Auto · County · Michigan
Auto repair and car care businesses in Wayne County, MI
The auto repair and car care businesses in Wayne County, MI, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 32 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,942 of 2,401 scored counties
#66 of 75 scored counties in Michigan
- Listings
- 2,406
- 413 chain locations (17%)
- Official establishments
- 1,211
- +4.2% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $615M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $878 a household
- Spending per listing
- $256K
- 5% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 34.3
- 4% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 1,769,038
- −1.1% since 2020
See the auto repair and car care businesses around any address in Wayne 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 Wayne 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
For auto repair and car care businesses, Wayne County has a Groundwork market score of 32 (lower middle): #1,942 of 2,401 scored counties and #66 of 75 scored counties in Michigan. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
As of September 2026, map listings count 2,406 auto repair and car care businesses in Wayne County. Chain locations make up 17% of them, against 24% across the U.S. That comes to 34.3 for every 10,000 households, 4% below the U.S. rate of 35.7.
At $878 per household (8% below the U.S. average), households in Wayne County spend about $615M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs. That works out to $256K per business, 5% below the U.S. figure of $269K.
Official counts show 1,211 businesses with payroll classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in Wayne County in 2023, up 4.2% from 2019. That is one for every 579 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 51 SBA-backed loans worth $23.5M have gone to businesses classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in Wayne County. Population estimates put the population change in Wayne County from 2020 to 2025 at −1.1%, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How Wayne 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 | Wayne County | Michigan | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 34.3 | 35.7 | 35.7 |
| Spending per listing | $256K | $286K | $269K |
| Households per official establishment | 579 | 643 | 681 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +4.2% | +3.9% | +4.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −1.1% | +0.6% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $878 | $1,022 | $958 |
| Median household income | $60,539 | $72,875 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 32 | 45 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 1,162 → 1,211+4.2% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 5,958
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $277.7M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 1,969Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 2,406413 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 2,290The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 51
- Amount
- $23.5M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in Wayne 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 Wayne County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 1,769,038−1.1% since 2020
- Households
- 700,591
- Median age
- 38.8
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 65%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.5
- Land area
- 612 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 2,897
- Median household income
- $60,539+28.0% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $85,609
- Median home value
- $178,500
- Jobs located here
- 669,243
- Daytime population
- 1,771,020Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Wayne 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 Wayne 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 Wayne 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 |
| 66Wayne County, MI | 32 | 2,406 | 34.3 | $256K | −1.1% | #1,942 of 2,401 |
Other business types in Wayne 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 care32
- Auto repair shops38
- Collision repair and body shops52
- Car washes and detailing30
- Tire shops47
- Oil change and quick lube12
- Gas stations28
- Insurance agencies48
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 Wayne County, MI?
Wayne County has 2,406 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings as of September 2026. 413 of them (17%) are chain locations. The listings count repair shops, body shops, tire shops, car washes, oil change and parts stores. Official counts show 1,211 businesses with payroll classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in 2023, up 4.2% from 2019. Official counts list 1,969 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Wayne County, MI spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $615M a year, or $878 per household. That is 8% below the U.S. average (an index of 92, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 2,406 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings, it comes to $256K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 700,591 households in Wayne County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Wayne County, MI compare with the U.S. for auto repair and car care businesses?
Wayne County has 34.3 auto repair and car care businesses per 10,000 households, 4% below the U.S. rate of 35.7. Spending per business is $256K, 5% below the U.S. figure of $269K. At the national ratio of auto repair and car care businesses to household spending, Wayne County would have about 2,290, against 2,406 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 579 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. The official count rose 4.2% from 2019 to 2023, against +4.1% for the U.S.
How fast is Wayne County, MI growing?
Population estimates put Wayne County at 1,769,038 people in 2025, down 1.1% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 700,591 households. Median household income in Wayne County is $60,539, 25% below the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 28.0%, 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. Wayne County scores 32 for auto repair and car care businesses (lower middle), #1,942 of 2,401 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Wayne 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 Wayne County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Wayne 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 Wayne 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.