Auto · County · Minnesota
Auto repair and car care businesses in Watonwan County, MN
The auto repair and car care businesses in Watonwan County, MN, the household spending behind them and how the market ranks against other counties.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 56 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #942 of 2,401 scored counties
#36 of 66 scored counties in Minnesota
- Listings
- 20
- 6 chain locations (30%)
- Official establishments
- 7
- Businesses with payroll, 2023
- Household spending a year
- $5.3M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $1,242 a household
- Spending per listing
- $263K
- 2% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 47.3
- 32% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 11,459
- +2.0% since 2020
See the auto repair and car care businesses around any address in Watonwan 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 Watonwan 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 Watonwan County spend about $5.3M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs, or $1,242 per household, 30% above the U.S. average. That works out to $263K per business, 2% below the U.S. figure of $269K.
There are 20 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings in Watonwan County as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 30% of them, against 24% across the U.S. That comes to 47.3 for every 10,000 households, 32% above the U.S. rate of 35.7.
In 2023, official counts showed 7 businesses with payroll in Watonwan County classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers. That is one for every 604 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. Official counts also show 16 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $759K have gone to businesses classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in Watonwan County.
Population estimates put the population change in Watonwan County from 2020 to 2025 at +2.0%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). For auto repair and car care businesses, Watonwan County has a Groundwork market score of 56 (upper middle): #942 of 2,401 scored counties and #36 of 66 scored counties in Minnesota.
How Watonwan 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 | Watonwan County | Minnesota | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 47.3 | 33.5 | 35.7 |
| Spending per listing | $263K | $330K | $269K |
| Households per official establishment | 604 | 665 | 681 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | n/a | +3.1% | +4.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.0% | +2.1% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $1,242 | $1,108 | $958 |
| Median household income | $71,699 | $89,062 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 56 | 67 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 6 → 7
- Employees, 2023
- 46
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $2.2M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 16Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 206 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 20The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 2
- Amount
- $759K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in Watonwan 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 Watonwan County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 11,459+2.0% since 2020
- Households
- 4,227
- Median age
- 40.2
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 78%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.2
- Land area
- 435 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 26
- Median household income
- $71,699+32.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $93,447
- Median home value
- $162,400
- Jobs located here
- 4,626
- Daytime population
- 10,380Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Watonwan 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 Watonwan 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 Watonwan 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 |
| 36Watonwan County, MN | 56 | 20 | 47.3 | $263K | +2.0% | #942 of 2,401 |
Other business types in Watonwan 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 Watonwan County, MN?
As of September 2026, map listings count 20 auto repair and car care businesses in Watonwan County. 6 of them (30%) are chain locations. The listings count repair shops, body shops, tire shops, car washes, oil change and parts stores. Official counts show 7 businesses with payroll classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in 2023. Another 16 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Watonwan County, MN spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $5.3M a year, or $1,242 per household. That is 30% above the U.S. average (an index of 130, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 20 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings, it comes to $263K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 4,227 households in Watonwan County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Watonwan County, MN compare with the U.S. for auto repair and car care businesses?
Watonwan County has 47.3 auto repair and car care businesses per 10,000 households, 32% above the U.S. rate of 35.7. Spending per business is $263K, 2% below the U.S. figure of $269K. The count on map listings matches the U.S. ratio of auto repair and car care businesses to household spending. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 604 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S.
How fast is Watonwan County, MN growing?
Population estimates put Watonwan County at 11,459 people in 2025, up 2.0% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 4,227 households. The median household income in Watonwan County is $71,699 a year, 11% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 32.6% 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. 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. Watonwan County scores 56 for auto repair and car care businesses (upper middle), #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 Watonwan 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 Watonwan County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Watonwan 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 Watonwan 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.