Groundwork

Auto · County · Indiana

Auto repair and car care businesses in St. Joseph County, IN

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

Groundwork market score · out of 100

Score 55 out of 100: Upper middle

Ranked #968 of 2,401 scored counties
#59 of 86 scored counties in Indiana

Listings
354
104 chain locations (29%)
Official establishments
144
+9.1% since 2019
Household spending a year
$104.9M
On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $978 a household
Spending per listing
$296K
10% above the U.S.
Listings per 10k households
33.0
8% below the U.S.
Population, 2025
272,861
+0.1% since 2020

See the auto repair and car care businesses around any address in St. Joseph 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 St. Joseph County. Signed out, you see a blurred preview; on an account, each report is one action.

Free10 actions over 3 days, no card

Survey estimates 2020–2024 · population estimates 2025 · official business counts 2023 · map listings September 2026 · Data credits · How we measure

What this means

Households in St. Joseph County spend about $104.9M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs, or $978 per household, 2% above the U.S. average. That is about $296K of household spending for each business on map listings, 10% above the U.S. figure of $269K.

There are 354 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings in St. Joseph County as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 29% of them, against 24% across the U.S. That is 33.0 per 10,000 households, 8% below the U.S. rate of 35.7.

Official counts show 144 businesses with payroll classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in St. Joseph County in 2023, up 9.1% from 2019. That is one for every 745 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. Official counts list 184 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 8 SBA-backed loans worth $9.1M have gone to businesses classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in St. Joseph County.

Population estimates put the population change in St. Joseph County from 2020 to 2025 at +0.1%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). St. Joseph County scores 55 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for auto repair and car care businesses, ranking #968 of 2,401 scored counties and #59 of 86 scored counties in Indiana.

How St. Joseph 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 St. Joseph County, IN compared with Indiana and the U.S.
MeasureSt. Joseph CountyIndianaU.S.
Listings per 10k households33.036.335.7
Spending per listing$296K$296K$269K
Households per official establishment745675681
Official establishment growth, 2019–2023+9.1%+3.9%+4.1%
Population growth, 2020–2025+0.1%+2.7%+3.1%
Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs$978$1,072$958
Median household income$66,868$71,957$80,734
Groundwork market score5561

Official counts and lending

Businesses

Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
132 → 144+9.1% over the period
Employees, 2023
1,073
Annual payroll, 2023
$54.1M
One-person businesses, 2023
184Businesses with no payroll
Map listings, September 2026
354104 chain locations
Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
391The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here

SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022

Loans
8
Amount
$9.1M

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

Population, 2025 estimate
272,861+0.1% since 2020
Households
107,252
Median age
38.0
Homes lived in by their owners
69%
Vehicles per household
1.7
Land area
458 sq. mi.
People per square mile
596
Median household income
$66,868+26.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
Average household income
$92,212
Median home value
$192,800
Jobs located here
124,747
Daytime population
277,571Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here

Looking at a specific site in St. Joseph 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 St. Joseph 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 St. Joseph 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
59St. Joseph County, IN5535433.0$296K+0.1%#968 of 2,401

Other business types in St. Joseph 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 St. Joseph County, IN?

As of September 2026, map listings count 354 auto repair and car care businesses in St. Joseph County. 104 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 144 businesses with payroll classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in 2023, up 9.1% from 2019. Official counts also show 184 one-person businesses without payroll.

How much do households in St. Joseph County, IN spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?

About $104.9M a year, or $978 per household. That is 2% above the U.S. average (an index of 102, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 354 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings, it comes to $296K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 107,252 households in St. Joseph County and national spending patterns by income.

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

St. Joseph County has 33.0 auto repair and car care businesses per 10,000 households, 8% below the U.S. rate of 35.7. Spending per business is $296K, 10% above the U.S. figure of $269K. At the U.S. ratio of auto repair and car care businesses to household spending, St. Joseph County would have about 391, against 354 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 745 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. The official count rose 9.1% from 2019 to 2023, against +4.1% for the U.S.

How fast is St. Joseph County, IN growing?

Population estimates put St. Joseph County at 272,861 people in 2025, up 0.1% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 107,252 households. The median household income in St. Joseph County is $66,868 a year, 17% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 26.7% 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. St. Joseph County scores 55 for auto repair and car care businesses (upper middle), #968 of 2,401 scored counties.

How can I see the market around a specific site?

Run a Groundwork site report on an address in St. Joseph 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 St. Joseph County

Screening a site or an acquisition in St. Joseph 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 St. Joseph 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.