Auto · Small-town market · Minnesota
Auto repair and car care businesses in the Willmar, MN area
How the Willmar, MN area compares with other small-town markets and the U.S. for auto repair and car care businesses: competitors, household spending, official counts and growth.
Groundwork market score · out of 100
Score 49 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #282 of 538 scored small-town markets
#14 of 18 scored small-town markets based in Minnesota
- Listings
- 86
- 17 chain locations (20%)
- Official establishments
- 46
- +21.1% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $20.3M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $1,156 a household
- Spending per listing
- $237K
- 12% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 48.9
- 37% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 44,720
- +2.3% since 2020
See the auto repair and car care businesses around any address in the Willmar 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 Willmar 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
Households in the Willmar area spend about $20.3M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs, or $1,156 per household, 21% above the U.S. average. That is about $237K of household spending for each business on map listings, 12% below the U.S. figure of $269K.
The Willmar area has 86 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 20% of them, against 24% across the U.S. That comes to 48.9 for every 10,000 households, 37% above the U.S. rate of 35.7.
Official counts show 46 businesses with payroll classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in the Willmar area in 2023, up 21.1% from 2019. That is one for every 383 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. Official counts list 60 one-person businesses without payroll. Since fiscal 2022, 4 SBA-backed loans worth $863K have gone to businesses classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in the Willmar area.
Population estimates put the population change in the Willmar area from 2020 to 2025 at +2.3%, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). The Willmar area scores 49 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for auto repair and car care businesses, ranking #282 of 538 scored small-town markets and #14 of 18 scored small-town markets based in Minnesota.
How the Willmar 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 | Willmar area | Minnesota | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 48.9 | 33.5 | 35.7 |
| Spending per listing | $237K | $330K | $269K |
| Households per official establishment | 383 | 665 | 681 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +21.1% | +3.1% | +4.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +2.3% | +2.1% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $1,156 | $1,108 | $958 |
| Median household income | $76,592 | $89,062 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 49 | 67 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 46+21.1% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 231
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $11.7M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 60Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 8617 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 76The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 4
- Amount
- $863K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in the Willmar 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 Willmar area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 44,720+2.3% since 2020
- Households
- 17,603
- Median age
- 39.7
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 73%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.0
- Land area
- 797 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 55
- Median household income
- $76,592+27.0% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $96,382
- Median home value
- $243,200
- Jobs located here
- 24,957
- Daytime population
- 46,873Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Willmar 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 Willmar 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 Willmar 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 |
| 14Willmar, MN | 49 | 86 | 48.9 | $237K | +2.3% | #282 of 538 |
Other business types in the Willmar 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 care49
- Auto repair shops46
- Collision repair and body shops53
- Car washes and detailing75
- Tire shops77
- Oil change and quick lube
- Gas stations73
- 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 the Willmar, MN area?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 86 auto repair and car care businesses in the Willmar area. 17 of them (20%) are chain locations. The listings count repair shops, body shops, tire shops, car washes, oil change and parts stores. Official counts show 46 businesses with payroll classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in 2023, up 21.1% from 2019. Official counts also show 60 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Willmar, MN area spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $20.3M a year, or $1,156 per household. That is 21% above the U.S. average (an index of 121, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 86 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings, it comes to $237K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 17,603 households in the Willmar area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Willmar, MN area compare with the U.S. for auto repair and car care businesses?
The Willmar area has 48.9 auto repair and car care businesses per 10,000 households, 37% above the U.S. rate of 35.7. Spending per business is $237K, 12% below the U.S. figure of $269K. At the U.S. ratio of auto repair and car care businesses to household spending, the Willmar area would have about 76, against 86 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 383 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. The official count rose 21.1% from 2019 to 2023, against +4.1% for the U.S.
How fast is the Willmar, MN area growing?
Population estimates put the Willmar area at 44,720 people in 2025, up 2.3% since 2020, slower than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 17,603 households. The median household income in the Willmar area is $76,592 a year, 5% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 27.0% 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 Willmar area scores 49 for auto repair and car care businesses (lower middle), #282 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 Willmar 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 Willmar area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Willmar 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 Willmar 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.