Auto · County · Michigan
Auto repair and car care businesses in Kalamazoo County, MI
How Kalamazoo 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 56 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #921 of 2,401 scored counties
#29 of 75 scored counties in Michigan
- Listings
- 355
- 111 chain locations (31%)
- Official establishments
- 159
- +7.4% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $108.9M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $1,017 a household
- Spending per listing
- $307K
- 14% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 33.1
- 7% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 263,795
- +0.8% since 2020
See the auto repair and car care businesses around any address in Kalamazoo 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 Kalamazoo 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
Map listings as of September 2026 show 355 auto repair and car care businesses in Kalamazoo County. Chain locations make up 31% of them, against 24% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 33.1, 7% below the U.S. rate of 35.7.
At $1,017 per household (6% above the U.S. average), households in Kalamazoo County spend about $108.9M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs. That is about $307K of household spending for each business on map listings, 14% above the U.S. figure of $269K.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in Kalamazoo County was 159 in 2023, up 7.4% from 2019. That is one for every 674 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. Another 154 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 7 SBA-backed loans worth $4M have gone to businesses classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in Kalamazoo County.
Population estimates put the population change in Kalamazoo County from 2020 to 2025 at +0.8%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). Kalamazoo County scores 56 (upper middle) on the Groundwork market score for auto repair and car care businesses, ranking #921 of 2,401 scored counties and #29 of 75 scored counties in Michigan.
How Kalamazoo 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 | Kalamazoo County | Michigan | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 33.1 | 35.7 | 35.7 |
| Spending per listing | $307K | $286K | $269K |
| Households per official establishment | 674 | 643 | 681 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +7.4% | +3.9% | +4.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +0.8% | +0.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $1,017 | $1,022 | $958 |
| Median household income | $72,532 | $72,875 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 56 | 45 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 148 → 159+7.4% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 1,022
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $55.5M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 154Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 355111 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 406The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 7
- Amount
- $4M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in Kalamazoo 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 Kalamazoo County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 263,795+0.8% since 2020
- Households
- 107,110
- Median age
- 37.4
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 65%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.7
- Land area
- 562 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 467
- Median household income
- $72,532+28.4% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $100,205
- Median home value
- $241,800
- Jobs located here
- 120,525
- Daytime population
- 271,929Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Kalamazoo 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 Kalamazoo 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 Kalamazoo 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 |
| 29Kalamazoo County, MI | 56 | 355 | 33.1 | $307K | +0.8% | #921 of 2,401 |
Other business types in Kalamazoo 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 care56
- Auto repair shops63
- Collision repair and body shops61
- Car washes and detailing44
- Tire shops59
- Oil change and quick lube28
- Gas stations66
- Insurance agencies30
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 Kalamazoo County, MI?
There are 355 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings in Kalamazoo County as of September 2026. 111 of them (31%) are chain locations. The listings count repair shops, body shops, tire shops, car washes, oil change and parts stores. Official counts show 159 businesses with payroll classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in 2023, up 7.4% from 2019. Official counts list 154 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Kalamazoo County, MI spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $108.9M a year, or $1,017 per household. That is 6% above the U.S. average (an index of 106, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 355 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings, it comes to $307K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 107,110 households in Kalamazoo County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Kalamazoo County, MI compare with the U.S. for auto repair and car care businesses?
Kalamazoo County has 33.1 auto repair and car care businesses per 10,000 households, 7% below the U.S. rate of 35.7. Spending per business is $307K, 14% above the U.S. figure of $269K. At the national ratio of auto repair and car care businesses to household spending, Kalamazoo County would have about 406, against 355 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 674 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. The official count rose 7.4% from 2019 to 2023, against +4.1% for the U.S.
How fast is Kalamazoo County, MI growing?
Population estimates put Kalamazoo County at 263,795 people in 2025, up 0.8% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 107,110 households. Median household income in Kalamazoo County is $72,532, 10% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 28.4%, 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. Kalamazoo County scores 56 for auto repair and car care businesses (upper middle), #921 of 2,401 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Kalamazoo 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 Kalamazoo County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Kalamazoo 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 Kalamazoo 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.