Auto · County · Indiana
Auto repair and car care businesses in Wells County, IN
How Wells County, IN compares with other counties and the U.S. for auto repair and car care businesses: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 50 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #1,240 of 2,401 scored counties
#70 of 86 scored counties in Indiana
- Listings
- 51
- 10 chain locations (20%)
- Official establishments
- 21
- −16.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $13M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $1,129 a household
- Spending per listing
- $256K
- 5% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 44.2
- 24% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 28,883
- +2.6% since 2020
See the auto repair and car care businesses around any address in Wells 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 Wells 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
As of September 2026, map listings count 51 auto repair and car care businesses in Wells County. 10 of them (20%) are chain locations, against 24% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 44.2, 24% above the U.S. rate of 35.7.
Households in Wells County spend about $13M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs, or $1,129 per household, 18% above the U.S. average. That works out to $256K per business, 5% below the U.S. figure of $269K.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in Wells County was 21 in 2023, down 16.0% from 2019. That is one for every 550 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. Official counts list 36 one-person businesses without payroll.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Wells County grew 2.6%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for auto repair and car care businesses in Wells County is 50 (upper middle), #1,240 of 2,401 scored counties and #70 of 86 scored counties in Indiana.
How Wells 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 | Wells County | Indiana | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 44.2 | 36.3 | 35.7 |
| Spending per listing | $256K | $296K | $269K |
| Households per official establishment | 550 | 675 | 681 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −16.0% | +3.9% | +4.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.6% | +2.7% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $1,129 | $1,072 | $958 |
| Median household income | $71,957 | $71,957 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 50 | 61 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 25 → 21−16.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 109
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $6.1M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 36Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 5110 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 49The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 0
- Amount
- $0
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in Wells 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 Wells County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 28,883+2.6% since 2020
- Households
- 11,546
- Median age
- 39.9
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 76%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 368 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 77
- Median household income
- $71,957+21.5% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $88,952
- Median home value
- $197,600
- Jobs located here
- 11,127
- Daytime population
- 26,173Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Wells 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 Wells 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 Wells 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 |
| 70Wells County, IN | 50 | 51 | 44.2 | $256K | +2.6% | #1,240 of 2,401 |
Other business types in Wells County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
Auto
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 Wells County, IN?
Wells County has 51 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings as of September 2026. 10 of them (20%) are chain locations. The listings count repair shops, body shops, tire shops, car washes, oil change and parts stores. Official counts show 21 businesses with payroll classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in 2023, down 16.0% from 2019. Official counts also show 36 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Wells County, IN spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $13M a year, or $1,129 per household. That is 18% above the U.S. average (an index of 118, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 51 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings, it comes to $256K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 11,546 households in Wells County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Wells County, IN compare with the U.S. for auto repair and car care businesses?
Wells County has 44.2 auto repair and car care businesses per 10,000 households, 24% above the U.S. rate of 35.7. Spending per business is $256K, 5% below the U.S. figure of $269K. At the national ratio of auto repair and car care businesses to household spending, Wells County would have about 49, against 51 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 550 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. The official count fell 16.0% from 2019 to 2023, against +4.1% for the U.S.
How fast is Wells County, IN growing?
Population estimates put Wells County at 28,883 people in 2025, up 2.6% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 11,546 households. Median household income in Wells County is $71,957, 11% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 21.5%, 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. Wells County scores 50 for auto repair and car care businesses (upper middle), #1,240 of 2,401 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Wells 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 Wells County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Wells 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 Wells 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.