Auto · Small-town market · Minnesota
Auto repair and car care businesses in the Austin, MN area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for auto repair and car care businesses in the Austin, MN area, set against other small-town markets and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 67 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #109 of 538 scored small-town markets
#4 of 18 scored small-town markets based in Minnesota
- Listings
- 62
- 15 chain locations (24%)
- Official establishments
- 27
- −3.6% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $17.8M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $1,134 a household
- Spending per listing
- $287K
- 7% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 39.4
- 10% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 40,971
- +2.3% since 2020
See the auto repair and car care businesses around any address in the Austin 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 Austin 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
At $1,134 per household (18% above the U.S. average), households in the Austin area spend about $17.8M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs. That is about $287K of household spending for each business on map listings, 7% above the U.S. figure of $269K.
There are 62 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings in the Austin area as of September 2026. Of those, 15 are chain locations, or 24%, against 24% across the U.S. That comes to 39.4 for every 10,000 households, 10% above the U.S. rate of 35.7.
In 2023, official counts showed 27 businesses with payroll in the Austin area classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers, down 3.6% from 2019. That is one for every 582 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. Another 53 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
Population estimates put the population change in the Austin area from 2020 to 2025 at +2.3%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for auto repair and car care businesses in the Austin area is 67 (upper middle), #109 of 538 scored small-town markets and #4 of 18 scored small-town markets based in Minnesota. That puts it in the top quarter of small-town markets.
How the Austin area compares
The same measures for Minnesota 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 | Austin area | Minnesota | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 39.4 | 33.5 | 35.7 |
| Spending per listing | $287K | $330K | $269K |
| Households per official establishment | 582 | 665 | 681 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −3.6% | +3.1% | +4.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.3% | +2.1% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $1,134 | $1,108 | $958 |
| Median household income | $73,074 | $89,062 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 67 | 67 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 27−3.6% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 112
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $5.4M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 53Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 6215 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 66The 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 the Austin 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 Austin area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 40,971+2.3% since 2020
- Households
- 15,719
- Median age
- 39.6
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 78%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 711 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 57
- Median household income
- $73,074+34.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $93,253
- Median home value
- $185,200
- Jobs located here
- 15,578
- Daytime population
- 36,121Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Austin 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 Austin 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 Minnesota
Every Minnesota market ranked →The highest-scoring small-town markets in Minnesota for auto repair and car care businesses, numbered among those based in Minnesota, with the Austin area marked.
Top small-town markets in Minnesota
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Brainerd, MN | 72 | 187 | 44.2 | $261K | +4.3% | #71 of 538 |
| 2Winona, MN | 69 | 77 | 38.0 | $287K | +1.8% | #88 of 538 |
| 3Alexandria, MN | 68 | 68 | 38.8 | $299K | +2.6% | #98 of 538 |
| 4Austin, MN | 67 | 62 | 39.4 | $287K | +2.3% | #109 of 538 |
| 5Detroit Lakes, MN | 66 | 62 | 43.0 | $286K | +0.9% | #116 of 538 |
| 6Grand Rapids, MN | 66 | 83 | 44.8 | $259K | +0.9% | #118 of 538 |
| 7Faribault-Northfield, MN | 64 | 96 | 40.9 | $281K | +4.2% | #136 of 538 |
| 8Bemidji, MN | 63 | 74 | 40.7 | $278K | +1.8% | #154 of 538 |
| 9Fergus Falls, MN | 61 | 118 | 46.9 | $254K | +1.6% | #173 of 538 |
| 10Albert Lea, MN | 60 | 51 | 39.7 | $277K | −1.5% | #180 of 538 |
Other business types in the Austin 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 care67
- Auto repair shops63
- Collision repair and body shops50
- Car washes and detailing
- Tire shops77
- Oil change and quick lube
- Gas stations52
- Insurance agencies45
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 Austin, MN area?
As of September 2026, map listings count 62 auto repair and car care businesses in the Austin area. 15 of them (24%) are chain locations. The listings count repair shops, body shops, tire shops, car washes, oil change and parts stores. Official counts show 27 businesses with payroll classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in 2023, down 3.6% from 2019. Official counts list 53 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Austin, MN area spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $17.8M a year, or $1,134 per household. That is 18% above the U.S. average (an index of 118, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 62 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings, it comes to $287K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 15,719 households in the Austin area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Austin, MN area compare with the U.S. for auto repair and car care businesses?
The Austin area has 39.4 auto repair and car care businesses per 10,000 households, 10% above the U.S. rate of 35.7. Spending per business is $287K, 7% above the U.S. figure of $269K. At the U.S. ratio of auto repair and car care businesses to household spending, the Austin area would have about 66, against 62 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 582 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. The official count fell 3.6% from 2019 to 2023, against +4.1% for the U.S.
How fast is the Austin, MN area growing?
Population estimates put the Austin area at 40,971 people in 2025, up 2.3% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 15,719 households. The median household income in the Austin area is $73,074 a year, 9% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 34.6% 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. 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 Austin area scores 67 for auto repair and car care businesses (upper middle), #109 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 Austin 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 Austin area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Austin 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 Austin 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.