Auto · Metro area · Indiana
Auto repair and car care businesses in the Fort Wayne, IN metro area
The auto repair and car care businesses in the Fort Wayne, IN metro area, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other metro areas.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 61 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #115 of 387 scored metro areas
#6 of 12 scored metro areas based in Indiana
- Listings
- 640
- 185 chain locations (29%)
- Official establishments
- 284
- −0.7% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $190.3M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $1,045 a household
- Spending per listing
- $297K
- 11% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 35.1
- 2% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 466,258
- +3.9% since 2020
See the auto repair and car care businesses around any address in the Fort Wayne metro area
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 the Fort Wayne metro area. 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
As of September 2026, map listings count 640 auto repair and car care businesses in the Fort Wayne metro area. Chain locations make up 29% of them, against 24% across the U.S. That is 35.1 per 10,000 households, 2% below the U.S. rate of 35.7.
At $1,045 per household (9% above the U.S. average), households in the Fort Wayne metro area spend about $190.3M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs. That works out to $297K per business, 11% above the U.S. figure of $269K.
Official counts show 284 businesses with payroll classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in the Fort Wayne metro area in 2023, down 0.7% from 2019. That is one for every 641 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. Another 351 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 14 SBA-backed loans worth $3.6M have gone to businesses classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in the Fort Wayne metro area.
Population estimates put the population change in the Fort Wayne metro area from 2020 to 2025 at +3.9%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Fort Wayne metro area scores 61 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for auto repair and car care businesses, ranking #115 of 387 scored metro areas and #6 of 12 scored metro areas based in Indiana.
How the Fort Wayne metro area 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 | Fort Wayne metro area | Indiana | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 35.1 | 36.3 | 35.7 |
| Spending per listing | $297K | $296K | $269K |
| Households per official establishment | 641 | 675 | 681 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −0.7% | +3.9% | +4.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +3.9% | +2.7% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $1,045 | $1,072 | $958 |
| Median household income | $71,213 | $71,957 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 61 | 61 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 284−0.7% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 2,245
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $115.8M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 351Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 640185 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 709The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 14
- Amount
- $3.6M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in the Fort Wayne metro area, 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 the Fort Wayne metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 466,258+3.9% since 2020
- Households
- 182,145
- Median age
- 37.6
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 70%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 1,361 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 335
- Median household income
- $71,213
- Average household income
- $93,321
- Median home value
- $214,100
- Jobs located here
- 229,223
- Daytime population
- 467,926Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Fort Wayne metro area?
These figures cover the whole metro area. 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 the Fort Wayne metro area. 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 metro areas in Indiana for auto repair and car care businesses, numbered among those based in Indiana (a market based in another state is listed without a number), with the Fort Wayne metro area marked.
Top metro areas in Indiana
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Indianapolis-Carmel-Greenwood, IN | 79 | 2,827 | 33.5 | $318K | +5.4% | #16 of 387 |
| Cincinnati, OH-KY-IN | 76 | 2,808 | 31.0 | $340K | +2.7% | #22 of 387 |
| 2Columbus, IN | 75 | 123 | 36.9 | $315K | +4.3% | #28 of 387 |
| 3Bloomington, IN | 74 | 184 | 27.1 | $363K | +2.0% | #31 of 387 |
| 4Lafayette-West Lafayette, IN | 70 | 286 | 31.5 | $324K | +2.1% | #53 of 387 |
| 5South Bend-Mishawaka, IN-MI | 64 | 409 | 31.8 | $316K | +0.1% | #90 of 387 |
| 6Fort Wayne, IN | 61 | 640 | 35.1 | $297K | +3.9% | #115 of 387 |
| 7Evansville, IN | 61 | 427 | 37.5 | $277K | +1.6% | #119 of 387 |
| 8Muncie, IN | 60 | 166 | 35.9 | $275K | +1.2% | #124 of 387 |
| Louisville/Jefferson County, KY-IN | 55 | 1,940 | 34.7 | $265K | +2.9% | #165 of 387 |
Other business types in the Fort Wayne metro area
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 care61
- Auto repair shops58
- Collision repair and body shops63
- Car washes and detailing73
- Tire shops68
- Oil change and quick lube59
- Gas stations41
- Insurance agencies25
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 the Fort Wayne, IN metro area?
The Fort Wayne metro area has 640 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings as of September 2026. 185 of them (29%) are chain locations. The listings count repair shops, body shops, tire shops, car washes, oil change and parts stores. Official counts show 284 businesses with payroll classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in 2023, down 0.7% from 2019. Official counts list 351 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Fort Wayne, IN metro area spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $190.3M a year, or $1,045 per household. That is 9% above the U.S. average (an index of 109, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 640 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings, it comes to $297K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 182,145 households in the Fort Wayne metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Fort Wayne, IN metro area compare with the U.S. for auto repair and car care businesses?
The Fort Wayne metro area has 35.1 auto repair and car care businesses per 10,000 households, 2% below the U.S. rate of 35.7. Spending per business is $297K, 11% above the U.S. figure of $269K. At the national ratio of auto repair and car care businesses to household spending, the Fort Wayne metro area would have about 709, against 640 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 641 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. The official count fell 0.7% from 2019 to 2023, against +4.1% for the U.S.
How fast is the Fort Wayne, IN metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Fort Wayne metro area at 466,258 people in 2025, up 3.9% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 182,145 households. Median household income in the Fort Wayne metro area is $71,213, 12% below the U.S. median of $80,734.
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. The Fort Wayne metro area scores 61 for auto repair and car care businesses (upper middle), #115 of 387 scored metro areas.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Fort Wayne metro area. 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 the Fort Wayne metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Fort Wayne metro area?
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 the Fort Wayne metro area. 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.