Auto · Metro area · Michigan
Auto repair and car care businesses in the Flint, MI metro area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for auto repair and car care businesses in the Flint, MI metro area, set against other metro areas and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 44 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #247 of 387 scored metro areas
#11 of 15 scored metro areas based in Michigan
- Listings
- 614
- 152 chain locations (25%)
- Official establishments
- 245
- +1.2% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $164.1M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $981 a household
- Spending per listing
- $267K
- In line with the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 36.7
- 3% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 401,093
- −1.1% since 2020
See the auto repair and car care businesses around any address in the Flint 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 Flint 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
At $981 per household (2% above the U.S. average), households in the Flint metro area spend about $164.1M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs. Spread across 614 auto repair and car care businesses, that is $267K per business, in line with the U.S. figure of $269K.
The Flint metro area has 614 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings as of September 2026. 152 of them (25%) are chain locations, against 24% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 36.7, 3% 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 the Flint metro area was 245 in 2023, up 1.2% from 2019. That is one for every 683 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. Official counts list 378 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 8 SBA-backed loans worth $2M have gone to businesses classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in the Flint metro area.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of the Flint metro area declined 1.1%, against +3.1% for the U.S. For auto repair and car care businesses, the Flint metro area has a Groundwork market score of 44 (lower middle): #247 of 387 scored metro areas and #11 of 15 scored metro areas based in Michigan.
How the Flint metro area 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 | Flint metro area | Michigan | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 36.7 | 35.7 | 35.7 |
| Spending per listing | $267K | $286K | $269K |
| Households per official establishment | 683 | 643 | 681 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +1.2% | +3.9% | +4.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −1.1% | +0.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $981 | $1,022 | $958 |
| Median household income | $62,281 | $72,875 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 44 | 45 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 245+1.2% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 2,610
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $100.3M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 378Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 614152 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 611The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 8
- Amount
- $2M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in the Flint 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 Flint metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 401,093−1.1% since 2020
- Households
- 167,334
- Median age
- 41.3
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 71%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.7
- Land area
- 637 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 633
- Median household income
- $62,281+28.2% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $84,062
- Median home value
- $182,400
- Jobs located here
- 125,696
- Daytime population
- 375,742Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Flint 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 Flint 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 Michigan
Every Michigan market ranked →The highest-scoring metro areas in Michigan for auto repair and car care businesses, numbered among those based in Michigan (a market based in another state is listed without a number), with the Flint metro area marked.
Top metro areas in Michigan
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Monroe, MI | 78 | 192 | 30.5 | $368K | +0.7% | #19 of 387 |
| 2Ann Arbor, MI | 75 | 342 | 22.7 | $450K | −0.4% | #24 of 387 |
| 3Lansing-East Lansing, MI | 68 | 607 | 31.3 | $321K | +1.4% | #68 of 387 |
| South Bend-Mishawaka, IN-MI | 64 | 409 | 31.8 | $316K | +0.1% | #90 of 387 |
| 4Jackson, MI | 62 | 220 | 35.2 | $290K | −0.4% | #105 of 387 |
| 5Midland, MI | 59 | 123 | 35.1 | $313K | +0.3% | #129 of 387 |
| 6Kalamazoo-Portage, MI | 56 | 355 | 33.1 | $307K | +0.8% | #151 of 387 |
| 7Muskegon-Norton Shores, MI | 54 | 264 | 39.0 | $259K | +1.8% | #172 of 387 |
| 8Grand Rapids-Wyoming-Kentwood, MI | 53 | 1,716 | 39.0 | $282K | +2.8% | #180 of 387 |
| 9Detroit-Warren-Dearborn, MI | 49 | 5,999 | 33.9 | $293K | +0.1% | #207 of 387 |
| 11Flint, MI | 44 | 614 | 36.7 | $267K | −1.1% | #247 of 387 |
Other business types in the Flint 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 care44
- Auto repair shops47
- Collision repair and body shops39
- Car washes and detailing34
- Tire shops58
- Oil change and quick lube29
- Gas stations24
- Insurance agencies43
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 Flint, MI metro area?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 614 auto repair and car care businesses in the Flint metro area. 152 of them (25%) are chain locations. The listings count repair shops, body shops, tire shops, car washes, oil change and parts stores. Official counts show 245 businesses with payroll classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in 2023, up 1.2% from 2019. Official counts also show 378 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Flint, MI metro area spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $164.1M a year, or $981 per household. That is 2% above the U.S. average (an index of 102, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 614 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings, it comes to $267K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 167,334 households in the Flint metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Flint, MI metro area compare with the U.S. for auto repair and car care businesses?
The Flint metro area has 36.7 auto repair and car care businesses per 10,000 households, 3% above the U.S. rate of 35.7. Spending per business is $267K, in line with the U.S. figure of $269K. At the U.S. ratio of auto repair and car care businesses to household spending, the Flint metro area would have about 611, against 614 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 683 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. The official count rose 1.2% from 2019 to 2023, against +4.1% for the U.S.
How fast is the Flint, MI metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Flint metro area at 401,093 people in 2025, down 1.1% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 167,334 households. The median household income in the Flint metro area is $62,281 a year, 23% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 28.2% 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. The Flint metro area scores 44 for auto repair and car care businesses (lower middle), #247 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 Flint 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 Flint metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Flint 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 Flint 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.