Auto · County · Michigan
Auto repair and car care businesses in Clare County, MI
How Clare 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 44 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,477 of 2,401 scored counties
#47 of 75 scored counties in Michigan
- Listings
- 49
- 10 chain locations (20%)
- Official establishments
- 17
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $11.4M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $912 a household
- Spending per listing
- $233K
- 13% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 39.1
- 10% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 31,543
- +2.3% since 2020
See the auto repair and car care businesses around any address in Clare 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 Clare 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 49 auto repair and car care businesses in Clare County. 10 of them (20%) are chain locations, against 24% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 39.1, 10% above the U.S. rate of 35.7.
At $912 per household (5% below the U.S. average), households in Clare County spend about $11.4M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs. That works out to $233K per business, 13% below the U.S. figure of $269K.
In 2023, official counts showed 17 businesses with payroll in Clare County classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers. That is one for every 737 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. Another 44 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
Population estimates show Clare County grew 2.3% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for auto repair and car care businesses in Clare County is 44 (lower middle), #1,477 of 2,401 scored counties and #47 of 75 scored counties in Michigan.
How Clare 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 | Clare County | Michigan | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 39.1 | 35.7 | 35.7 |
| Spending per listing | $233K | $286K | $269K |
| Households per official establishment | 737 | 643 | 681 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +3.9% | +4.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.3% | +0.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $912 | $1,022 | $958 |
| Median household income | $49,384 | $72,875 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 44 | 45 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 16 → 17
- Employees, 2023
- 99
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $4.4M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 44Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 4910 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 43The 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 Clare 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 Clare County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 31,543+2.3% since 2020
- Households
- 12,521
- Median age
- 47.5
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 87%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.7
- Land area
- 564 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 55
- Median household income
- $49,384+24.8% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $68,316
- Median home value
- $133,800
- Jobs located here
- 6,145
- Daytime population
- 27,541Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Clare 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 Clare 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 Clare 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 |
| 47Clare County, MI | 44 | 49 | 39.1 | $233K | +2.3% | #1,477 of 2,401 |
Other business types in Clare 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 Clare County, MI?
Clare County has 49 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 17 businesses with payroll classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in 2023. Official counts list 44 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Clare County, MI spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $11.4M a year, or $912 per household. That is 5% below the U.S. average (an index of 95, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 49 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings, it comes to $233K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 12,521 households in Clare County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Clare County, MI compare with the U.S. for auto repair and car care businesses?
Clare County has 39.1 auto repair and car care businesses per 10,000 households, 10% above the U.S. rate of 35.7. Spending per business is $233K, 13% below the U.S. figure of $269K. At the national ratio of auto repair and car care businesses to household spending, Clare County would have about 43, against 49 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 737 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S.
How fast is Clare County, MI growing?
Population estimates put Clare County at 31,543 people in 2025, up 2.3% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 12,521 households. Median household income in Clare County is $49,384, 39% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 24.8%, 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. Clare County scores 44 for auto repair and car care businesses (lower middle), #1,477 of 2,401 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Clare 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 Clare County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Clare 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 Clare 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.