Auto · Metro area · Michigan
Auto repair and car care businesses in the Niles, MI metro area
How the Niles, MI metro area compares with other metro areas 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 #248 of 387 scored metro areas
#12 of 15 scored metro areas based in Michigan
- Listings
- 247
- 58 chain locations (23%)
- Official establishments
- 90
- +7.1% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $64M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $1,000 a household
- Spending per listing
- $259K
- 4% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 38.6
- 8% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 152,444
- −1.3% since 2020
See the auto repair and car care businesses around any address in the Niles 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 Niles 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
Households in the Niles metro area spend about $64M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs, or $1,000 per household, 4% above the U.S. average. Spread across 247 auto repair and car care businesses, that is $259K per business, 4% below the U.S. figure of $269K.
There are 247 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings in the Niles metro area as of September 2026. Of those, 58 are chain locations, or 23%, against 24% across the U.S. That comes to 38.6 for every 10,000 households, 8% above the U.S. rate of 35.7.
Official counts show 90 businesses with payroll classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in the Niles metro area in 2023, up 7.1% from 2019. That is one for every 711 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. Official counts also show 117 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $180K has gone to businesses classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in the Niles metro area.
Population estimates put the population change in the Niles metro area from 2020 to 2025 at −1.3%, against +3.1% for the U.S. For auto repair and car care businesses, the Niles metro area has a Groundwork market score of 44 (lower middle): #248 of 387 scored metro areas and #12 of 15 scored metro areas based in Michigan.
How the Niles 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 | Niles metro area | Michigan | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 38.6 | 35.7 | 35.7 |
| Spending per listing | $259K | $286K | $269K |
| Households per official establishment | 711 | 643 | 681 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +7.1% | +3.9% | +4.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −1.3% | +0.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $1,000 | $1,022 | $958 |
| Median household income | $65,425 | $72,875 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 44 | 45 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 90+7.1% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 468
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $21.9M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 117Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 24758 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 238The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $180K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in the Niles 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 Niles metro area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 152,444−1.3% since 2020
- Households
- 63,999
- Median age
- 43.3
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 73%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.8
- Land area
- 568 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 270
- Median household income
- $65,425+28.8% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $89,826
- Median home value
- $224,300
- Jobs located here
- 53,306
- Daytime population
- 143,817Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Niles 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 Niles 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 Niles 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 |
| 12Niles, MI | 44 | 247 | 38.6 | $259K | −1.3% | #248 of 387 |
Other business types in the Niles 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 shops45
- Collision repair and body shops53
- Car washes and detailing40
- Tire shops62
- Oil change and quick lube
- Gas stations21
- Insurance agencies34
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 Niles, MI metro area?
As of September 2026, map listings count 247 auto repair and car care businesses in the Niles metro area. 58 of them (23%) are chain locations. The listings count repair shops, body shops, tire shops, car washes, oil change and parts stores. Official counts show 90 businesses with payroll classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in 2023, up 7.1% from 2019. Another 117 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in the Niles, MI metro area spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $64M a year, or $1,000 per household. That is 4% above the U.S. average (an index of 104, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 247 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings, it comes to $259K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 63,999 households in the Niles metro area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Niles, MI metro area compare with the U.S. for auto repair and car care businesses?
The Niles metro area has 38.6 auto repair and car care businesses per 10,000 households, 8% above the U.S. rate of 35.7. Spending per business is $259K, 4% below the U.S. figure of $269K. At the U.S. ratio of auto repair and car care businesses to household spending, the Niles metro area would have about 238, against 247 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 711 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. The official count rose 7.1% from 2019 to 2023, against +4.1% for the U.S.
How fast is the Niles, MI metro area growing?
Population estimates put the Niles metro area at 152,444 people in 2025, down 1.3% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 63,999 households. The median household income in the Niles metro area is $65,425 a year, 19% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 28.8% 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 Niles metro area scores 44 for auto repair and car care businesses (lower middle), #248 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 Niles 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 Niles metro area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Niles 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 Niles 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.