Auto · Small-town market · Minnesota
Auto repair and car care businesses in the Fergus Falls, MN area
Competitor counts, household spending and official business counts for auto repair and car care businesses in the Fergus Falls, MN area, set against other small-town markets and the U.S.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 61 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #173 of 538 scored small-town markets
#9 of 18 scored small-town markets based in Minnesota
- Listings
- 118
- 26 chain locations (22%)
- Official establishments
- 43
- −8.5% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $30M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $1,193 a household
- Spending per listing
- $254K
- 5% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 46.9
- 31% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 61,041
- +1.6% since 2020
See the auto repair and car care businesses around any address in the Fergus Falls 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 Fergus Falls 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
Household spending on vehicle maintenance and repairs in the Fergus Falls area comes to about $30M a year: $1,193 per household, 25% above the U.S. average. Spread across 118 auto repair and car care businesses, that is $254K per business, 5% below the U.S. figure of $269K.
There are 118 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings in the Fergus Falls area as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 22% of them, against 24% across the U.S. That comes to 46.9 for every 10,000 households, 31% above the U.S. rate of 35.7.
The official count of businesses with payroll classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in the Fergus Falls area was 43 in 2023, down 8.5% from 2019. That is one for every 585 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. Official counts list 102 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 3 SBA-backed loans worth $443K have gone to businesses classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in the Fergus Falls area.
Population estimates put the population change in the Fergus Falls area from 2020 to 2025 at +1.6%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Groundwork market score for auto repair and car care businesses in the Fergus Falls area is 61 (upper middle), #173 of 538 scored small-town markets and #9 of 18 scored small-town markets based in Minnesota.
How the Fergus Falls 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 | Fergus Falls area | Minnesota | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 46.9 | 33.5 | 35.7 |
| Spending per listing | $254K | $330K | $269K |
| Households per official establishment | 585 | 665 | 681 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −8.5% | +3.1% | +4.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +1.6% | +2.1% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $1,193 | $1,108 | $958 |
| Median household income | $72,255 | $89,062 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 61 | 67 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 43−8.5% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 160
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $7.7M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 102Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 11826 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 112The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 3
- Amount
- $443K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in the Fergus Falls 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 Fergus Falls area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 61,041+1.6% since 2020
- Households
- 25,157
- Median age
- 45.9
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 79%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.1
- Land area
- 1,972 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 31
- Median household income
- $72,255+23.1% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $92,523
- Median home value
- $273,000
- Jobs located here
- 23,068
- Daytime population
- 55,886Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Fergus Falls 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 Fergus Falls 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 Fergus Falls 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 Fergus Falls 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 care61
- Auto repair shops58
- Collision repair and body shops52
- Car washes and detailing77
- Tire shops72
- Oil change and quick lube
- Gas stations55
- 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 Fergus Falls, MN area?
As of September 2026, map listings count 118 auto repair and car care businesses in the Fergus Falls area. 26 of them (22%) are chain locations. The listings count repair shops, body shops, tire shops, car washes, oil change and parts stores. Official counts show 43 businesses with payroll classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in 2023, down 8.5% from 2019. Official counts also show 102 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Fergus Falls, MN area spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $30M a year, or $1,193 per household. That is 25% above the U.S. average (an index of 125, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 118 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings, it comes to $254K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 25,157 households in the Fergus Falls area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Fergus Falls, MN area compare with the U.S. for auto repair and car care businesses?
The Fergus Falls area has 46.9 auto repair and car care businesses per 10,000 households, 31% above the U.S. rate of 35.7. Spending per business is $254K, 5% below the U.S. figure of $269K. At the U.S. ratio of auto repair and car care businesses to household spending, the Fergus Falls area would have about 112, against 118 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 585 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. The official count fell 8.5% from 2019 to 2023, against +4.1% for the U.S.
How fast is the Fergus Falls, MN area growing?
Population estimates put the Fergus Falls area at 61,041 people in 2025, up 1.6% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 25,157 households. The median household income in the Fergus Falls area is $72,255 a year, 11% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 23.1% 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 Fergus Falls area scores 61 for auto repair and car care businesses (upper middle), #173 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 Fergus Falls 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 Fergus Falls area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Fergus Falls 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 Fergus Falls 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.