Auto · County · Michigan
Auto repair and car care businesses in Lake County, MI
How Lake 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 82 out of 100: High
Ranked #89 of 2,401 scored counties
#3 of 75 scored counties in Michigan
- Listings
- 6
- 0 chain locations (0%)
- Official establishments
- 5
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $4.9M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $936 a household
- Spending per listing
- $809K
- 3 times the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 11.6
- 68% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 13,182
- +9.1% since 2020
See the auto repair and car care businesses around any address in Lake 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 Lake 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
Lake County scores 82 (high) on the Groundwork market score for auto repair and car care businesses, ranking #89 of 2,401 scored counties and #3 of 75 scored counties in Michigan. That puts it in the top 10% of counties for auto repair and car care businesses.
Household spending on vehicle maintenance and repairs in Lake County comes to about $4.9M a year: $936 per household, 2% below the U.S. average. That works out to $809K per business, 3 times the U.S. figure of $269K.
There are 6 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings in Lake County as of September 2026. None of them are chain locations, against 24% across the U.S. That is 11.6 per 10,000 households, 68% below the U.S. rate of 35.7.
In 2023, official counts showed 5 businesses with payroll in Lake County classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers. That is one for every 1,038 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Lake County grew 9.1%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Lake 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 | Lake County | Michigan | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 11.6 | 35.7 | 35.7 |
| Spending per listing | $809K | $286K | $269K |
| Households per official establishment | 1,038 | 643 | 681 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +3.9% | +4.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +9.1% | +0.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $936 | $1,022 | $958 |
| Median household income | $50,805 | $72,875 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 82 | 45 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 5
- Employees, 2023
- 10
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $439K
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 11Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 60 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 18The 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 Lake 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 Lake County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 13,182+9.1% since 2020
- Households
- 5,190
- Median age
- 49.6
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 82%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.7
- Land area
- 568 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 22
- Median household income
- $50,805+36.1% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $61,678
- Median home value
- $133,900
- Jobs located here
- 1,541
- Daytime population
- 10,629Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Lake 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 Lake 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 Lake 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 |
Other business types in Lake 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 Lake County, MI?
As of September 2026, map listings count 6 auto repair and car care businesses in Lake County. None of them are chain locations. The listings count repair shops, body shops, tire shops, car washes, oil change and parts stores. Official counts show 5 businesses with payroll classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in 2023. Official counts list 11 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Lake County, MI spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $4.9M a year, or $936 per household. That is 2% below the U.S. average (an index of 98, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 6 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings, it comes to $809K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 5,190 households in Lake County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Lake County, MI compare with the U.S. for auto repair and car care businesses?
Lake County has 11.6 auto repair and car care businesses per 10,000 households, 68% below the U.S. rate of 35.7. Spending per business is $809K, 3 times the U.S. figure of $269K. At the U.S. ratio of auto repair and car care businesses to household spending, Lake County would have about 18, against 6 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 1,038 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S.
How fast is Lake County, MI growing?
Population estimates put Lake County at 13,182 people in 2025, up 9.1% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 5,190 households. The median household income in Lake County is $50,805 a year, 37% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 36.1% 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. Lake County scores 82 for auto repair and car care businesses (high), #89 of 2,401 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Lake 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 Lake County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Lake 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 Lake 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.