Auto · County · Michigan
Auto repair and car care businesses in Kalkaska County, MI
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for auto repair and car care businesses in Kalkaska County, MI, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 55 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #959 of 2,401 scored counties
#31 of 75 scored counties in Michigan
- Listings
- 27
- 7 chain locations (26%)
- Official establishments
- 20
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $8.4M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $1,083 a household
- Spending per listing
- $312K
- 16% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 34.7
- 3% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 18,693
- +4.3% since 2020
See the auto repair and car care businesses around any address in Kalkaska 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 Kalkaska 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 27 auto repair and car care businesses in Kalkaska County. 7 of them (26%) are chain locations, against 24% across the U.S. That comes to 34.7 for every 10,000 households, 3% below the U.S. rate of 35.7.
At $1,083 per household (13% above the U.S. average), households in Kalkaska County spend about $8.4M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs. That works out to $312K per business, 16% above the U.S. figure of $269K.
In 2023, official counts showed 20 businesses with payroll in Kalkaska County classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers. That is one for every 389 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. Official counts also show 22 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $90K has gone to businesses classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in Kalkaska County.
Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Kalkaska County grew 4.3%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for auto repair and car care businesses in Kalkaska County is 55 (upper middle), #959 of 2,401 scored counties and #31 of 75 scored counties in Michigan.
How Kalkaska 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 | Kalkaska County | Michigan | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 34.7 | 35.7 | 35.7 |
| Spending per listing | $312K | $286K | $269K |
| Households per official establishment | 389 | 643 | 681 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +3.9% | +4.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +4.3% | +0.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $1,083 | $1,022 | $958 |
| Median household income | $68,578 | $72,875 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 55 | 45 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 15 → 20
- Employees, 2023
- 51
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $1.9M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 22Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 277 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 31The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $90K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in Kalkaska 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 Kalkaska County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 18,693+4.3% since 2020
- Households
- 7,789
- Median age
- 44.2
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 88%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 560 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 33
- Median household income
- $68,578+46.2% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $81,688
- Median home value
- $188,900
- Jobs located here
- 4,285
- Daytime population
- 15,796Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Kalkaska 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 Kalkaska 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 Kalkaska 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 |
| 31Kalkaska County, MI | 55 | 27 | 34.7 | $312K | +4.3% | #959 of 2,401 |
Other business types in Kalkaska 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 Kalkaska County, MI?
Kalkaska County has 27 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings as of September 2026. 7 of them (26%) are chain locations. The listings count repair shops, body shops, tire shops, car washes, oil change and parts stores. Official counts show 20 businesses with payroll classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in 2023. Another 22 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Kalkaska County, MI spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $8.4M a year, or $1,083 per household. That is 13% above the U.S. average (an index of 113, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 27 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings, it comes to $312K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 7,789 households in Kalkaska County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Kalkaska County, MI compare with the U.S. for auto repair and car care businesses?
Kalkaska County has 34.7 auto repair and car care businesses per 10,000 households, 3% below the U.S. rate of 35.7. Spending per business is $312K, 16% above the U.S. figure of $269K. At the national ratio of auto repair and car care businesses to household spending, Kalkaska County would have about 31, against 27 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 389 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S.
How fast is Kalkaska County, MI growing?
Population estimates put Kalkaska County at 18,693 people in 2025, up 4.3% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 7,789 households. Median household income in Kalkaska County is $68,578, 15% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 46.2%, 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. Kalkaska County scores 55 for auto repair and car care businesses (upper middle), #959 of 2,401 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Kalkaska 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 Kalkaska County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Kalkaska 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 Kalkaska 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.