Auto · County · North Dakota
Auto repair and car care businesses in Ward County, ND
How Ward County, ND compares with other counties 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 33 out of 100: Lower middle
Ranked #1,912 of 2,401 scored counties
#13 of 14 scored counties in North Dakota
- Listings
- 135
- 30 chain locations (22%)
- Official establishments
- 61
- −1.6% since 2019
- Household spending a year
- $32M
- On vehicle maintenance and repairs · $1,121 a household
- Spending per listing
- $237K
- 12% below the U.S.
- Listings per 10k households
- 47.3
- 32% above the U.S.
- Population, 2025
- 68,233
- −2.4% since 2020
See the auto repair and car care businesses around any address in Ward 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 Ward 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
Ward County scores 33 (lower middle) on the Groundwork market score for auto repair and car care businesses, ranking #1,912 of 2,401 scored counties and #13 of 14 scored counties in North Dakota. That puts it in the bottom quarter of counties.
Household spending on vehicle maintenance and repairs in Ward County comes to about $32M a year: $1,121 per household, 17% above the U.S. average. Spread across 135 auto repair and car care businesses, that is $237K per business, 12% below the U.S. figure of $269K.
Ward County has 135 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings as of September 2026. Of those, 30 are chain locations, or 22%, against 24% across the U.S. That is 47.3 per 10,000 households, 32% 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 Ward County was 61 in 2023, down 1.6% from 2019. That is one for every 468 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. Since fiscal 2022, 4 SBA-backed loans worth $1.6M have gone to businesses classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in Ward County. Between 2020 and 2025, the population of Ward County declined 2.4%, against +3.1% for the U.S.
How Ward County compares
The same measures for North Dakota 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 | Ward County | North Dakota | U.S. |
|---|---|---|---|
| Listings per 10k households | 47.3 | 41.2 | 35.7 |
| Spending per listing | $237K | $280K | $269K |
| Households per official establishment | 468 | 481 | 681 |
| Official establishment growth, 2019–2023 | −1.6% | +5.5% | +4.1% |
| Population growth, 2020–2025 | −2.4% | +2.5% | +3.1% |
| Spending per household on vehicle maintenance and repairs | $1,121 | $1,154 | $958 |
| Median household income | $78,238 | $76,657 | $80,734 |
| Groundwork market score | 33 | 46 |
Official counts and lending
Businesses
- Official establishments, 2019 to 2023
- 62 → 61−1.6% over the period
- Employees, 2023
- 523
- Annual payroll, 2023
- $27.3M
- One-person businesses, 2023
- 56Businesses with no payroll
- Map listings, September 2026
- 13530 chain locations
- Listings at the U.S. rate for this spending
- 119The U.S. ratio of listings to household spending, applied here
SBA-backed loans since fiscal 2022
- Loans
- 4
- Amount
- $1.6M
SBA-backed loans to businesses classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in Ward 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 Ward County
- Population, 2025 estimate
- 68,233−2.4% since 2020
- Households
- 28,568
- Median age
- 35.7
- Homes lived in by their owners
- 61%
- Vehicles per household
- 1.9
- Land area
- 2,013 sq. mi.
- People per square mile
- 34
- Median household income
- $78,238+13.6% vs. 2015–2019, before inflation
- Average household income
- $102,307
- Median home value
- $267,100
- Jobs located here
- 30,323
- Daytime population
- 68,012Residents who don’t work, plus everyone whose job is here
Looking at a specific site in Ward 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 Ward 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 North Dakota
Every North Dakota market ranked →The highest-scoring counties in North Dakota for auto repair and car care businesses, numbered among those based in North Dakota, with Ward County marked.
Top counties in North Dakota
| Market | Score | Listings | Per 10k households | Spending per listing | Population growth | U.S. rank |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1Rolette County, ND | 71 | 11 | 29.2 | $438K | −4.1% | #330 of 2,401 |
| 2McKenzie County, ND | 66 | 21 | 35.0 | $403K | +2.8% | #488 of 2,401 |
| 3Cass County, ND | 61 | 294 | 35.0 | $293K | +9.1% | #701 of 2,401 |
| 4Burleigh County, ND | 58 | 163 | 39.5 | $291K | +4.7% | #839 of 2,401 |
| 5Morton County, ND | 53 | 75 | 53.8 | $249K | +3.8% | #1,103 of 2,401 |
| 6Grand Forks County, ND | 51 | 103 | 32.9 | $305K | +1.9% | #1,169 of 2,401 |
| 7Stutsman County, ND | 48 | 38 | 40.3 | $274K | −0.6% | #1,298 of 2,401 |
| 8Walsh County, ND | 42 | 19 | 43.2 | $278K | −3.3% | #1,542 of 2,401 |
| 9Barnes County, ND | 38 | 26 | 53.0 | $232K | −2.7% | #1,736 of 2,401 |
| 10Richland County, ND | 38 | 37 | 54.0 | $220K | +1.2% | #1,747 of 2,401 |
| 13Ward County, ND | 33 | 135 | 47.3 | $237K | −2.4% | #1,912 of 2,401 |
Other business types in Ward County
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 care33
- Auto repair shops33
- Collision repair and body shops25
- Car washes and detailing27
- Tire shops53
- Oil change and quick lube
- Gas stations36
- Insurance agencies19
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 Ward County, ND?
Map listings as of September 2026 show 135 auto repair and car care businesses in Ward County. 30 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 61 businesses with payroll classed as automotive repair and maintenance, and tire dealers in 2023, down 1.6% from 2019. Another 56 one-person businesses have no payroll, by official counts.
How much do households in Ward County, ND spend on vehicle maintenance and repairs?
About $32M a year, or $1,121 per household. That is 17% above the U.S. average (an index of 117, where 100 is the U.S. average). Spread across the 135 auto repair and car care businesses on map listings, it comes to $237K per business. It is estimated from the incomes of the 28,568 households in Ward County and national spending patterns by income.
How does Ward County, ND compare with the U.S. for auto repair and car care businesses?
Ward 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 $237K, 12% below the U.S. figure of $269K. At the U.S. ratio of auto repair and car care businesses to household spending, Ward County would have about 119, against 135 on map listings. There is one business with payroll in the industry for every 468 households, against one for every 681 across the U.S. The official count fell 1.6% from 2019 to 2023, against +4.1% for the U.S.
How fast is Ward County, ND growing?
Population estimates put Ward County at 68,233 people in 2025, down 2.4% since 2020, against +3.1% for the U.S. It has 28,568 households. The median household income in Ward County is $78,238 a year, 3% below the U.S. median of $80,734. That rose 13.6% 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. Ward County scores 33 for auto repair and car care businesses (lower middle), #1,912 of 2,401 scored counties.
How can I see the market around a specific site?
Run a Groundwork site report on an address in Ward 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 Ward County
Screening a site or an acquisition in Ward 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 Ward 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.