Auto · County · Minnesota
Auto repair and car care businesses in Clay County, MN
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for auto repair and car care businesses in Clay County, MN, set against other counties and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 75 out of 100: High
Ranked #235 of 2,401 scored counties
#8 of 66 scored counties in Minnesota
- Listings
- 87
- 22 chain locations (25%)
- Official establishments
- 30
- −11.8% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $28.5M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $1,080 a household
- Spending per listing
- $328K
- 22% above the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 32.9
- 8% below the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 67,734
- +3.6% since 2020
See the auto repair and car care businesses around any address in Clay 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 Clay 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
Clay County scores 75 (high) on the Groundwork market score for auto repair and car care businesses, ranking #235 of 2,401 scored counties and #8 of 66 scored counties in Minnesota. That puts it in the top 10% of counties for auto repair and car care businesses.
Map listings as of September 2026 show 87 auto repair and car care businesses in Clay County. 22 of them (25%) are chain locations, against 24% across the U.S. That is 32.9 per 10,000 households, 8% below the U.S. rate of 35.7.
Households in Clay County spend about $28.5M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs, or $1,080 per household, 13% above the U.S. average. Spread across 87 auto repair and car care businesses, that is $328K per business, 22% above the U.S. figure of $269K.
Official counts show 30 businesses with payroll classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in Clay County in 2023, down 11.8% from 2019. That is one for every 881 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 7 SBA-backed loans worth $5.3M have gone to businesses classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in Clay County. Population estimates put the population change in Clay County from 2020 to 2025 at +3.6%, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%).
How Clay County 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 | Clay County | Minnesota | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 32.9 | 33.5 | 35.7 |
| Spending per listing | $328K | $330K | $269K |
| Households per official establishment | 881 | 665 | 681 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −11.8% | +3.1% | +4.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +3.6% | +2.1% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $1,080 | $1,108 | $958 |
| Median household income | $81,172 | $89,062 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 75 | 67 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 34 → 30−11.8% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 139
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $7.5M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 59Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 8722 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 106The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 7
- Amount
- $5.3M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in Clay 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 Clay County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 67,734+3.6% since 2020
- Households
- 26,442
- Median age
- 34.9
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 66%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 1,045 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 63
- Median household income
- $81,172+24.4% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $99,798
- Median home value
- $265,500
- Jobs located here
- 20,888
- Daytime population
- 54,566Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Clay 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 Clay 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 Minnesota
Every Minnesota market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in Minnesota for auto repair and car care businesses, numbered among those based in Minnesota, with Clay County marked.
Top counties in Minnesota
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Washington County, MN | 89 | 254 | 24.1 | $504K | +6.9% | #27 of 2,401 |
| 2Carver County, MN | 86 | 106 | 25.7 | $506K | +6.6% | #42 of 2,401 |
| 3Pine County, MN | 81 | 47 | 38.1 | $321K | +5.5% | #110 of 2,401 |
| 4Dakota County, MN | 79 | 496 | 28.4 | $400K | +3.9% | #145 of 2,401 |
| 5Cass County, MN | 78 | 48 | 37.3 | $317K | +4.2% | #171 of 2,401 |
| 6Wabasha County, MN | 76 | 36 | 39.3 | $317K | +0.7% | #213 of 2,401 |
| 7Pope County, MN | 75 | 11 | 22.2 | $562K | +0.8% | #216 of 2,401 |
| 8Clay County, MN | 75 | 87 | 32.9 | $328K | +3.6% | #235 of 2,401 |
| 9Wright County, MN | 74 | 210 | 38.9 | $341K | +11.1% | #253 of 2,401 |
| 10Aitkin County, MN | 74 | 24 | 33.2 | $333K | +3.5% | #255 of 2,401 |
Other business types in Clay 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 care75
- Auto repair shops61
- Collision repair and body shops58
- Car washes and detailing72
- Tire shops
- Oil change and quick lube
- Gas stations68
- Insurance agencies25
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 Clay County, MN?
There are 87 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings in Clay County as of September 2026. 22 of them (25%) are chain locations. The listings count repair shops, body shops, tire shops, car washes, oil change and parts stores. Official counts show 30 businesses with payroll classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in 2023, down 11.8% from 2019. Official counts list 59 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in Clay County, MN spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $28.5M a year, or $1,080 per household. That is 13% above the U.S. average (an index of 113, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 87 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings, it comes to $328K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 26,442 households in Clay County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Clay County, MN compare with the U.S. for auto repair and car care businesses?
Clay County has 32.9 auto repair and car care businesses per 10,000 households, 8% below the U.S. rate of 35.7. Spending per business is $328K, 22% above the U.S. figure of $269K. At the national ratio of auto repair and car care businesses to household spending, Clay County would have about 106, against 87 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 881 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. The official count fell 11.8% from 2019 to 2023, against +4.1% for the U.S.
How fast is Clay County, MN growing?
Population estimates put Clay County at 67,734 people in 2025, up 3.6% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 26,442 households. Median household income in Clay County is $81,172, in line with the U.S. median of $80,734. Against the 2015–2019 survey, the median rose 24.4%, 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. Clay County scores 75 for auto repair and car care businesses (high), #235 of 2,401 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Clay 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 Clay County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Clay 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 Clay 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.