Auto · Small-town market · Montana
Auto repair and car care businesses in the Kalispell, MT area
How the Kalispell, MT 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 51 out of 100: Upper middle
Ranked #265 of 538 scored small-town markets
#2 of 2 scored small-town markets based in Montana
- Listings
- 226
- 51 chain locations (23%)
- Official establishments
- 120
- +16.5% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $50.9M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $1,152 a household
- Spending per listing
- $225K
- 16% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 51.1
- 43% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 115,429
- +10.1% since 2020
See the auto repair and car care businesses around any address in the Kalispell 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 Kalispell 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
At $1,152 per household (20% above the U.S. average), households in the Kalispell area spend about $50.9M a year on vehicle maintenance and repairs. Spread across 226 auto repair and car care businesses, that is $225K per business, 16% below the U.S. figure of $269K.
There are 226 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings in the Kalispell area as of September 2026. Chain locations make up 23% of them, against 24% across the U.S. That comes to 51.1 for every 10,000 households, 43% 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 Kalispell area was 120 in 2023, up 16.5% from 2019. That is one for every 369 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. Another 176 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts. Since fiscal 2022, 2 SBA-backed loans worth $500K have gone to businesses classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in the Kalispell area.
Population estimates show the Kalispell area grew 10.1% from 2020 to 2025, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). For auto repair and car care businesses, the Kalispell area has a Groundwork market score of 51 (upper middle): #265 of 538 scored small-town markets and #2 of 2 scored small-town markets based in Montana.
How the Kalispell area compares
The same measures for Montana 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 | Kalispell area | Montana | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 51.1 | 43.7 | 35.7 |
| Spending per listing | $225K | $265K | $269K |
| Households per official establishment | 369 | 437 | 681 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | +16.5% | +9.6% | +4.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | +10.1% | +5.3% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $1,152 | $1,157 | $958 |
| Median household income | $73,925 | $72,509 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 51 | 47 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 120+16.5% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 692
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $37M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 176Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 22651 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 190The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 2
- Amount
- $500K
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in the Kalispell 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 Kalispell area
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 115,429+10.1% since 2020
- Households
- 44,233
- Median age
- 43.2
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 72%
- Vehicles per household
- 2.1
- Land area
- 5,087 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 22
- Median household income
- $73,925+31.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $99,728
- Median home value
- $535,500
- Jobs located here
- 49,504
- Daytime population
- 110,772Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in the Kalispell 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 Kalispell 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 Montana
Every Montana market ranked →The highest-scoring small-town markets in Montana for auto repair and car care businesses, numbered among those based in Montana, with the Kalispell area marked.
Top small-town markets in Montana
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Butte-Silver Bow, MT | 61 | 61 | 39.6 | $259K | +2.6% | #171 of 538 |
| 2Kalispell, MT | 51 | 226 | 51.1 | $225K | +10.1% | #265 of 538 |
Other business types in the Kalispell 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 care51
- Auto repair shops50
- Collision repair and body shops46
- Car washes and detailing53
- Tire shops77
- Oil change and quick lube
- Gas stations71
- Insurance agencies50
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 Kalispell, MT area?
As of September 2026, map listings count 226 auto repair and car care businesses in the Kalispell area. 51 of them (23%) are chain locations. The listings count repair shops, body shops, tire shops, car washes, oil change and parts stores. Official counts show 120 businesses with payroll classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in 2023, up 16.5% from 2019. Official counts list 176 one-person businesses without payroll.
How much do households in the Kalispell, MT area spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $50.9M a year, or $1,152 per household. That is 20% above the U.S. average (an index of 120, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 226 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings, it comes to $225K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 44,233 households in the Kalispell area and national spending patterns by income.
How does the Kalispell, MT area compare with the U.S. for auto repair and car care businesses?
The Kalispell area has 51.1 auto repair and car care businesses per 10,000 households, 43% above the U.S. rate of 35.7. Spending per business is $225K, 16% below the U.S. figure of $269K. At the U.S. ratio of auto repair and car care businesses to household spending, the Kalispell area would have about 190, against 226 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 369 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. The official count rose 16.5% from 2019 to 2023, against +4.1% for the U.S.
How fast is the Kalispell, MT area growing?
Population estimates put the Kalispell area at 115,429 people in 2025, up 10.1% since 2020, faster than the U.S. (+3.1%). It has 44,233 households. The median household income in the Kalispell area is $73,925 a year, 8% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 31.6% 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. 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 Kalispell area scores 51 for auto repair and car care businesses (upper middle), #265 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 Kalispell 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 Kalispell area
Screening a site or an acquisition in the Kalispell 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 Kalispell 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.