Auto · County · Minnesota
Auto repair and car care businesses in Steele County, MN
The auto repair and car care businesses in Steele County, MN, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 46 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,377 of 2,401 scored counties
#52 of 66 scored counties in Minnesota
- Listings
- 67
- 12 chain locations (18%)
- Official establishments
- 29
- +11.5% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $17.7M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $1,168 a household
- Spending per listing
- $264K
- 2% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 44.3
- 24% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 37,464
- +0.2% since 2020
See the auto repair and car care businesses around any address in Steele 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 Steele 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
Households in Steele County spend about $17.7M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs, or $1,168 per household, 22% above the U.S. average. That is about $264K of household spending for each business on map listings, 2% below the U.S. figure of $269K.
There are 67 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings in Steele County as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 18% of them, against 24% across the U.S. That is 44.3 per 10,000 households, 24% above the U.S. rate of 35.7.
In 2023, official counts showed 29 businesses with payroll in Steele County classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers, up 11.5% from 2019. That is one for every 522 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. Official counts also show 39 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $706K have gone to businesses classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in Steele County.
Population estimates show Steele County grew 0.2% from 2020 to 2025, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). For auto repair and car care businesses, Steele County has a Groundwork market score of 46 (lower middle): #1,377 of 2,401 scored counties and #52 of 66 scored counties in Minnesota.
How Steele 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 | Steele County | Minnesota | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 44.3 | 33.5 | 35.7 |
| Spending per listing | $264K | $330K | $269K |
| Households per official establishment | 522 | 665 | 681 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +11.5% | +3.1% | +4.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +0.2% | +2.1% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $1,168 | $1,108 | $958 |
| Median household income | $84,196 | $89,062 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 46 | 67 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 26 → 29+11.5% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 138
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $7.8M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 39Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 6712 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
- 2
- Amount
- $706K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in Steele 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 Steele County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 37,464+0.2% since 2020
- Households
- 15,138
- Median age
- 40.6
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 79%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 430 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 87
- Median household income
- $84,196+29.7% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $101,587
- Median home value
- $245,400
- Jobs located here
- 18,785
- Daytime population
- 38,229Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Steele 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 Steele 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 Steele 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 |
| 52Steele County, MN | 46 | 67 | 44.3 | $264K | +0.2% | #1,377 of 2,401 |
Other business types in Steele County
Each with its Groundwork market score here, out of 100, where it has one.
Food and drink
Groceries and convenience
Auto
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 Steele County, MN?
As of September 2026, map listings count 67 auto repair and car care businesses in Steele County. 12 of them (18%) are chain locations. The listings count repair shops, body shops, tire shops, car washes, oil change and parts stores. Official counts show 29 businesses with payroll classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in 2023, up 11.5% from 2019. Another 39 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Steele County, MN spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $17.7M a year, or $1,168 per household. That is 22% above the U.S. average (an index of 122, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 67 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings, it comes to $264K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 15,138 households in Steele County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Steele County, MN compare with the U.S. for auto repair and car care businesses?
Steele County has 44.3 auto repair and car care businesses per 10,000 households, 24% above the U.S. rate of 35.7. Spending per business is $264K, 2% below the U.S. figure of $269K. At the U.S. ratio of auto repair and car care businesses to household spending, Steele County would have about 66, against 67 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 522 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. The official count rose 11.5% from 2019 to 2023, against +4.1% for the U.S.
How fast is Steele County, MN growing?
Population estimates put Steele County at 37,464 people in 2025, up 0.2% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 15,138 households. The median household income in Steele County is $84,196 a year, 4% above the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 29.7% 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. 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. Steele County scores 46 for auto repair and car care businesses (lower middle), #1,377 of 2,401 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Steele 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 Steele County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Steele 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 Steele 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.