spending, Elkhart County would have about 281, against 423 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 385 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. The official count rose 3.9% from 2019 to 2023, against +4.1% for the U.S.
How fast is Elkhart County, IN growing?
Population estimates put Elkhart County at 208,774 people in 2025, up 0.9% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 72,309 households. The median household income in Elkhart County is $68,561 a year, 15% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 20.2% 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. Elkhart County scores 24 for auto repair and car care businesses (low), #2,197 of 2,401 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Elkhart 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 Elkhart County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Elkhart 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 Elkhart 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.