Auto · County · Michigan
Auto repair and car care businesses in Alpena County, MI
How Alpena County, MI 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 15 out of 100: Low
Ranked #2,349 of 2,401 scored counties
#75 of 75 scored counties in Michigan
- Listings
- 74
- 14 chain locations (19%)
- Official establishments
- 31
- +6.9% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $12M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $920 a household
- Spending per listing
- $162K
- 40% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 56.8
- 59% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 28,853
- −0.1% since 2020
See the auto repair and car care businesses around any address in Alpena 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 Alpena 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
Alpena County scores 15 (low) on the Groundwork market score for auto repair and car care businesses, ranking #2,349 of 2,401 scored counties and #75 of 75 scored counties in Michigan. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
Household spending on vehicle maintenance and repairs in Alpena County comes to about $12M a year: $920 per household, 4% below the U.S. average. That works out to $162K per business, 40% below the U.S. figure of $269K.
Alpena County has 74 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings as of September 2026. Of those, 14 are chain locations, or 19%, against 24% across the U.S. That comes to 56.8 for every 10,000 households, 59% above the U.S. rate of 35.7.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in Alpena County was 31 in 2023, up 6.9% from 2019. That is one for every 420 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Alpena County declined 0.1%, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How Alpena County compares
The same measures for Michigan 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 | Alpena County | Michigan | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 56.8 | 35.7 | 35.7 |
| Spending per listing | $162K | $286K | $269K |
| Households per official establishment | 420 | 643 | 681 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +6.9% | +3.9% | +4.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −0.1% | +0.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $920 | $1,022 | $958 |
| Median household income | $53,950 | $72,875 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 15 | 45 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 29 → 31+6.9% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 132
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $5.7M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 38Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 7414 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
- 0
- Amount
- $0
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in Alpena 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 Alpena County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 28,853−0.1% since 2020
- Households
- 13,019
- Median age
- 47.4
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 80%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.7
- Land area
- 572 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 50
- Median household income
- $53,950+24.4% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $74,418
- Median home value
- $153,900
- Jobs located here
- 11,363
- Daytime population
- 29,194Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Alpena 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 Alpena 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 Michigan
Every Michigan market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Michigan for auto repair and car care businesses, numbered among those based in Michigan, with Alpena County marked.
Top counties in Michigan
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Leelanau County, MI | 88 | 19 | 19.7 | $627K | +3.0% | #28 of 2,401 |
| 2Alcona County, MI | 83 | 9 | 17.0 | $591K | +3.7% | #75 of 2,401 |
| 3Lake County, MI | 82 | 6 | 11.6 | $809K | +9.1% | #89 of 2,401 |
| 4Benzie County, MI | 80 | 27 | 35.0 | $326K | +3.1% | #132 of 2,401 |
| 5Antrim County, MI | 76 | 26 | 23.4 | $467K | +5.3% | #195 of 2,401 |
| 6Livingston County, MI | 76 | 226 | 29.6 | $423K | +1.7% | #197 of 2,401 |
| 7Cass County, MI | 75 | 55 | 25.9 | $442K | +0.2% | #221 of 2,401 |
| 8Clinton County, MI | 75 | 91 | 28.8 | $417K | +1.6% | #222 of 2,401 |
| 9Washtenaw County, MI | 72 | 342 | 22.7 | $450K | −0.4% | #290 of 2,401 |
| 10Monroe County, MI | 72 | 192 | 30.5 | $368K | +0.7% | #295 of 2,401 |
| 75Alpena County, MI | 15 | 74 | 56.8 | $162K | −0.1% | #2,349 of 2,401 |
Other business types in Alpena 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 care15
- Auto repair shops15
- Collision repair and body shops25
- Car washes and detailing20
- Tire shops
- Oil change and quick lube
- Gas stations25
- Insurance agencies48
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 Alpena County, MI?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 74 auto repair and car care businesses in Alpena County. 14 of them (19%) are chain locations. The listings count repair shops, body shops, tire shops, car washes, oil change and parts stores. Official counts show 31 businesses with payroll classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in 2023, up 6.9% from 2019. Another 38 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Alpena County, MI spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $12M a year, or $920 per household. That is 4% below the U.S. average (an index of 96, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 74 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings, it comes to $162K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 13,019 households in Alpena County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Alpena County, MI compare with the U.S. for auto repair and car care businesses?
Alpena County has 56.8 auto repair and car care businesses per 10,000 households, 59% above the U.S. rate of 35.7. Spending per business is $162K, 40% below the U.S. figure of $269K. At the U.S. ratio of auto repair and car care businesses to household spending, Alpena County would have about 45, against 74 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 420 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. The official count rose 6.9% from 2019 to 2023, against +4.1% for the U.S.
How fast is Alpena County, MI growing?
Population estimates put Alpena County at 28,853 people in 2025, down 0.1% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 13,019 households. The median household income in Alpena County is $53,950 a year, 33% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 24.4% 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. Alpena County scores 15 for auto repair and car care businesses (low), #2,349 of 2,401 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Alpena 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 Alpena County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Alpena 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 Alpena 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.