Auto · Small-town market · Michigan
Auto repair and car care businesses in the Sault Ste. Marie, MI area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for auto repair and car care businesses in the Sault Ste. Marie, MI area, set against other small-town markets and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 26 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #481 of 538 scored small-town markets
#17 of 18 scored small-town markets based in Michigan
- Listings
- 71
- 21 chain locations (30%)
- Official establishments
- 25
- +25.0% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $13.5M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $960 a household
- Spending per listing
- $190K
- 29% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 50.4
- 41% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 36,081
- −1.9% since 2020
See the auto repair and car care businesses around any address in the Sault Ste. Marie 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 Sault Ste. Marie 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
The Groundwork market score for auto repair and car care businesses in the Sault Ste. Marie area is 26 (lower middle), #481 of 538 scored small-town markets and #17 of 18 scored small-town markets based in Michigan. That puts it in the bottom quarter of small-town markets.
As of September 2026, map listings count 71 auto repair and car care businesses in the Sault Ste. Marie area. Of those, 21 are chain locations, or 30%, against 24% across the U.S. Per 10,000 households, that is 50.4, 41% above the U.S. rate of 35.7.
At $960 per household (in line with the U.S. average), households in the Sault Ste. Marie area spend about $13.5M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs. Spread across 71 auto repair and car care businesses, that is $190K per business, 29% below the U.S. figure of $269K.
Official counts show 25 businesses with payroll classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in the Sault Ste. Marie area in 2023, up 25.0% from 2019. That is one for every 563 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 1 SBA-backed loan worth $144K has gone to businesses classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in the Sault Ste. Marie area. Population estimates show the Sault Ste. Marie area declined 1.9% from 2020 to 2025, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How the Sault Ste. Marie 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 | Sault Ste. Marie area | Michigan | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 50.4 | 35.7 | 35.7 |
| Spending per listing | $190K | $286K | $269K |
| Households per official establishment | 563 | 643 | 681 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +25.0% | +3.9% | +4.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −1.9% | +0.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $960 | $1,022 | $958 |
| Median household income | $62,217 | $72,875 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 26 | 45 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 25+25.0% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 73
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $2.3M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 32Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 7121 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 50The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 1
- Amount
- $144K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in the Sault Ste. Marie 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 Sault Ste. Marie area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 36,081−1.9% since 2020
- Households
- 14,080
- Median age
- 42.1
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 75%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.7
- Land area
- 1,559 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 23
- Median household income
- $62,217+33.8% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $76,569
- Median home value
- $161,900
- Jobs located here
- 11,286
- Daytime population
- 35,358Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Sault Ste. Marie area?
These figures cover the whole small-town market. 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 Sault Ste. Marie 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 small-town markets 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 Sault Ste. Marie area marked.
Top small-town markets in Michigan
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Big Rapids, MI | 73 | 58 | 34.7 | $303K | +4.7% | #62 of 538 |
| 2Hillsdale, MI | 72 | 68 | 38.1 | $286K | 0.0% | #68 of 538 |
| 3Marquette, MI | 67 | 99 | 35.0 | $292K | +2.3% | #107 of 538 |
| 4Holland, MI | 65 | 189 | 41.5 | $288K | +2.1% | #121 of 538 |
| 5Owosso, MI | 64 | 105 | 37.3 | $295K | −0.4% | #133 of 538 |
| Marinette, WI-MI | 62 | 113 | 38.4 | $278K | +0.3% | #161 of 538 |
| 6Adrian, MI | 60 | 149 | 38.3 | $286K | −1.6% | #177 of 538 |
| 7Houghton, MI | 58 | 54 | 35.0 | $292K | +1.8% | #193 of 538 |
| 8Ludington, MI | 52 | 54 | 42.2 | $245K | 0.0% | #248 of 538 |
| 9Petoskey, MI | 50 | 59 | 38.8 | $285K | −1.0% | #268 of 538 |
| 17Sault Ste. Marie, MI | 26 | 71 | 50.4 | $190K | −1.9% | #481 of 538 |
Other business types in the Sault Ste. Marie 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 care26
- Auto repair shops27
- Collision repair and body shops22
- Car washes and detailing22
- Tire shops51
- Oil change and quick lube
- Gas stations19
- Insurance agencies26
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 Sault Ste. Marie, MI area?
The Sault Ste. Marie area has 71 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings as of September 2026. 21 of them (30%) are chain locations. The listings count repair shops, body shops, tire shops, car washes, oil change and parts stores. Official counts show 25 businesses with payroll classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in 2023, up 25.0% from 2019. Official counts also show 32 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Sault Ste. Marie, MI area spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $13.5M a year, or $960 per household. That is in line with the U.S. average (an index of 100, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 71 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings, it comes to $190K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 14,080 households in the Sault Ste. Marie area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Sault Ste. Marie, MI area compare with the U.S. for auto repair and car care businesses?
The Sault Ste. Marie area has 50.4 auto repair and car care businesses per 10,000 households, 41% above the U.S. rate of 35.7. Spending per business is $190K, 29% below the U.S. figure of $269K. At the national ratio of auto repair and car care businesses to household spending, the Sault Ste. Marie area would have about 50, against 71 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 563 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. The official count rose 25.0% from 2019 to 2023, against +4.1% for the U.S.
How fast is the Sault Ste. Marie, MI area growing?
Population estimates put the Sault Ste. Marie area at 36,081 people in 2025, down 1.9% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 14,080 households. Median household income in the Sault Ste. Marie area is $62,217, 23% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 33.8%, 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. A small-town market is a town of 10,000 to 50,000 people and the county or counties tied to it by commuting. 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 Sault Ste. Marie area scores 26 for auto repair and car care businesses (lower middle), #481 of 538 scored small-town markets.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in the Sault Ste. Marie 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 Sault Ste. Marie area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Sault Ste. Marie 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 Sault Ste. Marie 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.